The Benning Phase of Ranger School is designed to develop and assess the military skills, physical and mental endurance and confidence a Soldier must possess in order to successfully negotiate and accomplish combat missions. Ranger training is designed to inculcate within the Ranger student the ability to sustain himself, his subordinates, and maintain his mission essential equipment, under difficult field training conditions, during all phases of Ranger School. Soldiers reporting to Ranger School in poor physical condition will suffer extreme difficulties maintaining pace with their peers.

The Initial Phase is conducted in two parts; the first part, Ranger Assessment Phase (RAP), is conducted at Camp Rogers in the Harmony Church area of Fort Benning. This phase consists of a Ranger Physical Fitness Test requiring 49 push-ups, 59 sit-ups, an individual 5-mile release run event finished in 40 minutes or less, concluding with the execution of six chin-ups. In addition, RAP week consists of Students conducting the Combat Water Survival Assessment at Victory Pond; land navigation test; Modern Army combatives Program (MACP) training; individual 12 mile foot march; and the Darby Mile run event, a 1.63 mile terrain run with the Malvesti obstacle course negotiated afterwards.  Advanced physical training assures physical and mental endurance and the stamina required for obtaining basic Ranger characteristics; commitment, confidence and physical and mental toughness. Additionally, the student executes demolitions training and airborne refresher training.  Airborne Soldiers will exit from a high performance aircraft and conduct tactical assembly area procedures.

The second part of the Benning Phase of Ranger School is conducted at Camp Darby. The training focus emphasized is primarily on patrolling techniques and execution of squad combat operations. The Ranger student receives instruction on field craft, negotiates the Darby Queen Obstacle Course, and receives extensive training in the fundamentals of patrolling and principles of mission planning/Troop Leading Procedures. The fundamentals of combat operations include battle drills, ambush and reconnaissance patrols and air movement operations. This phase employs the crawl technique during the FTX, allowing the student to incorporate planning principles and fundamentals of combat missions and develop techniques that enable his squad to achieve success. The Ranger student must demonstrate his leadership skills and patrolling expertise through a series of cadre and student led tactical combat training operations. Training results enhance the Ranger student’s ability to gain tactical and technical proficiency, leadership experiences, confidence in his self and his squad members; culminating with their moving forward to Phase II (Mountain Phase) of Ranger School.

During the Mountain Phase, students receive instruction on military mountaineering tasks as well as techniques for employing a squad and platoon for continuous combat patrol operations in a mountainous environment. They further develop their ability to command and control a platoon size patrol through planning, preparing , and executing a variety of combat patrol missions. The Ranger student continues to learn how to sustain himself and his subordinates in the adverse conditions of the mountains. The rugged terrain, severe weather, hunger, mental and physical fatigue, and the emotional stress that the student encounters afford him the opportunity to gauge his own capabilities and limitations as well as that of his Ranger Buddies. In addition to combat patrol operations, the Ranger student receives five days of training on military mountaineering. During the first three days of mountaineering (Lower) he learns about knots, belays, anchor points, rope management and the basic fundamentals of climbing and rappelling. His mountaineering training culminates with a two day exercise (Upper) at Yonah Mountain applying the skills learned during Lower Mountaineering. During the two FTXs, Ranger students also perform patrol missions requiring the use of their mountaineering skills.

Combat patrol missions are directed against a conventionally equipped threat force in a low intensity conflict scenario. These patrol missions are conducted both day and night over a four day squad field training exercise (FTX) and a platoon five day FTX that includes moving cross country over mountains, conducting vehicle ambushes, raiding communications/mortar sites, and conducting a river crossing or scaling a steep sloped mountain. The Ranger student reaches his objective in several ways: Cross-country movement, air assaults into small landing zones on the sides of mountains or an 8 10 mile foot march over the Tennessee Valley Divide (TVD). The stamina and commitment of the Ranger student is stressed to the maximum. At any time, he may be selected to lead tired, hungry, physically expended students to accomplish yet another combat patrol mission.

At the conclusion of the Mountain Phase, the students move by bus or parachute assault into the Third and final (Florida) Phase of Ranger training, conducted at Camp Rudder, near Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

The third phase of Ranger School is conducted at Camp James E. Rudder, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Emphasis during this phase is to continue the development of the Ranger student's combat arms functional skills. He must be capable of operating effectively under conditions of extreme mental and physical stress. This is accomplished through practical exercises in extended platoon level patrol operations in a jungle/swamp environment. Training further develops the students' ability to plan for and lead small units on independent and coordinated airborne, air assault, small boat, ship to shore, and dismounted combat patrol operations in a low intensity combat environment against a well trained, sophisticated enemy.

The Florida Phase continues the progressive, realistic contemporary operating environment. The 10 day FTX is a fast paced, highly stressful, challenging exercise in which the students are evaluated on their ability to apply small unit tactics/techniques. They apply the tactics/techniques of raids and ambushes to accomplish their missions.