3 – 3. Exemptions
a. Soldiers assigned or attached to a Warrior Transition Unit or Community Based Warrior Transition Unit must meet
the body fat standard. Soldiers with special considerations may request a temporary exception to policy. See paragraph
3
– 17.
b. The following Soldiers are exempt from the requirements of this regulation; however, they must maintain a Soldierly
appearance:
(1) Soldiers with major limb loss. Major limb loss is defined as an amputation above the ankle or above the wrist,
which includes full hand and/or full foot loss. It does not include partial hand, foot, fingers, or toes.
(2) Soldiers on established continued on active duty and/or continued on active Reserve status. See AR 635
– 40.
(3) Pregnant and postpartum Soldiers. See paragraph 3
– 15.
(4) Soldiers who have undergone prolonged hospitalization for 30 continuous days or greater. See paragraph 3
– 16.
(5) New recruits. These recruits, regardless of component, will have 6 months from entry to active service to meet the
retention body fat standards established in this regulation. Failure to achieve retention body fat standards after 6 months
of entry will result in Soldiers being flagged in accordance with AR 600
– 8 – 2 and enrolled in the ABCP.
c. Soldiers that do not meet the criteria of paragraph 3–3b have the option to request a temporary exception to policy.
See paragraph 3
– 17.
3 – 4. Weigh-in and body fat assessment
a. Weigh-ins and body fat assessments will be conducted in accordance with appendix B. All Soldiers will be weighed
every 6 months, at a minimum. In order to ensure the ABCP does not interfere with Soldier performance on the Army
Physical Fitness Test (APFT), commanders and supervisors are encouraged to allow a minimum of 7 days between APFT
and weigh-in, if feasible. Some Soldiers that are close to exceeding the screening weight may attempt to lose weight
quickly in the days leading up to a weigh-in. This practice may result in the Soldier being unable to perform his or her best
on the APFT, if the two events are scheduled close together. Routine weigh-ins will be accomplished at the unit level.
Percent body fat assessments will be accomplished by company or similar level commanders (or their designee) in accord-
ance with standard methods prescribed in appendix B. Soldiers will be measured by two trained individuals of the same
gender. If a trained individual of the same gender is not available to conduct the measurements, a female Soldier will be
present when a male Soldier measures a female, and a male Soldier will be present when a female measures a male. IRR
members on annual training, ADT, and special ADT will have a weigh-in and body fat assessment (if required) by the unit
to which they are attached.
b. Units maintain height, weight, and body fat assessment data according to unit policy. The height, weight, and body
fat percent may be entered on the DA Form 705 (Army Physical Fitness Test Scorecard) but they are no longer required
entries. Units may track height and weight on a centralized roster, the DA Form 705, and on the DA Form 5500 (Body Fat
Assessment Worksheet - Male) or DA Form 5501 (Body Fat Assessment Worksheet - Female) if a body fat assessment is
required.
3 – 5. Enrollment in the Army Body Composition Program
a. RA and RC Soldiers who exceed body fat standards in appendix B will be enrolled in the unit ABCP. Enrollment in
the ABCP starts on the day that the Soldier is notified by the unit commander (or designee) that he or she has been entered
in the program (see para 3
– 6 for guidance on notification counseling).
b. While enrolled, Soldiers will be provided exercise guidance by the unit master fitness trainer and/or unit fitness
training NCO in accordance with FM 7
– 22; counseling by a registered dietitian (or health care provider, if a dietitian is
not available) on sleep, activity, and performance nutrition for obtaining and maintaining optimal body composition and
performance. Additional resources include performance enhancement training to improve performance and promote effi-
ciency during physical training from the performance expert (where performance expert is available), and education and
coaching on healthy sleep, activity, and nutrition behaviors, and weight management by Army Wellness Center (if availa-
ble at duty location) or other MTF resources as indicated to support the Soldier and help them meet the ABCP standards.
c. Initial entry Soldiers who exceed body fat standards after 6 months from date of entry to active service will be entered
in the ABCP and flagged under the provisions of AR 600
– 8 – 2 by the unit commander.
3 – 6. Actions, counseling, and evaluation for Regular Army and Reserve Component Soldiers on
active duty
The following actions are required when a Soldier is determined to be exceeding the body fat standard (see table 3
– 1):
a. Notification counseling. In accordance with AR 600
– 8 – 2, the commander has 3 working days to Flag the Soldier
using DA Form 268 (Report to Suspend Favorable Personnel Actions (FLAG)) and 2 working days from initiation of DA