Evaluating an Operator Physical Fitness Test Prototype for Tactical Air Control Party and Air Liaison Officers: A Preliminary Analysis of Test Implementation
Abstract
In January 2013, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey and then Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta issued a memorandum rescinding the 1994 Direct Ground Combat Definition and Assignment Rule, which excluded women from assignment to units and positions whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground. In the memorandum, Panetta and Dempsey mandated that [c]urrently closed units and positions will be opened by each relevant Service . . . after the development and implementation of validated, gender-neutral occupational standards and the required notification to Congress (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2013). To comply with this mandate, the U.S. Air Force, with the assistance of the RAND Corporation, established a process in fiscal year (FY) 2012 to identify and validate gender-neutral tests, standards, and physical requirements. This initial effort was followed with additional technical support by RAND in FY 2014 and 2015 for the Air Forces implementation of an extensive criterion-related validation study based on scientific principles. This study led to the recommendation of a ten-component OperatorPrototype Test Battery (OPTB) for the enlisted Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) specialty and the Air Liaison Officer(ALO) specialty.1 A list of these tests is provided in Table S.1 and a full description and protocol for each test is provided in Appendix A.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1056357
Entities
People
- Jennifer L. Cerully
- Laura Raaen
- Nahom M. Beyeneq
- Sean Robson
- Stephanie Pezard
- Tracy C. Mccausland