Cadets of 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, display grit and test their limits while completing the Army Combat Fitness Test at Fort Knox, Ky., June 14, 2023. Cadets woke up at the crack of dawn to perform the ACFT which consists of six events focusing on the different muscle groups.

FORT KNOX Ky. – The Cadre of 3rd Regiment, Advanced Camp, participate in the Observer Coach Trainer Academy to properly distinguish how to assess Cadets going through camp at Fort Knox, Ky., June 12, 2023.

FORT KNOX, Ky., – U.S. Army Cadets from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, tackle group and zero at Fort Knox, Ky., June 12, 2023. Group and zero is the third, and final, training exercise that Cadets must go through before they can complete their weapons qualification. When his fellow Cadets had questions about where to aim on the targets for each distance, Cadet Noah Bufalini, Rochester Institute of Technology, approached a nearby Cadre member to ask if a whiteboard was available. Once he was given the materials, Bufalini drew diagrams and reviewed with his fellow Cadets. “I had some knowledge in that, [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the field leader reaction course at Fort Knox, Ky., June 12, 2023. The FLRC challenged the Cadets today on thinking critically, solving problems, working under pressure, and learning more about each other as a leader. Some obstacle courses had a solution, and some did not have any solution, but the whole point of the FLRC is to teach Cadets on how to work together as a team while assimilating the Army values. Staff Sgt. Matthew Hernandez is an active-duty member of the U.S. Army. His military occupational specialty used to [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Armed with a compass, protractor, pencil, map, and a list of coordinates, pairs of Cadets in the 1stRegiment, Advanced Camp, set off on their last day of land navigation practice to find at least two pinpoints in under 90minutes, Fort Knox, Ky., June 10, 2023. One pair that completed the event under the allotted time are Cadet Rebecca Galan, from the University of the Incarnate Word, and Cadet Akilah Austin, from the University of Idaho.  “Land nav [navigation] is basically an adult scavenger hunt,” Austin said. “I’ve never thought of Land nav as ‘hard’, instead it’s [your] judgment [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – U.S. Army 2nd Regiment Cadets in Cadet Summer Training, Advanced Camp, attended the preliminary marksmanship instruction at Fort Knox, Ky., June 12, 2023. PMI provides Cadets with the fundamentals of rifle marksmanship through various lessons. The different lessons at PMI include understanding the basic operations of the rifle, how to change magazines, proper body positions while firing, and the correct way to squeeze the trigger. This training event is crucial because Cadets will use this knowledge to qualify at the shooting range later during CST. Cadet Joseph Walker of Lehigh University speaks on what he believes are [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp completed the confidence course where they rappelled off a 64-foot tower at Fort Knox, Ky.,  June 11, 2023. Some Cadets came with a fear of heights, and some did not. Regardless if they had a fear of heights or not, what helped them all get through the course today was having each other and knowing that everyone is in it together. Cadet Violet Doolittle from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire said that she joined the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps to build herself up as a leader, meet new people, and build [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – On June 12, 2023, during observer controller training, the Observer Coach Trainer Academy instructors of Fort Knox, Ky., laid out the expectations they had for the Cadre with the 4th Regiment, Advanced Camp, who will be in charge of the incoming U.S. Army Cadets at Cadet Summer Training. Lt. Col. Dan Hurd from the University of North Carolina explained why OCT takes place before Cadre receive their assigned Cadets.  “Today’s training is to get them onboarded onto this process, so they learn the technical and tactical tasks that they need to teach Cadets,” said Hurd. Hurd explained [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky., – Cadets from the 2nd Regiment, Advanced Camp, spent the day completing the engagement skills trainer exercise in Fort Knox, Ky., June 11, 2023. The EST is a simulated rifle qualification table. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Robert Points, senior military science instructor at Truman State University, explains the importance of EST training. “Some of these Cadets don’t have the opportunity to handle weapons as much,” Points said. “The engagement skills trainer is a cheap and easy way that they can learn to handle those weapons systems and practice fundamentals without having to spend ammunition and time on getting [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – During Cadet Summer Training, the 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets took the land navigation practical exam in Fort Knox, Ky., June 11, 2023, to teach them how to use a map, compass, and other techniques to navigate through various terrains and locate specific pinpoints. The land navigation practical exam is a single attempt event, in which Cadets must locate at least three of the four grid coordinates within a four-hour time period. Before the exam, Cadets are shown a large, three-dimensional terrain model of the surrounding area, and they are given a map, compass, protractor, and a [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky.- 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets marched four miles to Schroder Range to complete their battle march and shoot training, Fort Knox, Ky., June 11, 2023.   “We did a tactical road march in full kit, so we had our 45-pound rucks on, our eight-pound rifles and our 10-pound ACHs, which are Army combat helmets,” said Cadet Luke Bausler from the University of San Francisco. “It’s supposed to be a stress and shoot, so the four mile is supposed to stress you out, and then, by the time we get to the range, you should be pretty tired and then, [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The 1st Regiment Cadets started off their day with a battle march and shoot in Fort Knox, Ky. June 11, 2023. BMS starts at 5:30 a.m. with a four-mile tactical road march and ends with stringers of shooting practice. The BMS tests the Cadets marksmanship skills while under pressure. The BMS is just one of multiple smaller-scale training events Advanced Camp Cadets experience before the qualification test. After having multiple opportunities to work on their skills, the Cadets are beginning to thrive out at the range. Sgt. Maj. Andrew Porch from Georgia Military College commented on the [...]

The U.S. Army Cadets of 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, spend the day focusing on enhancing land navigation skills at Fort Knox, Ky., June 10, 2023.

FORT KNOX, Ky. – The 2nd Regiment Cadets at Advanced Camp arrived to the preliminary marksmanship instruction range in Fort Knox, Ky., early June 10, 2023 for a refresher course in marksmanship. During PMI, nobody is above the basics of marksmanship. Even the most experienced Cadets must go back to basics and work on their technique. Before the 2nd Regiment Cadets get released to their stations, the Cadre give a briefing over the four pillars of weapon safety. The instructor explained to the Cadets that the key to a smooth shot is keeping a position that is stable. The instructor also [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – U.S. Army Cadets conduct training for Group and Zero, shooting five rounds at a 25-meter target with their M4 rifles at Canby Hill Range in Fort Knox, Ky., June 7, 2023. The goal is to get a tight shot group in the center mass of the targets.  Staff Sgt. Cody Grunwald, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment explains the importance of the group and zero training. “We need to get them grouped and zero here so when they go to the range they can actually get targets that they shoot at,” Grunwald said. U.S. Army Cadets Nayla Borrego [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – Cadets from 1st Regiment, Advanced Camp, completed the engagement skills trainer at Fort Knox, Ky., June 8, 2023. The EST is a virtual shooting simulator that allows Cadets to practice how to properly handle an M4 rifle while going through the motions of reloading their magazine and conducting the three firing positions that they must conduct in prone supported and prone unsupported.  The three firing positions consist of prone, kneeling, and standing. Cadets have to know how to effectively perform these positions before qualifying for the range where they use live ammunition later this week and have [...]

FORT KNOX, Ky. – 1st Regiment Cadets in Cadet Summer Training, Advanced Camp, are given lessons on the fundamentals of their rifles during the preliminary marksmanship instruction at Fort Knox, Ky., June 7, 2023. The purpose of the PMI is to provide the Cadets with a better understanding of the basics of rifle marksmanship. For the Cadets to safely learn the baseline knowledge of their weapons, they receive blank ammunition instead of live rounds during the rifle training. The different lessons at PMI include understanding the basic operations of the rifle, how to change magazines, proper body positions while firing, and [...]

Story by Madelyn Guinn and Jaden Whiteman FORT KNOX, Ky. – The field leader reaction course is an obstacle course designed to challenge and strengthen the Cadets’ teamwork and critical thinking skills during Cadet Summer Training. With 12 different courses for them to complete, the Cadets split into equal teams, appoint a squad leader in each team to guide them through their obstacles and complete the task at hand within a certain amount of time. U.S. Army Cadet Leila Enoch from the University of Rhode Island is in her third year of being a Cadet, so she has worked through courses [...]

Cadets go through preliminary marksmanship instruction to gain a better understanding of how to operate an M4 rifle at Fort Knox, Ky., June 5, 2023. Cadets must qualify in marksmanship later this week to continue onto the next stage of Advanced Camp.

As the beginning of Cadet Summer Training (CST) has finally arrived, Army personnel and Fort Knox first responders group together to conduct their annual casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) exercise at Fort Knox, Ky. May 31, 2023.

As Cadet Summer Training (CST) 2022 comes to a close and 10,000 freshly graduated Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Cadets depart Fort Knox, Ky., it is time to take a look back at some of the successes from Advanced and Basic Camp.  From the moment Cadets got boots on the ground they were prepared and willing to put in the work. “I was very impressed with how Cadets showed up here physically ready to operate,” said Col. Douglas Thompson, Commandant, U.S. Army Cadet Summer Training, something he credited to each Cadet’s individual ROTC program at the over 900 universities they [...]

Special Awards Recipients AUSA Leadership Excellence Award This award is presented to the top Cadet in each Regiment, as determined by Regimental cadre board. Cadet Cole Anderson, Western Illinois University First Command Financial Services Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the leadership traits necessary to encourage teamwork, improve unit cohesion, and reinforce mission accomplishment. Cadet Chase Garza, Texas A&M University USAA Warrior Ethos Award This award is presented to the Cadet who best demonstrates the Army Profession, Ethics, and Officership while best exemplifying the warrior spirit. Cadet Gillian Bedgood, University of Arizona Armed Forces Bank Award [...]