The U.S. Marine Corps will implement a sex‑neutral scoring system for the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) applied to Marines in combat military occupational specialties (MOS) beginning Jan. 1, 2026, according to a recent service memorandum.
What Changes
Combat‑arms Marines will be required to achieve a minimum PFT score of 210 points — equal to 70% of a perfect score — starting Jan. 1, 2026. Marines who do not meet the new minimum by the end of the reporting period may be assigned to remedial physical training (PT), reclassified into a different MOS, or restricted from promotion.
Standards Across the Force
Non‑combat MOS personnel will continue to be evaluated using the current sex‑ and age‑normed scoring tables. All combat Marines, regardless of sex, will be evaluated using male, age‑adjusted PFT standards under the new policy.
Body Composition Changes
In addition to the PFT revision, the Corps will replace traditional height‑and‑weight standards and the tape test with a waist‑to‑height ratio methodology. Those body composition changes will be phased in over time, and specific service‑level standards will be published once the Defense Secretary issues further guidance.
Why the Change
The updates follow a Sept. 30 memorandum from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directing the services to raise fitness standards and ensure members meet the physical demands of combat. A Marine administrative message said the revisions implement that guidance and emphasize readiness and appearance.
“Our combat arms MOSs require rigorous physical readiness for direct ground combat,” Col. James Derrick, director of the Marine Corps Training and Education Command, said in the release. “These changes ensure all combat arms Marines meet the same high sex‑neutral standards.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking at Marine Corps Base Quantico, said combat effectiveness “all starts with physical fitness and appearance,” and added, according to a transcript, “Frankly, it’s tiring to look out at combat formations, or really any formation, and see fat troops.”
Implementation Timeline
The revised PFT standards take effect Jan. 1, 2026. Updates to Manpower Information Systems (MIS) will be rolled out gradually over approximately six to eight months, with full implementation expected within a year.
Source: Marine Corps memorandum and Marine administrative message.
