Army Infantry Basic Training: 22 Weeks and Five Phases

Army infantry basic training length is 22 weeks, run as one continuous program at Fort Benning, Georgia called One Station Unit Training (OSUT). That single program replaces the two separate courses most other Army recruits attend, so infantry soldiers stay at the same post with the same drill sergeants from their first day in uniform through graduation.¹

Why Infantry Training Is One Program Instead of Two

Recruits in most career fields go through roughly ten weeks of Basic Combat Training at one installation, then ship to a different post for Advanced Individual Training in their specific job. Infantry doesn’t work that way. OSUT merges both phases into one 22-week program at one location, under the same cadre the whole time.²

The practical effect is continuity. There’s no packing up, moving to a new base, or meeting new instructors partway through. The drill sergeants who watched you struggle in week two are the same ones running squad live-fire exercises in week seventeen.

Reception Week Sits Outside the 22 Weeks

Before OSUT officially begins, you spend roughly a week in reception. This is administrative processing: medical screenings, initial gear issue, paperwork, and logistics. Reception doesn’t count toward the 22-week timeline, so total time away from home is closer to 23 weeks.³ It isn’t physically intense compared with what follows, but recruits often describe it as disorienting.

Why the Length Changed from 14 to 22 Weeks

Before 2019, infantry OSUT was 14 weeks, with only four of those dedicated to infantry-specific skills after the basic phase.⁴ The Army permanently expanded infantry OSUT to 22 weeks to produce more capable soldiers from day one.⁵

The added eight weeks folded in training that soldiers previously picked up at their first duty station: extended field exercises, urban combat, mounted platform training, and more advanced live-fire work. Units used to receive brand-new infantrymen who still needed significant training before they could contribute. The longer program is meant to change that.

How the 22 Weeks Break Down

OSUT is divided into five color-coded phases. Early weeks are heavy on structure and basic tasks. Later phases move into complex field problems that resemble real operations.

Red Phase (Weeks 0–4)

The first phase strips away civilian habits. Early days cover in-processing, haircuts, uniform and equipment issue, and adjusting to a military environment. Training then moves into drill and ceremony, first aid, land navigation basics, military ethics, and an introduction to the M4 rifle. Red Phase ends with a first rifle marksmanship qualification and includes the confidence and obstacle courses, chemical warfare training, and initial rules-of-engagement classes.⁶

White Phase (Weeks 5–6)

Two solid weeks of rifle marksmanship on various ranges, with additional M4 qualifications.⁶ Everything that follows depends on being able to reliably hit targets.

Blue Phase (Weeks 7–9)

Hand grenades, basic combatives certification, and the first serious tactical training. The phase ends with the Forge, a multi-day capstone field exercise covering night operations, a mass casualty scenario, an infiltration course, and a 10-mile foot march. Completing the Forge earns the title of “Soldier” at the Turning Green Ceremony.⁶

Black Phase (Weeks 10–13)

Training pivots from general soldiering to infantry-specific skills. You learn and qualify on the M249 light machine gun, complete combat lifesaver certification, and run your first fire team live-fire exercises during both day and night conditions. Land navigation gets harder, and fitness assessments intensify.⁶

Gold Phase (Weeks 14–22)

The longest and most demanding portion. Training covers squad-level tactical exercises, enhanced fire team live fire, urban rifle marksmanship and urban operations with live ammunition, heavy machine gun and automatic grenade launcher familiarization, mounted platform training, and combat water survival. Gold Phase builds toward a culminating field training exercise. The final week is graduation preparation, recovery, and any retraining needed for soldiers who missed a standard.⁶

What You’re Qualified As at the End

Recruits typically enlist under MOS 11X, meaning the exact infantry role is not yet assigned. During OSUT you can list preferences, but the Army assigns you to either MOS 11B (Infantryman) or MOS 11C (Indirect Fire Infantryman, often called Mortarman) based on the needs of the service.⁷ Both go through the same 22-week program at Fort Benning, though 11C soldiers receive additional focus on mortar systems and indirect fire techniques.⁸

Graduation also comes with the Infantry Blue Cord, a light blue shoulder cord worn on dress uniforms that identifies a soldier as infantry. Only soldiers holding an infantry MOS and currently assigned to an infantry unit are authorized to wear it. For most graduates, the ceremony is the first time seeing family in roughly five months.

Where You Go After Graduation

Infantry graduates don’t have a separate AIT to attend, so orders send you straight from OSUT to your first permanent duty station. At the new post you complete an in-processing period covering administrative tasks and unit orientation, then get integrated into your platoon. Your unit runs its own training cycle, and new soldiers typically go through additional qualification exercises as the platoon prepares for deployments or combat training center rotations.

1
U.S. Army Fort Benning. 197th OSUT FAQ
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U.S. Army Fort Benning. 197th OSUT FAQArmy to Extend 1-Station Unit Training for Infantry Soldiers
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434th Field Artillery Brigade. Ten Week Journey
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National Guard. Army to Extend 1-Station Unit Training for Infantry Soldiers
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United States Army. 22-Week Infantry OSUT Set to Increase Lethality With More Career Fields to Follow
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U.S. Army Fort Benning. 2nd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment – Course Schedule
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U.S. Army. MOS 11B – Infantryman
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Army National Guard. 11C Indirect Fire Infantryman (Mortarman)