The ACFT/AFT 465 Body Fat Exemption Has Been Removed

Earlier guidance on this page described a performance-based exemption: Soldiers who scored 465 or higher on their record fitness test, with at least 80 points in every event, were excused from the circumference-based body fat assessment. That exemption no longer exists. This article has been rewritten to explain what changed, why, and what it means for you.

What the Old Rule Said

Under prior policy, a Soldier who hit the 465-point threshold (with an 80-point floor in each event) was administratively "cleared" at height and weight screening: recorded on DA Form 5500 or 5501, but not taped, and with no body fat percentage calculated. The reasoning was that a Soldier fit enough to score in the Army's top tier was, by extension, fit enough to be presumed in compliance with body composition standards.

That reasoning is no longer reflected in Army policy.

What Changed: Army Directive 2026-13

On July 1, 2026, the Secretary of the Army signed Army Directive 2026-13, effective July 7, 2026. It rescinded the height and weight screening tables, the circumference-based tape test, and every prior supplemental body fat assessment method (including DXA, InBody, and Bod Pod). In their place, it established the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) as the sole authorized body composition standard under AR 600-9, for the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve alike.

WHtR is calculated as waist circumference (measured at the navel) divided by height, both in inches. A result below 0.550 meets the standard. There is no age adjustment and no gender adjustment, and critically, no fitness-test exemption of any kind. The directive that created the 465-point exemption (Army Directive 2025-17) is now inactive.

AFT and WHtR Are Now Fully Decoupled

This is the change that matters most: fitness test performance and body composition are now assessed completely independently. A Soldier can post a maximum AFT score and still be required to meet the WHtR standard, and a Soldier who fails WHtR gets no credit toward it from a strong AFT score, or vice versa. Soldiers must clear both standards on their own terms.

If you were previously counting on a 465+ score to keep you off the tape, that protection is gone. Check your waist-to-height ratio directly: it is the only number that determines your body composition status now.

Terminology Update: ACFT Is Now the AFT

Separately from the body composition change, the fitness test itself has a new name. The Army Fitness Test (AFT) replaced the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) as the test of record on June 1, 2025. References to "ACFT" in older Army guidance and on this site refer to what is now called the AFT. The two are the same lineage of test, but the exemption discussed above applied under the old ACFT-era policy and does not carry over under the AFT-era WHtR standard.

What This Means for You

• Check your WHtR now, regardless of your AFT score. Use the Army WHtR Calculator: it takes just your height and waist measurement, no signup required.
• If your result is 0.550 or higher: a confirmation measurement is conducted on the same duty day by a different team. If confirmed, you're enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program (ABCP) and flagged, and remain enrolled until you meet the standard. 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. Source: ABCP FAQ (army.mil)
• Free support is available. 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