Army adopts waist-to-height ratio assessment for troops

The Army scrapped its height and weight tables and tape test in favor of a semi-annual waist-to-height measurement

The service announced Tuesday. The new assessment will measure a service member's waistline at the naval

and divide that circumference by the person's height in inches to formulate a ratio

Soldiers must have a ratio below 0.55, the Army said. The move follows a January Pentagon directive introducing the standard

Soldiers with a ratio exceeding 0.55 will be subject to a confirmation test

formally flagged and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program, in an attempt to get the service member back to meeting the standard

The Army has initiated a 180-day assessment period, and no soldiers will be separated for failing the new test during that time

Commanders may test a soldier's waist-to-height ratio if they think the soldier does not meet the standard at any time

The Pentagon's memorandum said that service members who excel at fitness tests might be

given exceptions to the new requirements, but the Army's statement does not include

any mention of allowances. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has publicly criticized the armed forces fitness standards The new War Department golden rule is this Do onto your unit as you would have done onto your own child unit Would you want him serving with fat or unfit or

undertrained troops or alongside people who can't meet basic standards or in a unit where standards

were lowered so certain types of troops could make it in? In a unit where leaders were promoted

for reasons other than merit, performance, and warfighting? The answer is not just no, it's hell no

Frankly, it's tiring to look out at combat formations or really any formation and see fat troops

Likewise, it's completely unacceptable to see fat generals and admirals in the halls of the Pentagon

and leading commands around the country and the world. It's a bad look

It is bad, and it's not who we are. So whether you're an airborne ranger or a chair-borne ranger, a brand-new private or a four-star general, you need to meet the height and weight standards and pass your PT test

Alongside changes to physical fitness, Hegseth has also reinstated stricter grooming standards and pushed for soldiers in frontline roles to meet, quote, the highest male standard only