The British Army’s Physical Training Instructors (PTI’s) have experienced the new Role Fitness Test (Soldier) for the first time.
The Army’s fitness experts attended a gruelling training session at The Armour Centre, in Bovington, in early March, where they faced the new Physical Employment Standards (PES) that they will deliver from April 01 2019 to all soldiers in Ground Close Combat roles.
To experience the sequential nature and physical demands of the tests, those attending the learning session had the opportunity and were encouraged to complete the full battery of tests under full test conditions.
The instructors facing the new PES requirements also had to deal with some challenging weather on the day.
The physical tests measuring a Ground Close Combat soldier’s role fitness had remained unchanged for 20 years. The new standards are role-related, measurable and designed to prepare all soldiers for operational duty. The tests include casualty extraction from a vehicle, repeated lift and carry and fire and manoeuvre exercises.
PES assesses whether personnel are fit for a specific role. The standards are based on detailed analysis of roles and scientific research and include:
- Loaded March;
- Fire and Manoeuvre;
- Casualty Drag;
- Water Can Carry;
- Vehicle Casualty Extraction; and
- Repeated Lift and Carry.
Reference
British Army. (2019) Army PTIs learn new Role Fitness Tests. Available from World Wide Web: https://www.army.mod.uk/news-and-events/news/2019/03/army-ptis-learn-new-role-fitness-tests/. [Accessed: 28 March, 2019].
