Since 1918, Fort Benning, GA, has served as the home of the U.S. Army Infantry. Since 1940, Fort Knox, KY, has served as the U.S. Army’s Armor Center (USAARMC). In 2005, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission decided to move USAARMC to Fort Benning, combining these critical maneuver forces at the Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCOE)—a move that must be completed by Sept. 15, 2011. MG Michael Ferriter, Commanding General (CG), MCOE and Fort Benning, and MG Mike Milano, CG, USAARMC and Fort Knox and Commandant U.S. Army Armor School (USAAS), discussed USAARMC’s move to Fort Benning at the Infantry Warfighting Conference in Columbus, GA, Sept. 22, 2009.

“We’re coming home, and we’re damn excited about doing it,” Milano said in reference to USAARMC's move to Fort Benning, where armor and cavalry troops trained between 1935 and 1937. The historic move has resulted in an immense planning effort. The MCOE groundbreaking ceremony was held February 2008, with the activation ceremony held Oct. 1, 2009, making the transformation official. Construction will continue through 2016.

Soldier Training
With more than 800,000 U.S. Soldiers deployed worldwide, the Infantry and Armor Centers cannot afford to lose sight of their first mission during the “intensive” transformation process—to train ready, adaptive Soldiers for an Army at war, according to Ferriter. When the MCOE is fully operational, more than 50 percent of all Soldiers will take initial training at Fort Benning, and all infantry and armor officers will pass through the Basic Officer Leader Course and the Captain’s Career Course.

“When you take into consideration that in a year or two, every armor and infantry staff sergeant will come through here,” Ferriter said, it’s clear that the MCOE will dramatically “shape, steer, and move the Army.”

Despite the “complexity and scope of the transformation,” Milano said, “there will be no degradation of quality or quantity of trained Soldiers during the move.” More than 6,500 troops are bound for Fort Knox, even as USAARMC prepares to ship out 200 tanks, 10,000 small arms, 41 programs of instruction, 50 hands-on training systems, and 4,500 cadre members.

The first of USAAS’s 41 courses will end in October 2010 and resume at Fort Benning in January 2011. The remaining courses will follow with just 90 days to wrap, pack, move, and resume instruction.

Future Plans
Through 2016, Fort Benning is scheduled to complete $3.5 billion in construction, much of it aimed at developing the Harmony Church area of the post to accommodate armor and cavalry Soldiers and hardware in 2011. The area also will be home to an Armed Forces Reserve and Equipment Concentration Site, scheduled for construction this year, as about 1,200 pieces of equipment are relocated from Fort Gillem, GA, under BRAC. Building 4, formerly known as Infantry Hall, is being renovated and expanded to house MCOE headquarters at a future date. Construction on the Armor Museum is expected to begin in 2 years.

Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 Soldiers, family members, civilians, and retirees on a daily basis. The number is forecast to grow by approximately 30,000 before 2011, as the move leads to 11,000 new jobs for Soldiers, civilians, and contractors, according to projections.