Combat Fitness Test: Testing to Reality

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Combat Fitness Test: Testing to Reality

Captain L.M. Stansberry


For it is conspicuous that what the machine has failed to
do right up to the present moment is decrease by a single pound
the weight the individual has to carry on his back in war.
S. L. A. Marshall

S. L. A. Marshall’s words still ring true today, and as an expeditionary force in readiness, the United States Marine Corps must be ready to conduct combat operations with these heavy
loads in any clime and place. An aggressive combat conditioning program, measured by analogous and realistic evaluations is critical to this readiness. Every Marine must train and be
ready to meet the challenges of combat from the outset and sustain those operations indefinitely until victory is achieved. The Marine Corps’ Combat Fitness Test (CFT) must evaluate
Marines under a prescribed weight load to provide consistency with doctrinal Marine Corps combat training and philosophy, and accurately assess the combat functional fitness of every Marine.