What fitness test do Space Force Guardians take?

Guardians no longer take the Air Force's Physical Fitness Assessment. SPFMAN 36-2905 replaces it with the Space Force's own Human Performance Assessment (HPA), phased in through mid-2026. Guardians scoring Fit to Fight or Health Maintenance retest every six months; those scoring Health Concern retest every three months.

For years, Guardians tested under the Air Force's fitness instruction because the Space Force had not yet written its own. That changed with SPFMAN 36-2905, Human Performance and Readiness, which establishes a Space Force-specific fitness test called the Human Performance Assessment (HPA) and phases out the old Air Force test.

From the publication of this SPFMAN through 1 January 2026, Guardians must follow the current fitness standards outlined in DAFMAN 36-2905, Department of the Air Force Physical Fitness Program, dated 21 April 2022 and take the Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) if any of the following apply:

SPFMAN36-2905, para 1.1.1
  • Your evaluations are closing out and your PFA is not current
  • You are scheduled for Professional Military Education and a PFA is required
  • You are under adverse action for failed PFAs and due to take another within the 24-month window
  • Any other requirement necessitates a current fitness assessment

Outside those cases, Guardians entered an initial phase with no test at all, and unit commanders were required to schedule each Guardian's first HPA between 1 January and 30 June 2026. From that point, the HPA is the standard test, and it consists of muscular fitness, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition components.

Guardians are required to take the HPA every six months.

SPFMAN36-2905, para 3.8.1.1

That six-month baseline shortens for members who score lower or carry an exemption. The manual's frequency table sets the next due date by score:

  • Fit to Fight (90-100 points): next HPA due in 6 months
  • Health Maintenance (75-89.9 points): next HPA due in 6 months
  • Health Concern (below 75 points): next HPA due in 3 months
  • Component or composite exemption: due after the exemption expires, plus an acclimatization period

A Guardian who is unsure which test applies to them right now should check with their Unit Fitness Cell: during the transition, some Guardians are still taking the Air Force's PFA under DAFMAN 36-2905, while others are already on the HPA schedule above.

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