The U.S. Navy has announced a "one-time reset of all physical fitness assessment (PFA) failures" as part of an effort to keep sailors in the service.
It wrote in an administrative memo Thursday that "all Active Component and Reserve Component officers and enlisted Sailors shall be counted as having zero past PFA failures... when considering authority to reenlist, advance, promote, or execute other career continuation transitions such as extensions and duty station transfers."
"Because the challenges of preparing for and executing the limited number of PFAs throughout the Coronavirus disease pandemic potentially placed some Sailors at a disadvantage, this reset is intended to level the playing field and ensure every Sailor with the drive to continue has an opportunity to meet fitness standards and serve in our Navy to the maximum extent desired," the memo continued.
"This policy does not supersede the need for an effective command-level culture of fitness," it added. "It remains incumbent upon individual Sailors to invest in their personal health and wellness in order to maintain warfighting readiness."
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Rear Adm. James Waters, director of the Navy's Personnel Plans and Policy division, told reporters the move "could allow up to 1,500 sailors to remain in the service who might otherwise be separated," according to Military.com.
The website says under current Navy rules, one PFA failure results in sailors being placed in a mandatory fitness program and puts some restrictions on their advancement. Two failures means sailors cannot advance and are ineligible for reenlistment, it added.
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But the memo also says, "All other programs and processes that take PFA failures into account, such as officer commissioning programs, selection or screening boards, special duty screenings, etc. will continue to consider any past PFA failures in line with normal procedures."
In addition to the PFA reset, the Navy is gearing up to implement a pre-boot camp preparatory course to help recruits meet academic and physical fitness requirements before basic training, Military.com reports.
Waters also said the Navy has been given congressional approval to increase the maximum enlisted bonus from $50,000 to $75,000 alongside changes that allow older recruits to join, according to Military.com.
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