The Navy announced Wednesday that new female recruits to the service are going to have to complete a one-and-a-half mile run in 18 minutes, seven seconds.
Male recruits will have to run the same distance in 16 minutes, 10 seconds, and if neither male nor female recruits can pass the initial test, they won’t graduate to further training at the Great Lakes, Ill., boot camp, Military.com reports.
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“It’s an effort to raise the bar and develop tough, more qualified sailors during basic military training to increase the lethality of the fleet overall,” Navy Lt. Sean Brophy, spokesman for Naval Service Training Command, told Military.com.
And yet, the standard is not very high, especially for women.
With a pace of about 4.5-5 miles per hour, it’s possible to complete 1.5 miles in 18-20 minutes.
This speed is slightly faster than a very brisk walk.
Although the standard is easy to meet compared to other services, the Navy will still allow potential recruits who fail the test to try their hand at it again within 48 hours.
If they don’t meet the standard at that point in time, they will be cut.
Recruits will still be able to apply to Navy Recruiting Command at a later date, if they so choose.
“All military services have an initial physical fitness standard before recruits can commence basic training,” said Rear Adm. Mike Bernacchi, commander, Naval Service Training Command. “The initial run standard raises the bar at RTC, helping us develop tough, more qualified Sailors during basic military training and send a more lethal force to the fleet.”
Female Marine recruits, on the other hand, have 31 minutes to run three miles and males have to complete the same distance in 28 minutes.
Up until now, the Navy has been the only service without an initial fitness test, but now Navy officials are implementing the new standard, which will come into effect starting Jan. 1, 2018.
Article posted with permission from The Daily Caller News Foundation
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