The “US Army Ranger” project recently began for the first soldiers of the 7th Jäger Brigade: volunteer soldiers from the “Seventh” battalions are aiming to pass the entrance exam for “US Army Ranger” training at Fort Benning in the US state of Georgia this summer. Four course places have been reserved for the soldiers of the 7th Jäger Brigade.
The training begins with the “Ranger Physical Fitness Test”, in which the soldiers have to complete 49 push-ups and 59 sit-ups in two minutes each, a five-mile run (eight kilometers) in 40 minutes, followed by six pull-ups. These figures are to be understood as the absolute minimum – 80 push-ups and sit-ups, the eight-kilometer run in 35 minutes and twelve to fifteen pull-ups are expected.
The “bear slope”, “rope walk” and “dress swimming” are also on the test program. This is followed by an orientation march of around ten kilometers in a maximum of four hours, half of which must be completed at night. The final stage is a twelve-mile walk (20 kilometers) with 25 kilograms of luggage – to be completed in a maximum of three hours. After passing the entrance test, 61 days of extreme physical exertion combined with sleep and food deprivation are on the agenda. Training at the US Army Ranger School is considered one of the toughest and most demanding military training courses in the world.
Although every soldier who volunteers for “Ranger” training arrives at Fort Benning in peak physical condition for the entrance exam, typically less than 50 percent of “Ranger” candidates will clear this first hurdle. The 61-day training involves three phases – light infantry combat techniques and tactics, application of these techniques and tactics in alpine terrain, and application of combat techniques and tactics in urban and coastal terrain.
But before the time came, the soldiers were physically and mentally prepared for this challenging task in cooperation with the Army Sports Center. Each participant was closely examined by the sports scientists and trainers from the Army Sports Center together with soldiers from the brigade. Their state of health and fitness were checked and analyzed using various exercises. At the end of the preparation week, each soldier received an individually tailored training program to prepare them for the entrance examination in the summer. The commander of the 7th Jäger Brigade, Brigadier Horst Hofer, wants his soldiers to “learn from the best in America and pass on their know-how to the soldiers of the brigade after their training”. “The aim is to introduce the soldiers of the Seventh to the current national and international requirements in the best possible way.”
