Key Points and Summary – Starting in 2026, U.S. Navy special operators—including SEALs, SWCC, EOD, and divers—will face a demanding new Combat Fitness Test (CFT). Mandated by a Pentagon directive to ensure realistic readiness, this gender-neutral assessment runs alongside the standard PRT but adds significant difficulty.
-Sailors must complete an 800-meter swim with fins, followed by max push-ups, strict pull-ups, and a 1-mile run—all while wearing a 20-pound weighted vest.
(June 5, 2007) – U.S. Navy SEALs (Sea, Air, Land) perform a live fire exercise for the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) The Honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter at the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek’s shooting facility. U.S. Navy photo by LCDR Keith Williams.
-The test sets a high bar for elite warfighters, and repeated failures of physical assessments can now result in administrative separation from the service.
The New U.S. Navy Combat Fitness Test, Special Operators’ Higher Standards
Starting in 2026, Navy SEALs, special warfare combat crewmen (SWCC), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) techs, and fleet divers will have a new combat fitness test, much more difficult than that of other naval MOSS.
The new U.S. Navy Combat Fitness Test (CFT) is a demanding, single-session assessment for combat arms personnel, featuring an 800m swim (with fins/goggles), followed by max push-ups (2 min, 20lb vest), max strict pull-ups (20lb vest), and a 1-mile run (20lb vest/plate carrier), all while fatigued.
It is being launched in early 2026 and emphasizes realistic, job-specific readiness with age-adjusted, gender-neutral scoring, requiring passing scores in every event to pass the test, and occurs alongside the standard PRT, adding a second annual assessment for these critical roles.
While conducting the fitness tests once or twice a year, the Navy also added that sailors failing three physical fitness assessments within four years would be processed for administrative separation.
SEAL Team Six. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Most sailors will complete two physical fitness assessments a year, however, those in combat arms professions will undergo a physical fitness assessment and the new combat fitness assessment, which includes a body composition assessment and the combat fitness test.
Combat Arms Sailors:
Combat arms personnel include:
-Sea, Air, Land (NSW/SEAL) designation (113X, O23X, O26X)
-Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) designation (114X, 1190, 6480, M00A, M02A, M03A, M04X),
-Special Warfare Combat Crewman (SWCC) designation (717X, O20A, O50A, O52X)
-Fleet Diver designation (720X, M1DV, M2DV, MMDV)
Combat Fitness Test Components:
800-Meter Swim: Timed, any stroke allowed, fins/goggles permitted, no snorkels. The test is to be done in a swimming pool but there is an option for an open water test as well. After completion, sailors are allowed a 10-minute rest period before the next event.
Max Push-ups: 2 minutes, wearing a 20-pound weighted vest or plate carrier. This is followed by a two-minute rest.
Max Pull-ups: No time limit, strict form (no kipping), dead hang start, wearing a 20-pound vest/carrier. This is followed by a ten-minute rest period.
1-Mile Run: For time, carrying a 20-pound vest or plate carrier.
Key details of the new fitness test, as put out by the Navy, specify the frequency and scoring of the test. A guide from the Navy Physical Readiness Program and a Navy fact sheet outline the exact procedures and scoring for sailors in combat arms.
Combat arms personnel (SEALs, SWCC, EOD, Fleet Divers) take this twice yearly, along with the standard Physical Readiness Test (PRT).
Up to 100 points per event, age-adjusted, sex-neutral; passing requires minimums in all four events.
US Navy SEALs. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen will face a more difficult grading curve than explosive ordnance disposal sailors and fleet divers.
For a SEAL or SWCC to score a “high” in the “outstanding” category, SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen aged 17 to 29 need to complete their 800-meter swim in under 11 minutes and 20 seconds, complete 54 pushups, 21 pullups, and run a mile in eight minutes or less.
However, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) sailors and fleet divers aged 17 to 29 must complete only 17 pullups and run their mile in 10 minutes or less to score a “high” in the “outstanding” category.
The 800-meter swim time and pushup count for these service members are the same as for the SEALs and special warfare combat crewmen.
The new test will more accurately measure real-world physical readiness and establish high, mission-relevant standards for elite warfighters.
This new test was implemented after a Pentagon directive by the Secretary of War for uniform combat fitness standards, replacing older, less job-specific tests for these roles.
The new test was announced in a Sept. 30 memorandum from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on fitness standards. Hegseth’s directive outlined the requirement for a “combat field test” for combat arms roles, as one of two tests taken each year. The memo said that it must meet service-determined standards and must be “executable in any environment, at any time, with combat equipment.”
An initial 1-year rollout period will allow the US Navy to evaluate benchmarks of the overall PFA-CFA strategy before formally recording scores.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
