I have serious issues with the USAF Fit to Fight Program. And you said it best. Someone tall and muscular is penalized where someone short and fat gets a pass. I know most people on here have no sympathy for this Col. Personally I think this F2F program is a HUGE joke. In reality, it is a managed RIF so that the Administration doesn't have to get the negative press of a RIF. If you can't meet the standard, you can't meet the standard. Goodbye.

I've on both sides of this issue. I've been a person running the tests as well as someone who recently found himself pushing the waist standard (I too like Col Bush can pass all the other requirements).

The problem with this test is two fold. First, Tweetdrvr pointed out the obvious flaw. The waist measurement standard doesn't account for a person's height or skeletal size. Tall muscular guys or anyone with a big waist is penalized, and sometimes it isn't fat that is the problem. Some people's skeletal system is wider than others. If the distance between pelvises is 14 inches (and that isn't uncommon for someone taller than 6 foot), that's 28 inches without even considering depth of the body. Since there are points associated with waist size (smaller the waist the more points you get), these guys can't get scores like the skinny guys can.

Second, the F2F score sheets are clearly labeled with "Health Risk Categories." If you are in the "high" category, then they are telling you that you are at a high risk for "current and future cardiovascular disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and other health problems." However, the member is not evaluated for these issues nor are they told they are at high risk by the medical staff/doctors! (Don't want to put that in someone's medical jacket, we might have to pay disability)

I'm 6-1 and 225lbs. Even when I worked out 3-4 times a week, including weight lifting, running, and swimming (I love to swim and I'll out swim just about anyone), my waist has never been under 34 inches since middle school. In ROTC, I scored in the 400s (never got a perfect 500), but my waist still was 34 inches.

Without accounting for height, this requirement is a joke. And the USAF leadership knows it but they don't the testicular fortitude to fix it. And this is the same leadership who gives me a coke, candy bar, bologne sandwhich, and a bag of chips for a 14 hour mission over Afghanistan.