ShareThisBy GLORIA GALLOWAY and JEFF SALLOT
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
A minimum level of fitness is no longer required of those who wish to join the Canadian Forces.
A notice posted in the recruiting section of Canada's military Web site says that, as of Oct. 1, the regular test to determine physical capabilities that has traditionally been demanded of all new applicants has been eliminated.
It's a change that comes as the Forces, stretched to the limit with deployment of more than 2,200 soldiers in Afghanistan, tries to increase its ranks by 8,000 members over the next five years even as attrition is depleting them.
After joining the Forces, however, recruits will still be subject to a medical examination _ and those who can't meet the grade physically will be turned over to trainers who will try to get them into the kind of condition required to begin their life in the military, the notice on the Web site says.
"For the Regular Force, the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School will be responsible for assessing physical fitness and will implement a program to assist new enrollees to reach an acceptable level of physical fitness prior to commencing basic training," the notice says. "For the Reserve Force, contact your local unit for more information."
A physical-fitness guide for new applicants that is available on the Canadian Forces site "remains available for applicants wishing to self-evaluate and increase their physical fitness level," the notice says.
The military did not return calls to explain the change in policy. But it follows a loosening of standards south of the border as American recruiters try to keep fresh troops rotated into Iraq. The U.S. Defense Department has asked Congress to raise the maximum age for military recruits to 42 from 35.
Military veterans in Canada say anyone under age 58 is welcome at Canadian recruiting offices, although that could not be confirmed.
The physical-fitness evaluation that had previously been required of people joining the military does not seem to have been terribly onerous. Men under 35, for instance, were required to perform 19 push-ups, 19 sit-ups, squeeze 165 pounds in a handgrip and run about 1-1/2 miles in an acceptable period of time.
The fitness guide also suggests that new recruits arrive with a weight that is acceptable according to the body-mass-index scale. That concern has apparently diminished.
"If you're 450 pounds, they will recruit you and then put you in a fat camp until you are ready," said Scott Taylor, a military veteran and editor of Esprit de Corps magazine.
The new edition of the magazine contains a satirical spoof suggesting that anyone who could walk up the stairs to a recruiting office would be signed up. But "it's not funny anymore," Taylor said. Now a recruit "can just yell from the bottom of the stairs and they will wheel him away _ 'Take me off to boot camp.' "
Meanwhile, Canada's top general said the Canadian Forces are not having any problem at the moment finding recruits.
"Kids are flocking to our recruiting centers," said Gen. Rick Hillier, chief of the defense staff, who estimated that recruitment levels are "twice the rate of last year."
The big problem with recruitment is not the levels, Hillier said, but finding new troops from minority groups to make the military a more diverse institution.
Hillier was responding to questions in Parliament about whether the Canadian Forces might have to take shortcuts in training to get enough combat troops to maintain Canada's commitment to the Afghanistan war for two more years.
There will be "no shortcuts on training," he said. He was not asked specifically about the physical performance requirements new recruits must meet.
