Does the Air Force run 2 miles now?

What the March 2026 manual replaced

The manual's summary of changes says the 1.5 mile run gives way to a 2.0 mile run or the 20 meter High Aerobic Multi-shuttle Run, called the HAMR. It also adds waist-to-height ratio as a 20 point body composition score, with 15 points each for muscular strength and core endurance.

The manual's summary of changes calls assessments twice-yearly for all members, then sets Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard members to one test every 12 months. Paragraph 3.4.2 repeats the 12 months for those members. It supersedes the manual dated 22 April 2022.

The documents used for this guide do not print the old 1.5 mile tables or the old point split. That means no old time is compared with a new one here. The Air Force fitness rules and dated changes list each document with its date.

Where the 50 cardio points come from

Paragraph 3.7.1 sets a composite score from 0 to 100. Cardiorespiratory fitness gets 50 points, body composition 20, muscular strength 15 and core endurance 15. Every part except body composition has a minimum. Paragraph 3.1 says a member needs the minimum in each of those parts and a composite of at least 75 to remain physically ready.

The run chart has 21 rows, from 50 points down to 35 points. The lowest row carries an asterisk, and the chart prints no legend for it. Paragraph 3.7.4 says a result below the required minimum scores zero for the component. The calculators here read the starred row as that minimum.

No document says how to score a time that falls between two rows. These calculators give such a time the points of the best row it reaches.

Run times at the top and lowest rows

For men under 25 the top row is 13:25 or faster for 50 points, and the lowest row is 19:45 for 35 points. Women under 25 earn 50 at 15:30 or faster and 35 at 25:23. The lowest row is the cardio minimum and cannot pass the test by itself, since 75 is needed overall. The full run rows for all nine age groups are in the Air Force chart with every age group's run rows and the 2 mile table for both services side by side.

How the run is set up

On a standard 400 meter track the run is eight laps plus 61 feet. On a road or other course it is 3,520 yards, which the manual also gives as 3,219 meters. Basketball courts are not authorized.

The administrator reads each member a script before the run. It allows a warm-up of up to three minutes and permits pacing when there is no physical contact. Leaving the marked course disqualifies the run, and the time is recorded when the member crosses the finish line.

The run comes last. The manual puts the order at body composition, muscular strength, core endurance and then cardiorespiratory, with at least five minutes of rest between components. The three physical components must finish inside a three hour window.

Run or HAMR: what each document says

AFMAN 36-2905 paragraph 3.1.2.4 lists the cardio options as the 2.0 mile run or the 20 meter HAMR. The 2 kilometer walk is for members not medically cleared to run. Paragraph 3.15.8 has members complete one option from each remaining component. The paragraphs on the cardio component add no condition about how often the run must be taken.

An Air Force article of 24 September 2025 says members must run 2 miles during at least one assessment every 365 days. An editor's note on that article, with no date, says some of its information has been superseded. The note names the diagnostic window and the option to take either the run or the HAMR on every assessment.

A Reserve article of 3 September 2026 says Reserve members may take the HAMR or the 2 mile run. It adds that neither counts as a step down.

One case is fixed by the manual. Paragraph 3.5.1 requires the indoor HAMR for Air Force Reserve members when weather rules out outdoor testing and no indoor track is available.

These documents do not settle whether the 365 day run rule applies. This guide does not pick one.

The dates each document gives

The article of 24 September 2025 gave a schedule. All testing paused from 1 January 2026, testing on the new standards began 1 March 2026, and every test through 31 August 2026 was diagnostic. Scored testing was to resume on 1 September 2026.

The scoring charts print "Effective 1 Mar 26". The manual is dated 24 March 2026 and prints no calendar dates for the diagnostic period. Its one date example says a member whose first test is due in August 2026 has the next due in February 2027.

The Reserve article of 3 September 2026 says testing officially resumed on July 1. It does not print the year in that sentence. The editor's note gives no replacement dates, and no document names a new end date for the diagnostic period.