US Navy to eradicate fitness test failures to improve retention of sailors

On Thursday, the United States Navy revealed that it would be erasing any physical fitness assessment failures from sailors' records.

The "one time reset" was made as the Navy continues to struggle with bringing in new recruits and retaining those already in the system.



According to the Navy Times, under the policy all active duty sailors' records will be scraped to show zero physical fitness assessment failures, if any existed, as will those in the Navy Reserve planning on staying in the service. The Career Progression Department will also pause the processing of physical assessment failure-related separation, giving enlisted personnel the chance to undergo a special evaluation to "restore retention and advancement eligibility."

The reset does not apply in all cases. Sailors taking part in officer commissioning programs, selection, and screening boards, and special duty screenings, for example, will still see prior failures show up on their records.

"We don’t want to punish sailors because gyms were closed during the pandemic," Rear Adm. James Waters III explained. "We don’t want to disadvantage sailors.” 

Waters went on to explain that the Navy expects the reset to "balance challenges sailors had in preparing for and completing physical fitness assessments throughout the pandemic," adding that the policy will "also allow experienced and talented sailors to remain in the Navy."

"We think this reset could allow up to 1,500 sailors to remain in the service who might otherwise be separated," he continued, pointing out that, "requirements and standards remain constant.”

In recent years the Navy has, alongside other branches of the US armed forces, had to change a number of policies in order to bring in new recruits and retain those already in the ranks.

The Navy met its active duty enlisted recruitment goals in FY2022, but came up short for active duty, reserve enlisted, and reserve officers.