AIR GUARD FACES FITNESS DEADLINE

PHOTO CAPTION: Airman 1st Class Ellen Ozkaptan, a public affairs specialist with the 104th Fighter Wing, has her height measured by Master Sgt. Jeremy Knowles during a body-composition assessment at Barnes Air National Guard Base, Massachusetts, Aug. 21, 2026. U.S. Air National Guard photo by Tech. Sgt. Leilani Peltz.

Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members have until Aug. 31 to complete a required waist-to-height measurement as the Air Force prepares to make body composition a scored part of its revamped fitness program.

The approaching deadline was highlighted this weekend at the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing, where more than 1,000 Airmen were being measured during the unit’s Aug. 21-23 drill at Barnes Air National Guard Base.

The waist-to-height ratio, commonly shortened to WHtR, compares an Airman’s waist circumference with their height rather than judging the waist measurement by itself.

Certified personnel measure the waist at the midpoint between the lowest rib and the top of the hip bone, then divide that measurement by the Airman’s height.

For example, a 36-inch waist on someone who is 72 inches tall would produce a waist-to-height ratio of 0.50.

Air Reserve Component members who are not medically exempt must have a current measurement entered into the Air Force’s myBodyComp system by Aug. 31. Active-duty Airmen faced an earlier July 31 deadline.

The current requirement is part of the Air Force’s transition to a broader overhaul of physical fitness testing.

Beginning Sept. 1, the Air Force is scheduled to resume official scored fitness assessments under the new standards. Waist-to-height ratio will account for as many as 20 points of the 100-point assessment.

Cardiorespiratory fitness will remain the largest portion at 50 points, while muscle strength and core endurance will each account for 15 points.

The change marks a return of body composition to the scored Air Force fitness assessment after the service removed abdominal circumference from the test in 2020.

The Air Force began using waist-to-height ratio as a separate body-composition measure in 2023. Unlike the old abdominal-circumference test, which focused primarily on the number of inches around the waist, the newer system takes an Airman’s height into account.

Air Force officials have said abdominal fat distribution can be associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and other health problems that can affect readiness.

The service is also changing other parts of its fitness program as part of a broader push toward what leaders have called a “Culture of Fitness.”

Under the new assessment, Airmen will be tested every six months regardless of how well they scored previously.

The cardiovascular portion includes a two-mile run or 20-meter high aerobic multi-shuttle run, while strength and core categories continue to offer multiple exercise options.

At the 104th Fighter Wing, leadership scheduled the body-composition measurements during the August drill so traditional Guardsmen could complete the requirement without waiting until the final days before the deadline.

The wing’s leadership described the requirement as part of maintaining year-round readiness rather than something Airmen should address only immediately before a fitness test.

The Aug. 31 deadline does not mean every Guard or Reserve Airman must complete an entirely new measurement this month.

Airmen who already completed an official waist-to-height measurement between Jan. 1 and June 30 may use that measurement to satisfy the requirement. Members with qualifying medical, pregnancy, postpartum or mission-related exemptions may also be exempt.

Reserve members who have not completed the requirement and are not otherwise scheduled for duty before Aug. 31 may be able to request an annual-tour day to travel to an Air Force installation where the measurement can be performed.

The Air Force has also launched myBodyComp as the official system for recording the measurements.

The immediate deadline is primarily intended to establish current body-composition data across the force before the new scored fitness program takes effect.

For Guard and Reserve Airmen who have not yet completed the measurement, however, the deadline is now less than a week away.

Source: 104th Fighter Wing; Headquarters Readiness and Integration Organization; Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs.