The United States Army Armor School is a training school located at Fort Benning, Georgia. Its primary focus is the training of United States Army soldiers, non-commissioned officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers in the operation, tactics, and maintenance of armor forces and equipment including the M1 Abrams main battle tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Stryker Mobile Gun System, assorted crew-served and personal weapons, and various other equipment including radios. The school is also the site where U.S. Marines are sent for training on the Abrams tank. The Armor School moved to Fort Benning in 2010 as part of the United States’ Base Realignment and Closure program.
The United States Army Armor School was established on 1 October 1940, in Fort Knox, Kentucky as the Armored Force School. Eighty thousand students passed through the school in its first four years, with the first class starting 4 November of the same year. As of 30 September 1965, the armor school had graduated 214,122 students – 59,737 of which were officers, 140,909 of which were enlisted soldiers, 13,476 of which were officer candidates – as well as students from 63 nations. The school was established by then-Lieutenant Colonel Stephen G. Henry under the guidance of Brigadier General Adna R. Chaffee Jr., for whom the headquarters building is now named. On 1 July 1957, the school was given its current name.
The 194th Armored Brigade is focused on developing soldier in initial entry training—led by Drill Sergeants—and advanced armor and cavalry training via subject matter expert instructors. The brigade conducts One Station Unit Training (OSUT), Basic Combat Training (BCT), Advanced Individual Training (AIT), and basic Materiel Maintenance Officer training for the following U.S. Army career fields. The 316th Cavalry Brigade educates and trains leaders serving in all components across the U.S. Army to operate in critical assignments in order to increase maneuver units’ ability to fight as part of a combined arms team and deliver direct fires on the battlefield. The brigade is responsible for conducting the following course for the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and some international military students.
