Infantry School (United States Army)

Infantry School (United States Army)
Unit name	Infantry School
Caption	Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the Infantry School at Fort Benning
Dates	1918–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army
Role	Infantry training and doctrine
Garrison	Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia
Motto	"Follow Me"
Notable commanders	Leonard Wood, George S. Patton, Omar Bradley

Infantry School (United States Army) is the principal institution for the training and doctrinal development of United States Army infantry forces. Established during World War I and located at Fort Moore (formerly Fort Benning), Georgia, the school has trained generations of soldiers, leaders, and tacticians involved in operations ranging from World War II to the Global War on Terrorism. Its programs link tactical development, small-unit leadership, and combined arms integration with institutions such as the United States Army Infantry Branch, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, and the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence.

History

The Infantry School traces its roots to the demands of World War I, when the Army expanded mobilization and established formal institutes for infantry tactics, marksmanship, and platoon leadership alongside counterparts like the Field Artillery School and Engineer School. Between the wars its curriculum incorporated lessons from operations such as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and study of theorists referenced by officers including John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, and George S. Patton Jr.. During World War II the School accelerated officer and noncommissioned officer development to support campaigns in the European Theater of Operations, Pacific Theater of Operations, and the North African Campaign, interacting doctrinally with formations like the 1st Infantry Division, 82nd Airborne Division, and 101st Airborne Division. Cold War adjustments reflected lessons from Korean War and Vietnam War operations and incorporated allied practices from NATO partners such as the British Army and Bundeswehr. In the post-9/11 era the School adapted to counterinsurgency lessons from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, coordinating with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Combined Joint Task Force, and interagency partners to refine urban warfare, cultural training, and stability operations.

Mission and Organization

The mission aligns under United States Army Training and Doctrine Command to recruit, educate, and prepare infantry leaders and units for deployment with emphasis on small-unit tactics, marksmanship, reconnaissance, and combined arms integration. Organizationally the School operates within the United States Army Maneuver Center of Excellence alongside the Armor School and includes subordinate elements such as the United States Army Ranger School, Airborne School, and specialized centers for doctrine and doctrine writers who liaise with commands like U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Pacific Command. Leadership historically features senior officers with combat command experience from formations including the III Corps, XVIII Airborne Corps, and the 82nd Airborne Division. The School interfaces with external institutions such as the Command and General Staff College, National Training Center, Joint Readiness Training Center, and allied academies like the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Training Programs and Curriculum

Core courses emphasize infantry leader development through programs such as the Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course, Infantry Captains Career Course, and Noncommissioned Officer Education System classes, integrating live-fire ranges, force-on-force exercises, and combined-arms rehearsals with U.S. Army Air Forces legacy tactics and modern coordination with U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps aviation units. Ranger and pathfinder instruction draw upon airborne operations doctrine used by the 75th Ranger Regiment and historical precedents like the D-Day airborne landings executed by units of the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division. Specialized training modules include marksmanship built on lessons from shooters like Carlos Hathcock and doctrine shaped by leaders such as William Westmoreland and Creighton Abrams. The curriculum continually updates to incorporate counterinsurgency principles promulgated after Iraq War and Afghanistan War experiences, and integrates technologies fielded to formations such as the Stryker Brigade Combat Team and Armored Brigade Combat Team, while coordinating with developers at U.S. Army Futures Command.

Facilities and Locations

The School's primary garrison at Fort Moore hosts ranges, barracks, classrooms, and maneuver areas adjacent to installations like the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Camp Mackall, and the National Infantry Museum. Training areas include live-fire complexes built to support combined arms rehearsals for units preparing for rotations at the National Training Center (Fort Irwin) and the Joint Readiness Training Center (Fort Polk). The Fort Moore infrastructure evolved alongside installations such as Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, and Camp Lejeune to support airborne, ranger, and infantry combined-arms training, and partners with civilian research entities including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Institute for Defense Analyses.

Notable Commanders and Alumni

Commanders and alumni have included tactical and strategic leaders whose careers intersected significant campaigns and institutions: generals such as Leonard Wood, John J. Pershing, Omar Bradley, George S. Patton Jr., Raymond Odierno, and Eric Shinseki; airborne and ranger leaders from the 75th Ranger Regiment and veterans who served in Operation Urgent Fury and Operation Just Cause. Alumni also include educators and theorists affiliated with the United States Military Academy, Command and General Staff College, and authors who wrote influential works read at the School, including officers who contributed to doctrine used by NATO and regional commands like United States Southern Command and United States Africa Command.

Insignia, Traditions, and Honors

Insignia include branch symbols inherited from the Infantry Branch and unit heraldry codified by the Institute of Heraldry, displayed at venues such as the National Infantry Museum and during ceremonies at memorials honoring campaigns like Operation Overlord, Operation Market Garden, and Iwo Jima. Traditions such as the "Follow Me" motto, expert infantryman badges, and commemorations of decorations including the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Medal of Honor tie the School to battlefield honors awarded in conflicts from World War I to the Global War on Terrorism. Annual observances engage veteran organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, and the School maintains historical archives used by researchers at institutions such as the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center and the National Archives.

Category:United States Army schools