US Navy Plans to Forgive Past Fitness Test Failures to Boost Retention

In a new move to boost retention and meet end strength targets, the U.S. Navy has decided to "reset" past physical fitness assessment failures, allowing more sailors to continue their careers in the service. 

Last week, the service announced that it would implement a one-time forgiveness policy for fitness-test failures "when considering authority to reenlist, advance, promote, or execute other career continuation transitions." The Navy described the decision as a response to the aftereffects of the COVID-19 pandemic, when shutdowns and quarantines made it logistically harder for sailors to get ready for and take fitness exams. 

Under the reset policy, commanding officers can overlook a past fitness test failure when considering retention and advancement recommendations. Any officers currently being processed for administrative separation for failing a fitness test will have the process put on hold. Enlisteds with approved separation orders can submit a special request to stay on active duty. 

Rear Adm. James Waters III, the Navy's director of military personnel, told Navy Times that the "reset" will help up to 1,500 sailors to stay in the service despite past fitness test failures. The Navy is struggling to meet recruitment and end strength targets for FY2023, and has made multiple policy changes in an attempt to adapt to a tough hiring market. 

“We expect this reset to balance challenges sailors had in preparing for and completing physical fitness assessments throughout the pandemic and also allow experienced and talented sailors to remain in the Navy,” he said. 

In late December, the service announced that it would be temporarily doing away with its longstanding "up-or-out" policy for enlisted sailors in an attempt to boost retention. Enlisteds in all branches of the armed forces have to keep moving up the promotion ladder fast enough to keep up with high-year tenure (HYT) limits. If servicemembers stay put too long without a raise in grade, they are forced to either separate or retire. The service has suspended its version of this system through 2025 so that "more of our talented and experienced sailors can stay in the Navy," Waters explained at the time. 

Earlier in December, the Navy announced that it will lower its entrance test standards to enable recruitment of the lowest-scoring candidates allowable by law. For candidates with a high school diploma, the Navy's minimum allowable performance on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) is now set at the 10th percentile, lower than 90 percent of all test-takers' results.