The United States Army Ranger School is an extremely intense, 61+ days, combat leadership course, oriented to small-unit tactics at Fort Benning, Georgia, U.S.A., (the woodland terrain, 'Benning Phase'), at Camp Rogers and Camp Darby, Georgia; 'the Mountain Phase' at Camp Merrill, near Dahlonega, Georgia and the Florida Phase at Camp Rudder, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

Ranger School was formed in 1950, during the Korean War, in order to train soldiers in Ranger tactics. Ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia began in September 1950 during the Korean war with the formation and training of 17 Airborne Ranger companies by the Ranger Training Command. In October 1951 the Commandant of the US Army Infantry School established the Ranger Department and extended Ranger training to all combat units in the Army. The first Ranger Class for individual candidates graduated on 1 March 1952. On 1 November 1987, the Ranger Department expanded into the Ranger Training Brigade, and established four Ranger Training Battalions.

The purpose of the course is learning to soldier as a combat leader while enduring the great mental and psychological stresses and physical fatigue of combat; the Ranger Instructors (RI) create and cultivate such a physical and mental environment. Field craft instruction comprises most of the coursework; students plan and execute daily patrolling, perform reconnaissance, ambushes, and raids against dispersed targets, followed by stealthy movement to a new patrol base to plan the next mission. Ranger students conduct about 20 hours of training per day, while consuming two or fewer meals daily totaling about 2,200, with an average of 3.5 hours of sleep a day. Students sleep more before a parachute jump for safety considerations. Ranger students typically wear and carry some 65–90 pounds (29–41 kg) of weapons, equipment, and training ammunition while patrolling more than 200 miles (320 km) throughout the course.

Click here to go the the Ranger Training Brigade website