--- title: "What the Air Force’s waist-to-height deadline means for airmen" description: "The waist-to-height assessment, due by the end of the month, won’t be scored, the Air Force said earlier in July." date: "2026-07-27" modified: "2026-07-27" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" - name: "Jeff Schogol" job_title: "Senior Pentagon Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/jeff-schogol.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-waist-to-height-assessment-scored/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" --- # What the Air Force’s waist-to-height deadline means for airmen ![U.S. Airmen participate in a 2-mile run during a physical fitness assessment at Travis Air Force Base, California, July 15, 2026. Aerobic fitness assessments measure cardiovascular endurance and overall physical readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kenneth Abbate) ]() *Airmen run during a physical fitness test at Travis Air Force Base. Air Force photo by Kenneth Abbate.* Airmen are required to submit a waist-to-height ratio to the Air Force by the end of the week, but the measurement won't count towards the service's official fitness test, the Air Force said. Active-duty Air Force personnel have to submit their waist-to-height ratio data via the Air Force’s myBodyComp app by July 31. The Air Force has been pushing reminders of the deadline to troops for several days. However on Friday, the Air Force [said in a release]() that the "one-time biometric data collection" which "establishes a baseline for the [modernized Physical Fitness Readiness Program]()" won't actually impact the service's fitness scores under a revised test that rolled out this month. A July 9 memo from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs echoes that. The updated message comes 10 days after Air Force Chief of Staff Kenneth Wilsbach wrote to airmen announcing the deadline called the Waist-to-Height Ratio assessment "an important component of our overall fitness program and provides commanders another tool to understand the readiness and health of the force." But this mandated data won’t be scored. An Air Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose that the “one-time Waist-to-Height Ratio measurement is intended to give Airmen a baseline as we transition out of our initial diagnostic testing period into officially testing under the new Physic Fitness Readiness Assessment.” “This WHtR measurement is separate from the official PFRA, is not scored and will not drive personnel actions,” the statement continued. “Airmen moving forward will measure WHtR as part of their official PFRA.” Air & Space Forces Magazine [first reported]() on the measurement not being scored. The ratio is drawn from airmen dividing their waist by their height. Airmen who were measured between March 1 and June 30 don't need to reassess, the Air Force said. Airmen who were measured between March 1 and June 30 don't need to reassess, the Air Force said. Reserve and Air National Guard personnel have until Aug. 31 to submit their waist-to-height ratio data. The Air Force announced its updated fitness test last year, to be implemented in July. The Air Force's Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment is meant to be taken twice a year, and includes tests such as pushups, tests involving core strength such as sit-ups, and measurements of the waist-to-height ratio. A two-mile run, or a High Aerobic Multi-Shuttle Run, or HAMR, tests airmen's cardio. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()