Predicting Combat Readiness: Associations Between Body Composition, Traditional Fitness Tests, and Simulated Military Tasks.

INTRODUCTION: This study investigated the associations between anthropometric characteristics, traditional physical fitness tests, and performance on simulated military tasks among Brazilian Air Force (BAF) cadets. The objective was to identify field-based measures associated with occupational task performance to support evidence-based physical readiness assessment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-five active-duty BAF cadets (67 men and 18 women) completed anthropometric assessments (body mass, height, and waist circumference), traditional fitness tests (push-ups, sit-ups, and a 12-minute run), and 5 previously validated simulated military tasks representing operational demands. Associations between variables were examined using Pearson's correlations, multiple linear regression models, and quartile-based comparisons using one-way ANOVA or Welch's ANOVA, followed by appropriate post hoc tests. RESULTS: Height, body mass, waist circumference, and 12-minute run performance were significantly associated with performance in the obstacle course, foot march, and plane crash on land simulations (r = -0.22 to -0.58, P < .05). Regression models explained 22.6% to 54.5% of the variance in these tasks. Quartile analyses demonstrated superior performance among participants with greater height, body mass, waist circumference, and aerobic fitness (as measured by 12-minute run performance). In contrast, push-up and sit-up performance showed no meaningful associations with simulated task performance, and none of the evaluated variables predicted performance in the water-based simulations. CONCLUSION: Anthropometric characteristics and aerobic fitness were more strongly associated with simulated military task performance than traditional muscular endurance tests. Conventional field measures may contribute to predicting performance in land-based operational tasks, whereas specialized aquatic tasks appear to depend on additional factors beyond general physical fitness or anthropometric measurements. These findings support the incorporation of occupation-specific assessments into military physical readiness evaluation.