Loaded up with body armour, webbing, an assault rifle and supplies collectively weighing more than two thirds of my weight, it was difficult to stay on my feet. But if trying to avoid toppling over while bearing a 40kg load seemed tough, the idea of having to march four kilometres in less than 50 minutes felt near impossible. That is what the British Army expects of all its ground close combat soldiers, however, and it is set to be one element of a gruelling new annual fitness test to be introduced next year. The six-part test, which will be the first update to physical assessments for personnel in the Infantry, Royal Armoured Corps and Parachute Regiment in 20 years, will scrap the current gender and…

Source: The Times September 21, 2018 23:04 UTC