As American military operations become more and more technologically advanced, the U.S. Army may begin to favor brains over brawn in selecting potential soldiers.
The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) requires male soldiers to complete 35 pushups, 47 sit-ups and run 2 miles in 16 minutes and 36 seconds, but — according to the Washington Times — the Army plans on lowering its basic physical requirements for a certain type of warrior.
A recent study from the National Institutes of Health classified one third of Americans as obese, and the Army’s head of recruiting Major General Allen Batschelet explained that these proposed, looser physical standards are part of the Army’s initiative to recruit a new generation of tech-savvy warriors, dubbed “Army Cyber.”
Technology now allows soldiers to wage war miles away from an actual battlefield, and Batschelet argues that these Army Cyber soldiers — such as drone pilots — don’t need to “have the same physical standards as someone who’s in the Ranger Battalion.” (RELATED: Obama Eyes Drone War On Islamic State]
Military recruiters claim that drawing from a wider body (literally) of potential soldiers will not be detrimental to U.S. military capability. Instead, it simply reflects a shift in what defines a high-caliber soldier in the cyber age.
“One of the things we’re considering is that your [mission] as a cyber warrior is different,” said Batschelet. “Maybe you’re not the Ranger who can do 100 pushups, 100 sit-ups and run the 2-mile inside of 10 minutes, but you can crack a data system of an enemy.” (RELATED: The US Navy’s New Swarm Of Autonomous Boats Can Surround, Destroy Targets [VIDEO])
Batschelet didn’t elaborate on the specific APFT requirements for Army Cyber soldiers, but stated that soldiers would still need to be “physically fit… and maintain [their] professional appearance.”