Written question asked by Earl Attlee (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Drayson (Labour) on Thursday, 12 July 2007.

Army: Personnel

Question: How the Army regularly ensures that all its personnel are fit for their duties.

Answer: Officers and soldiers (regular and territorial) are responsible for maintaining their own personal physical fitness. All personnel are subject to regular physical fitness assessment as set out in military annual training test 2 (MATT2). It is the responsibility of commanders at all levels to ensure that the requirements of MATT2 are implemented. Those failing to meet the required standard are asked to take the test again and those who fail the retest are ordered to participate in directly supervised physical training. Current fitness policy recommends that regular soldiers undertake three 40-minute periods of formal physical training per week.

Secondary information