Soldiers’ body composition will now be measured using a waist-to-height ratio instead of the body mass index tables that use height and weight to measure body fat, according to a Pentagon memo.

With the new policy, which became effective Jan. 1, a soldier’s waist circumference will be divided by the soldier’s height to evaluate body fat percentage, according to the Dec. 18 memo signed by Anthony Tata, undersecretary of war for personnel and readiness.

“Height and weight tables will no longer be utilized to evaluate body composition. Body composition evaluation will align with medically validated, streamlined approaches using WHtR,” the memo states, using the acronym for waist-to-height ratio.

“Failure to meet established body fat standards may result in the withholding of favorable personnel actions, including promotions,” the memo states.

For men, the new body fat standards are between 18% and 26%, and for women the body fat standard is between 26% and 36%. Troops will be measured twice a year, and the “upper limit for allowable WHtR for military service body composition policies” will be less than .55, according to the memo.

Soldiers’ body composition is already measured twice yearly, and those who score 465 points or more on the Army Fitness Test, whose highest possible score is 500, are exempt from Army body fat standards. But with the new policy, which grants such allowances “within defined limits prescribed by each military service,” high performers won’t be excused for non-compliance with body composition standards.

It is unclear how the new policy will affect soldiers or when the Army will clarify its obligations under the new policy.

The Army “is still developing its body composition policy that incorporates the War Department’s directives,” said Lt. Col. Orlandon Howard, spokesman for the Army deputy chief of staff for personnel, G-1. “We will announce the changes when complete.” 

The current screening involves height and weight measurements that are compared to a table that designates acceptable weight based on height. If the soldier’s body composition is acceptable, they’re good to go, while soldiers who exceed the acceptable range undergo a body fat assessment with an onsite tape test that measures the circumference of the abdomen. The outcome is compared to a table that considers body fat percentages by age and sex, Howard said.

Soldiers who don’t meet the standard can request another assessment, and they are subject to suspension or flagged for “favorable actions” and enrolled in the Army Body Composition Program for guidance on exercise, nutrition or behavioral changes, he said.

Read the Pentagon memo here.