The Physically Adaptive Soldier: Creating the Combat Athlete
by Darrell Fawley
Journal Article | July 14, 2016 - 5:04am
As the Army transitions to a more flexible, adaptive force able to operate with little or no forewarning across a broad range of physical environments and levels of conflict, its physical training program remains rigid and fixed. While espousing the need for the capability and capacity – to include endurance – to accomplish the mission in a complex environment, TRADOC Pamphlet 525-3-1, The US Army Operating Concept: Win in a Complex World makes no mention of physical fitness.
However, to have a force that can operate in a diverse range of geographic conditions and climates and perform tasks across a broad range of military operations, physical fitness will be key. While functional fitness is the regime du jour, adaptive fitness is the concept that will prepare the Army to fight and win in a complex world. Units should develop physical training programs that focus on developing the combat athlete and the Army should adopt policies that foster adaptive fitness for its direct combat units.
The Combat Athlete
By definition, the uncertain future operating environment will contain a set of challenges that are unknown. However, the range of potential conflicts and physical tasks is knowable. Soldiers, though, don’t know the exact climate and geography they will operate in and do not know the exact physical tasks required, thus they must have a much broader base of fitness than doctrine or common programs offer. While Field Manual 7-22, Army Physical Readiness Training, explicitly states that “[p]hysical readiness is the ability to meet the physical demands of any combat or duty position, accomplish the mission, and continue to fight and win”, the manual remains a one-size-fits-all approach to general fitness in most aspects.[ii] There are many things to like about the manual, however, it does not set a path toward adaptive combat fitness. Combat or operational soldiers need to be prepared for the demands of any environment and any situation.[iii]
While regional alignment eliminates some environmental uncertainty, it doesn’t provide enough certainty to train for one specific place. A regionally aligned brigade could fight in a set of diverse environments within their region. The African continent alone has six climate zones before even looking at the unique geography of individual areas. Unlike a soldier who in the past may have prepared for a year to fight in the mountains of Afghanistan or the desert of Iraq, current soldiers need a broad level of a fitness that will benefit them in any potential environment. Thus, they need a level of a fitness that will allow them to quickly adapt to the unique challenges they may face. How do they do this? Simply put, adaptive fitness.
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-physically-adaptive-soldier-creating-the-combat-athlete
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