Two senators said Wednesday they have called for a delay in implementing the U.S. Army's Combat Fitness Test, citing a possible detriment to creating a diverse force.

A letter signed by Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent a letter to the chairman and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees warning that rollout of the revised test was premature and deserved additional study.

"Significant concerns have been raised regarding the data used to develop the test, initial test scores, and logistical issues," the senators wrote. "The ACFT will determine the career path and success of all soldiers currently serving, yet many information gaps and unknowns remain."

It suggested that the ACFT could adversely impact soldiers' professional prospects, upset recruitment efforts and disproportionally affect women in the Army, and noted that few women were included in early testing groups.

"In 2019, the Army identified the six events of the ACFT and began conducting field tests within 63 battalions across the organization," the senators wrote. "Preliminary data was leaked showing an overall failure rate of 84 percent for females and 30 percent for males within these battalions."

The test is an attempt by the Army to establish effective but gender-neutral standards for soldiers' fitness and readiness, and replaces Army previous fitness tests which clearly displayed a bias but were less rigorous.

Six events are involved in the new test, including a dead lift, weighted ball throw and a "leg tuck," in which soldiers lift themselves up from a pullup bar using their arm, core and leg muscles.

The leg tuck is largely responsible for the 65 percent failure rate for women and the 10 percent failure rate for men.

The letter from Gillibrand and Blumenthal cited a University of Iowa study that showing that the removal of the leg-tuck could significantly improve success rates. The letter said the leg tuck is "the same event which has no proven predictive value to military occupation."

It also noted that the previously used Army Physical Fitness Test required no equipment other than a stopwatch, while "the ACFT requires approximately $3,000 worth of equipment to put one individual through the test."

Gillibrand and Blumenthal added that the test is irrelevant, and possibly damaging, to the careers of Army lawyers, cybersecurity specialists and other non-combat enlistees.

The senators recommend that the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act include a provision allowing Congress to delay use of the ACFT until it is independently reviewed.

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