These results underscore the importance of strengthening the role of fitness testing (at least for cardiorespiratory fitness) in current recruitment procedures. Potentially, fitness could be improved by introducing a new standard based on a simple test of physical fitness. The Accessions Medical Standards Analysis and Research Activity has experimented with the introduction of a simple step test into the MEPS (Krauss, 2004).

There is clear evidence that preservice fitness is directly related to attrition. In a longitudinal study of Army recruits who entered military service in 1999, the physical fitness levels of recruits when arriving at basic training predicted attrition both during training and years later, in operational units.² Specifically, recruits who passed the Army’s physical fitness test both very early in training and later in training had an 18.9 percent attrition rate from their operational unit, whereas those who failed the test both early and later in training had a 26 percent attrition rate from