The Navy will conduct a single physical fitness assessment cycle for calendar year 2024 – just like it did in 2023.
Historically, two cycles are conducted each calendar year, but that changed in March 2020 when the Navy called off all physical fitness assessments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tests resumed in July 2021 in a single PFA cycle schedule.
“Sustaining one PFA per year is designed to reduce administrative requirements and empower commanding officers to build healthier people, leaders and teams,” according to a new naval administrative message, or NAVADMIN, released Monday.
The 2024 PFA cycle will run from Feb. 1 to Nov. 30.
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Since shifting to the single cycle, the Navy has not issued any exemptions to sailors who’ve previously earned overall performance levels of excellent or above.
However, that may change in 2025 if the Navy reverts to two PFA cycles again, according to a Navy PFA fact sheet.
“The Navy’s decision to conduct one or two PFA cycles in 2025 will determine the use of a PFA validation incentive,” the fact sheet said. “If the decision is to perform one cycle in [calendar year 2025], there will be no PFA validation incentive.”
Postpartum sailors will wait at least 12 months after giving birth to take the fitness assessment, which includes forearm planks, pushups and cardio events.
Next year marks the fourth year with planks in the PFA, although the plank scores did not count until the 2022 assessment. Previously, the scores were used only for recording purposes and were not factored into the overall score.
