The "one time reset" was made as the Navy continues to struggle with bringing in new recruits and retaining those already in the system.
According to the Navy Times, under the policy all active duty sailors' records will be scraped to show zero physical fitness assessment failures, if any existed, as will those in the Navy Reserve planning on staying in the service. The Career Progression Department will also pause the processing of physical assessment failure-related separation, giving enlisted personnel the chance to undergo a special evaluation to "restore retention and advancement eligibility."
The reset does not apply in all cases. Sailors taking part in officer commissioning programs, selection, and screening boards, and special duty screenings, for example, will still see prior failures show up on their records.
"We don’t want to punish sailors because gyms were closed during the pandemic," Rear Adm. James Waters III explained. "We don’t want to disadvantage sailors.”
Waters went on to explain that the Navy expects the reset to "balance challenges sailors had in preparing for and completing physical fitness assessments throughout the pandemic," adding that the policy will "also allow experienced and talented sailors to remain in the Navy."
"We think this reset could allow up to 1,500 sailors to remain in the service who might otherwise be separated," he continued, pointing out that, "requirements and standards remain constant.”
In recent years the Navy has, alongside other branches of the US armed forces, had to change a number of policies in order to bring in new recruits and retain those already in the ranks.
The Navy met its active duty enlisted recruitment goals in FY2022, but came up short for active duty, reserve enlisted, and reserve officers.
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy
