Welcome back to the 49th installment of my blog, in which I don’t claim to be an expert, in fact, the opposite. I’m a new user to the AR platform and want to share my findings and experiences as I go through and build rifles as well as being the Operations Manager at Tyrant Designs.

The United States Army will no longer require recruits to pass a test which ensures they can throw hand grenades 25 meters. Why? Because many of the recruits can’t pass the test. Starting mid-2019, the Army will remove the requirement from its basic training protocol. What is their reasoning you may ask? It takes too long to teach enlistees to throw grenades the minimum distance.

I crunched the numbers and it appears 25 meters is 82 feet. Just for some reference, a professional baseball diamond is 90 feet from base to base.

Because it’s taking over 4 times the amount of time originally designated to the teaching of the skill, the recruits end up not being able to spend additional time on other areas of training, according to Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost.

Recruits will no longer have to pass the land navigation course in order to complete their training and graduate. But they will still conduct the day course and night course. Even though it will no longer be a requirement, they will still be taught all the aspects of the hand grenade as well as be taught to throw a live grenade.

Hear me out, some would consider me an expert on hand grenades because of all the Call of Duty WWII I play on Xbox. Some other people would say this makes me a nerd. Most would probably say this has nothing to do with the real world and I’m wasting your time by continued to have you read this paragraph, and they are right. I’m trying to kill time before I go home.

My father was in the Army, he told me the requirement was really easy, but he also played professional baseball in the 80’s. I’m not quite sure who can’t throw an object that far but to me, it’s kind of sad. Sad in the fact we need to lower the requirement for a job that seems to demand only the best when expectations are highest. Isn’t those high expectations and requirements why we have the strongest military this world has ever seen? Have I seriously underestimated how heavy a grenade is, or how far 25 meters is?

Many speculate the requirement has been changed because of more female recruits are joining up. Others say these new generations stay indoors too much and less physically equipped than previous generations. Personally I have met some badass women in my life that could throw me 25 meters...

Do you think the Army was right or wrong changing the hand grenade throwing requirement? Do you think you could do it? Tell me your thoughts below!