Sailors now can breathe a little easier now that the U.S. Navy is removing failed physical tests from their service records.
The Navy has instructed commands to stop kicking out sailors for failing their physical fitness assessments, or PFAs, the Navy Times reported.
In the past, if sailors failed two PFAs in three years they were discharged from the service.
The PFA consists of two parts, a body composition assessment and a physical readiness test.
The test evaluates sailors on their ability to do pushups, situps and a 1 1/2-mile run, using their ages as a benchmark.
Sailors will also now be required to undergo a body fat analysis when they report to a new command and will be forced pass their PFAs to advance in rank.
Almost 50,000 will be able to remain in the Navy with the new rules as it is trying to increase its end strength by over 4,100 sailors by the end of the fiscal year, the Navy Times reported.
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