ABCP Guide (2026): How Enrollment Works Under WHtR

The Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) is still the Army's body composition program. That name and program haven't changed. What changed on July 7, 2026 is the assessment that decides who gets enrolled in it. Use the Army WHtR Calculator to check your current number before reading further.

What Is ABCP?

ABCP is the formal Army program a Soldier is enrolled in when they don't meet the current body composition standard. Historically that meant failing a height/weight screening and a follow-up tape test. Today it means a single number: waist-to-height ratio.

What Changed on July 7, 2026

Army Directive 2026-13 rescinded the height/weight screening tables, the one-site (and prior multi-site) tape test, and every supplemental body fat assessment method (DXA, InBody, and Bod Pod included). In their place, it established waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) as the sole ABCP assessment: waist circumference at the navel, divided by height, both in inches. A result below 0.550 meets the standard, with no age adjustment and no gender adjustment.

A high AFT score (the fitness test formerly called the ACFT) does not change this. AFT and WHtR are fully decoupled: no fitness test score, past or present, exempts a Soldier from a WHtR check.

The Paperwork Changed Too

WHtR results are recorded on DA Form 5500 (the same worksheet used before, now updated to accommodate the WHtR measurement) and logged in the Army Training Information System (ATIS) by leaders using the Leader Tool. DA Form 5501, previously used for female Soldiers under the gender-specific old system, is no longer used; with no gender adjustment in the current standard, one form now covers every Soldier. The ratio itself is recorded to three decimal places, truncated rather than rounded: a result of 0.549 passes, and 0.550 fails.

How ABCP Enrollment Works Now

1. Initial measurement: Waist circumference at the navel, divided by height, gives your WHtR.
2. 0.550 or higher: That result is followed by a confirmation measurement, conducted on the same duty day by a different team.
3. Confirmed 0.550 or higher: The Soldier is enrolled in ABCP, flagged, and remains enrolled until they meet the standard.
4. Separation protection: The Army is conducting a 180-day review of the WHtR standard. No Soldier will be separated for a WHtR failure until that review is complete and further guidance is issued.

Every Soldier is measured under this standard twice per calendar year. All Soldiers were also required to get an initial WHtR measurement recorded on DA Form 5500 and in ATIS within 90 days of the directive's publication (approximately October 5, 2026) to bring every record current under the new system. Your unit's official measurement is what counts. Source: ABCP FAQ (army.mil)

For what happens after enrollment (reassessment timing now that monthly progression checks are rescinded, the medical evaluation, the non-transferable flag, and how release from the program works), see the ABCP Calculator.

What This Page Used to Cover

Earlier versions of this guide walked through the one-site tape test formula, age- and gender-based body fat percentage limits, and a month-by-month ABCP progress timeline tied to that formula. All of that was tied to an assessment method that no longer exists. The body fat percentage limits it referenced were rescinded along with the tape test, and we can't verify that the old progress timeline still applies to WHtR-based enrollment, so we've removed it rather than guess. If you're researching that prior policy specifically, see our archived height/weight and tape test calculator, which keeps the old formulas and tables running in a clearly labeled historical mode for reference.

Staying Off ABCP Without Shortcuts

There's no fast way to safely change a body composition measurement in the days before an assessment, and attempting one is more likely to hurt you than help. Avoid rapid weight-cutting methods: fasting, dehydration, sweat suits, sodium restriction, or any other last-minute technique aimed at a single measurement. What actually moves your WHtR over time is the same thing that improves your health generally: consistent strength training, adequate protein, regular sleep, and measuring under the same conditions so you can track a real trend.

Military OneSource offers free, confidential fitness and nutrition coaching for service members and families, 24/7, or call 800-342-9647.

Sources

• Army modifies body composition program, adopts waist-to-height ratio, Army.mil
• Army Fitness Test (AFT), Official Site, Army.mil