You should get paid more if you do more. Apparently, this rational view is a seemingly hot take. The Army just published new physical fitness standards, renaming the test from the “Army Combat Fitness Test” (ACFT) to just the “Army Fitness Test” (AFT). And in the AFT, it raised the minimum standards for those whom it deems are in military occupational specialties (MOS) (or army jobs for you laity) that are combat MOS. In other words, the Army is saying that soldiers with combat MOS (a.k.a. the ones that do the actual fighting) need to be in better shape than the ones who are in support roles.
For those non-freedom fighters with weenie jobs…I mean combat support soldiers, the relatively low standards still exist. In fact, the AFT minimum standards are still extremely low compared to the APFT of old, even for the new male and combat standards. But here is the bottom line: soldiers that have to perform better (a.k.a. score higher) on the AFT should be compensated at a higher rate than those who don’t. The reward for passing the AFT at a higher level should not be that you get to just keep your already more difficult job. It should come with some sort of increased compensation. Whether that’s more pay for those in a combat MOS, tax breaks, or additional days off, doing more work (a.k.a. having to achieve a higher standard on the AFT) should come with more compensation.
For women in the military, they have got it made. I hear so much about a wage gap in this country, but women in the military actually get paid the same as males to have a lower performance! What a concept! Not great for equality, but great for those who wish to accomplish less and get paid the same (don’t hate the player, hate the game). With lower AFT standards than their male counterparts, women in the Army can do less and still get paid the same. However, that is no longer the case for women in a combat MOS. They now have to achieve the same minimum standards as their male counterparts. Yay equality! But I digress…
In summary, I would like to see those in a combat MOS get some sort of compensation for having to achieve higher standards. That said, being a combat MOS can be seen as a reward in and of itself, as we are better than everyone else. Shots fired…FUBAR 6, OUT.
Love this article? Great! Let me know and I’ll produce more. Hate this article? Well, it’s probably ‘cause you hate equal pay for equal work. Why don’t you go ahead, respond, and let me know why I am wrong.
*This article was written by FUBAR 6. All opinions expressed in this article are that of the author. This article is not endorsed by the Department of Defense, the United States Army, or any other state or government agency. Comments to the author can be submitted below.