Shutdown Delays New Air Force PT Standards

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PT TestThe government shutdown has delayed the start of new physical training standards for the Air Force.

New body fat and Body Mass Index standards were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, but those standards have been delayed indefinitely, said Lt. Col. Laurel Tingley, an Air Force spokeswoman. 

Tingley said she could not say for certain the delay was caused by the shutdown. However, another official who asked not to be named said the group of civilians who were supposed to initiate the new instruction are on furlough. Air Force Times was the first to report the delay.

The waist measure portion of the PT test is at the crux of the change and the source of controversy ever since it was introduced. The forthcoming change to the test would allow airmen who fail the waist measurement, but pass the 1.5 mile run, push-up and sit-up portion, to take a Body Mass Index test.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh announced the change in August after receiving complaints from airmen who said it was unfair to individuals who are taller and more muscular. Those complaints have been heard since the introduction of the waist measurement to the PT test in 2010.

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