(Air Force Times) Editorial: Air Force fails PT test

[unhappycamper]

Air Force fails PT test

You might say the proof is in the pudding: The Air Force’s “fit to fight” physical fitness program is a flop. A big, fat belly flop.

An Air Force audit confirmed ample evidence that commanders are doing too little to enforce a culture of fitness. Too many airmen are training just enough to pass the annual fitness test and then packing on pounds until it is time to take the test again.

More than one-third of the airmen audited at 50 Air Force units gained an average of 9 pounds — and added 3 inches to their waistlines — within just 60 days of taking the test. That’s possible because commanders either don’t crack down on the binge-and-test set, or because they fail to ensure accurate test results.

It’s clear commanders don’t take the policy seriously. Auditors found that more than 70 percent of airmen who failed the PT test two or more times faced no administrative action. One airman at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., failed the PT test 12 times in a row without consequences.

Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley ordered the audit in 2007 to confirm what his eyes were telling him — that many airmen simply weren’t keeping themselves fit.


Rest of article at: http://airforcetimes.com/community/opinion/airforce_editorial_pttest_011909/%2e