For an 11B Infantryman, AIT lasts roughly 12 weeks, but it isn’t a standalone school. It’s the back half of a single 22-week One Station Unit Training (OSUT) course at Fort Moore, Georgia, that also includes the roughly ten-week Basic Combat Training phase up front.1GoArmy. Infantryman 11B2Army National Guard. 11B Infantryman
Why Infantry AIT Isn’t a Separate School
Most Army recruits ship to one post for basic training and then travel to a different school for their MOS. Infantry works differently. Under OSUT, BCT and AIT run back-to-back at the same post, with largely the same cadre, and no travel break between them. You don’t graduate basic and then move; you just roll into the infantry-specific phase.1GoArmy. Infantryman 11B
The program used to be 14 weeks total. The Army permanently expanded it to 22 weeks, with most of the added time landing in the AIT portion so soldiers get more repetitions on weapons, tactics, and field exercises before reporting to their first unit.3The United States Army. 22-Week Infantry OSUT Set to Increase Lethality, With More Career Fields to Follow
What Those 12 Weeks Cover
Once you cross out of the BCT phase, training turns fully infantry-specific.
Weapons
You’ll get hands-on time with the M4 rifle, the M249 squad automatic weapon, and the M240 machine gun, covering assembly, disassembly, maintenance, and live-fire qualification.4The United States Army. Soldiers Train on M240 Machine Gun During 22-Week Infantry OSUT Transformation The Army’s official MOS description also references heavy anti-armor crew-served weapons, both vehicle-mounted and dismounted.5U.S. Army. DA PAM 611-21 – MOS 11B Infantryman Marksmanship drills progress from basic qualification to shooting under stress and at varying distances.
Land Navigation and Tactics
Soldiers learn to plot grid coordinates, shoot an azimuth with a compass, and navigate unfamiliar terrain during day and night exercises. Land nav is one of the more common reasons people recycle, so the schedule invests real time in it.
Tactical instruction covers small-unit movements, patrol operations, ambush and counter-ambush drills, and defensive positions, practiced across wooded, open, and urban terrain. Physical conditioning runs continuously through all 22 weeks.
Field Training Exercises
The later weeks include extended field exercises where soldiers live in the field for days at a stretch, integrating weapons, navigation, tactical movement, and communication into sustained operations. This is where training stops feeling like a classroom and starts feeling like the job.
Where the Training Happens
All 11B OSUT takes place at Fort Moore, Georgia, previously known as Fort Benning. The Maneuver Center of Excellence is headquartered there, and you’ll spend time in both classrooms and the post’s extensive field training areas.2Army National Guard. 11B Infantryman
After Graduation
You’ll receive orders to your first permanent duty station after OSUT. Soldiers accrue 2.5 days of leave per month during training, and most graduates use some of that banked time before reporting. Ten days is a common leave period, though your command has to approve it.
Your first assignment could be anywhere the Army stations infantry units, within the continental U.S. or overseas. Assignments follow the Army’s needs, though soldiers can submit a preference list that assignment managers may consider. Because the 22-week program was designed to close the gap between graduation and being useful in an operational unit, your leadership will have higher expectations on day one than they did under the old 14-week model.3The United States Army. 22-Week Infantry OSUT Set to Increase Lethality, With More Career Fields to Follow