How Long Is Ranger School (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 61 Or 62 Days

Ranger school is a 2 month course in the United States for soldiers to prepare them for direct fire battles or close combats. To be precise, ranger school is a 61 day US army course. The duration of this course was earlier around 8 weeks and was divided into three phases. The three phases of the Ranger school were, crawl, walk, and run.

However, recently the duration of the Ranger school was changed from 8 weeks to nearly 2 months, and although it still consists of three phases, the name and the phases have changed as well. The current three phases of the Ranger school are the beginning phase, the mountain phase, and lastly, the Florida phase.

How Long Is Ranger School?

The Benning phase is a 21 days phase. This is the first phase that the soldiers have to cross to get into the second and third phases. The beginning phase is majorly to check the physical stamina of the soldier as this will be required for the further second and third phases of Ranger School.

According to statistical records of soldiers in the Ranger school, only about 50 percent of Ranger soldiers can complete this first phase and move on to the next phase.

The mountain phase is the second phase of the Ranger school which the soldiers have to access after completing the first phase. This phase is around 20 days long. In the second phase of the Ranger school, the soldiers are given mobility training, military mountaineering training, and also the training for employing a platoon for continuous combat patrol operations in mountainous regions.

Apart from this, soldiers also develop the ability to command and control platoons through strategic planning, preparing for it, and also by executing several combat patrol missions. 

The last phase is the Florida phase which lasts for another 20 days. This phase is in continuation with the second phase only in which soldiers are taught functional skills. Apart from that, soldiers are taught water skills like water operations, small boat movements, and stream crossings during operations. 

Why Is Ranger School That Long?

The Benning phase is further divided into two phases are The Ranger assessment phase, which is commonly called RAP week, and the other phase is the patrolling phase, also referred to as the Darby phase. After this, the soldiers are given a tight schedule which they have to follow during this phase. 

The second day of soldiers begins at 3:30 AM. The first task that the soldiers have to start their day with is the day and night land navigation test. After completing this task, all the admitted students are tested on common skills which the soldiers must possess. The skills on which the soldiers are tested could be weapons and communication training. The last task of the day for soldiers is to finish a 2.1-mile two-man buddy run. 

The soldiers are supposed to complete the run in the Army combat uniform, known as ACU. This uniform comprises un-bloused combat boots, a camelback, which also carries an M4. The soldiers are further supposed to wear a headlamp and no headgear. A lot of physical agility is required for the same.

The fourth and final day of the Ranger assessment phase week consists of majorly two things, which are firstly the instructions for a proper assembly and the security of types of equipment. The final week culminates with a foot march of 12 miles long. In this march, every student is supposed to carry a load of at least 35 pounds, and without water.

Conclusion

Ranger School is considered to be one of the toughest military training courses for soldiers to complete. The course is divided into three categories during which the soldiers are given rigorous practice to train to exhaustion and certain specific Warfield skills and prepare them to push the boundaries of their minds and bodies. 

References

1. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WrlHNfKxq4oC&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=ranger+school&ots=TA9SfHuOHg&sig=fGQPyx9LH3emayNBUAxUyrTeBVU
2. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/citations/ADA251478