Basic & Advanced Camps

Train Here. Succeed Anywhere.

There are two training camp opportunities that cadets will attend at Fort Knox, KY in order to improve their tactical and Leadership abilities on the path to becoming an Army Officer.

Basic Camp | 31 Days

Basic Camp/Cadet Initial Entry Training (CIET) is an intense introduction to Army life and ROTC leadership training. The aim of the course is to motivate and qualify you for entry into the Senior ROTC program. While attending Basic Camp at Fort Knox, you gain experience that runs the gamut of Army life and the responsibilities of being an officer. Basic Camp is designed for college students typically between their sophomore and junior years. Successful completion of the course enables you to take part in ROTC as a third-year student in the four-year program.

Basic Camp’s primary target audience is the Lateral Entry Cadet and the freshman cadet. Lateral Entry Cadets typically decide to join ROTC in their sophomore year of college, thus require Basic Camp to learn what normal-progression cadets have learned in their first two years of military science classes, during their freshman and sophomore years of Army ROTC. As an ancillary target, Basic Camp allows second-year (Military Science II or MS II) cadets to gain squad leader experience, which provides opportunities for some MS III (rising senior) cadets to fulfill roles as platoon-level leaders. Basic Camp consists of eight Cadet Regiments, nearly 3,000 cadets.

For more information, visit Basic Camp (CIET).

Advanced Camp | 31 Days

All cadets must attend Advanced Camp in order to commission.

Advance Camp/Cadet Leader Course (CLC) is a required step in becoming an officer. It consists of scenario-based training at Fort Knox that incorporates the basic military skills that you have learned in the classroom. Each cycle of training emphasizes team-building and leadership skill development. You will be provided with guidance, assigned leadership responsibilities, and allowed to exercise small-unit leadership skills in a variety of positions.

This a training event that is designed to assess a cadet’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in basic officer leadership tasks. Cadets are evaluated on their ability to lead at the Squad and Platoon levels, both in garrison and tactical environments. Cadets are mentally and physically tested during a 12-day consequence driven field training exercise that replicates a combat training center rotation.

The mission of Advanced Camp is to assess a cadet’s potential to serve as a commissioned officer. It is the most significant training and evaluation event in ROTC. Training is complex, challenging, and rigorous and is conducted in a stressful training environment. Cadets reinforce basic skills through squad (9-13 cadets) level leader development exercises, and transition to platoon (40-50 cadets) level operations in a company construct. Prior to attending Advanced Camp, cadets receive intelligence updates, preparing them for the geopolitical environment to which they will deploy and operate.

For more information, visit Advanced Camp (CLC)