Fitness programs available to academy senior NCOs - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Fitness programs available to academy senior NCOs

Senior NCOs attending the Sergeants Major Course at Fort Bliss, Texas, will soon have access to the assessments and services of the Army Physical Fitness Research Institute.

APFRI, which for nearly three decades has provided similar services to senior officers attending the Army War College, will open a permanent annex at the Sergeants Major Academy on Aug. 11, the first day of classes for Class 60 of the resident Sergeants Major Course.

The institute, headquartered at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., opened another annex in January for midcareer officers attending the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

Each annex blends resident and Web-based assessments, interventions and follow-up programs tailored to the needs of commissioned officer and senior NCO leaders.

Participation in APFRI is voluntary, but pilot programs conducted at the new sites last year indicate most students will sign up for this leader development program.

The institute has diagnostic and fitness equipment operated by a staff that includes dieticians, exercise physiologists, physical therapists and other professionals.

The Army plans to expand APFRI to the Army Management Staff College, Warrant Officer Course and Advanced NCO Courses within the next two to three years.