General(health-related) physical fitness and combat(skill-related) physical fitness, two kinds of physical performance requirements are placed on members of the military. The general physical fitness tests have been developed over the years in the military for the purpose of maintaining or promoting the overall health and conditioning of personnel and these tests are applicable to all service members regardless of their occupations. On the other hand, the purpose of combat physical fitness is to ensure that personnel assigned to physically demanding missions are capable of performing those combats. Also, combat physical fitness tests indicate the level at which an individual must perform in order to successfully meet mission requirements, regardless of body size or gender.
Most military including the U.S. military evaluate health-related physical fitness such as cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and body composition. However, it is important to develop military physical fitness test program to evaluate both health and combat physical fitness, due to the importance of combat physical fitness to perform combat missions on the battlefield. Now, Korea military based on the U.S. Army physical fitness tests only evaluates cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, except of body composition, but does not evaluate combat physical fitness to perform combat missions on the battlefield. U.S. Army is trying to revise, since 1980, physical fitness test for first time. The reason is that today's test does not adequately measure components of strength, endurance, or mobility, have a low correlation with the performance of warrior tasks and battle drills, and are not strong predictors of successful physical performance on the battlefield or in full spectrum operations. As results of comprehensive literature, the development deduction of military physical fitness program are as follow:1. Mnd establishes instruction of military physical fitness program through professional research, and requires each services(army, air force, navy, marine corps)2. Each services develop a specific-unit military physical fitness program 3. Each services evaluates both general(health-related) physical fitness and military relevant(task-related or combat-related) physical fitness providing a testing environment similar to that on the battlefield.
4. Each services use current general physical fitness tests of cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, and add body composition(% body fat), agility, and power 5. Each services develop military relevant physical fitness program designed to not only correlate with readiness training, but also to provide a more accurate picture of a soldier's ability to perform tasks and battle drills 6. Establishment of test events and standard are based on scientific rationales including validity, reliability, and adjusted age and sex The further research are as follow: First, study for physically demanding combat missions analysis of specific-units, and relationship between theses missions and physical fitness components have to be conducted. Second, study for development of test events in order to measure and evaluate military relevant physical fitness have to be conducted. Third, development of a computerized physical fitness and weight management database for the Korea soldiers is needed to monitor individual improvement. Fourth, military physical fitness training program for improving combat readiness have to be developed, and applied to field units