US Army Air Assault School is a 2-week (10 days) course of instruction conducted at several locations across the Army, including Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Drum, NY; Camp Smith, USMA; and at overseas locations in Germany and Hawaii. In each case, the course of instruction is focused on Combat Assault Operations involving US Army rotary-wing aircraft. Our battalion usually receives only one or two slots to Air Assault School(s) each summer.

Becoming a paratrooper at Airborne School is a unique experience requiring special dedication and a desire to be challenged mentally and physically. This three-week course, also known as Basic Airborne Course (BAC), teaches Soldiers the techniques involved in parachuting from airplanes and landing safely. The final test includes a non-assisted jump.

The purpose of the BAC is to qualify the volunteer in the use of the parachute as a means of combat deployment and to develop leadership, self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical conditioning.

Airborne Soldiers have a long and distinguished tradition of being an elite body of fighting men and women–people who have always set the example for determination and courage. When you volunteer for this training, you accept the challenge of continuing this tradition. The Airborne Soldiers of the past set high standards–it is now up to you to maintain them!

The Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT) provides Cadets the opportunity to experience leadership in Army units over a 3-4-week period. Cadets serve in lieutenant-level leadership positions in active-duty units. Platoon Leader positions have a 3-4-week duration depending on the hosting unit and location. Assignments include units that are located in the United States and overseas. Cadets are assigned a unit mentor, provided on-post lodging, and given meals via a Dining Facility. This program is exclusively designed for third-year military science Cadet before or after completing Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

“For 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are no beds or other comforts of home.” In Honolulu, Hawaii, Soldiers participating in the Jungle Operations Training Course undergo a grueling 3-week course in the jungles that many tourists never see and learning skills many never learn. From building natural shelters to building field expedient antennas for radio equipment, this course requires grit, determination, and working with fellow Soldiers to succeed.

Mountain Warfare School is designed to develop and conduct training for the Department of the Army in basic and advanced mountain warfare and cold weather skills and tactics to be employed by combat units during all climatic conditions.

This training is conducted at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont.

Arctic, subarctic, and mountain environments are brutally unforgiving to the unprepared. Units that have successfully fought in these environments have historically been those with special individual skills, are physically and mentally tough, and have extensive experience and expertise operating in harsh conditions.

Students are taught basic mountain climbing and mountaineering skills including rock climbing, mountain walking techniques, basic knots, ice climbing, and route selection. Mountain phase includes climbing, rappelling, and medical evacuation. River phase covers boat operations, stream crossing, river charting, and navigation. Glacier phase covers crevasse rescue, step cutting, step anchors, belaying, and party climbing. The course culminates in a three-day field exercise that takes place on Gulkana Glacier, Alaska. This training opportunity is an excellent way to see and experience the spender of Alaska. All costs for travel, meals and lodging are covered by ROTC. The schedule for this training is during the summer.

The summer is sometimes seen as a slow time for relaxation, but nursing cadets have the opportunity to participate in the 4-week Nurse Summer Training Program to see the depth and breadth of their future profession. In Army hospitals across the U.S. and overseas, cadet nurses gain hands-on experience with a mentor in hospital units like medical-surgical, emergency, and labor/delivery. As they work alongside Licensed Practical Nurses and Registered Nurses, these cadets experience the stresses and rewards of the field, and, outside of work, they make friends and explore the cultures outside the Army hospital. While gaining over 160 hours of nursing experience in one month is challenging, this experience has solidified the choice of many cadets as they proceed into their careers.

The modern military environment is multinational and multicultural. Soldiers have to work alongside people of all walks of life and allied nations to complete the mission. The Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation meets this need by bringing cadets and law enforcement from across the United States and Colombia for a 4-week course at Fort Moore, Georgia. During these four weeks, cadets go on training missions with the opportunity to serve as company commander, platoon leader and squad leader. By the end of the course, cadets learn the skill of leading those from other cultures and build relationships of achievement and respect.

The Sapper Leader Course is a 28-day, joint-service course designed to where soldiers learn all aspects of mobility, counter-mobility, and survivability at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. While some skills such as breaching, rappelling, making expedient demolitions, and tactical boating operations are taught in basic training and combat engineer Advanced Individual Training, some Soldiers have to be introduced to, learn, and perform Sapper tasks in less than a month. This course requires physical and mental toughness to succeed, but the elite graduates are proud to be Soldiers who took their skills to the next level.