Failing a physical fitness test by the static closeout date will no longer mean an automatic referral under the new enlisted performance system, Brig. Gen. Brian Kelly, director of military force management policy, said at a June 12 briefing at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

But a PT failure will still mean an airman won't be eligible for promotion during that cycle, as it is now, Kelly said.

Under the old system, an airman who hadn't passed his PT test and met standards by the time his performance report closed would receive a mandatory referral on his performance report. Having a referral report on an airman's record is a potential career-killer, because it can make him vulnerable to being separated by a quality force review board.

That will no longer be mandatory, Kelly said. But out-of-shape airmen won't be entirely in the clear. Kelly, the director of military force management policy, said an airman's commander will still have the option of giving him a referral report if he fails a PT test and does not meet standards by his rank's closeout date.

That commander will make his decision "based on [his] assessment of, what is that failure," Kelly said. "Is it a failure because the airman hasn't tried at all, and has failed? Or, is he trying everything he can do, and just didn't pass? So it just doesn't have to be an automatic referral like it is in our current system."

Kelly said the Air Force is in the process of revising the Air Force Instruction memo governing fitness to reflect the change.

Air Force spokeswoman Rose Richeson said in an email that the process and timelines for taking and retaking the PT test have not changed.

"The Air Force fitness program supports a year-round fitness culture, providing visible score increases for improved performance, and a clear message that health and fitness are directly related to mission accomplishment," Richeson said. "Airmen should incorporate a year-round culture of fitness into their daily lives and be physically fit to pass the PT test at any time."