ALL ARTICLES
Every WarfighterForged article in one place. Gear breakdowns, fitness programs, and battle drills — written from the perspective of someone who actually wears the kit.
Army Height & Weight Calculator 2026
The tables and the tape test are gone. Enter your height and waist and see if you are under the new 0.55 waist-to-height standard.
Check Your Ratio
How to Pack a Ruck: Layer by Layer
The MOLLE II Large Rucksack with sustainment pouches and waist pack, packed in a seventeen-step interactive cutaway: what goes where, why, what it weighs, and how to fit it.
Learn It, Then Run a Mission
Call for Fire: Teacher and Simulator
The three transmissions, rounds and fuzes, mils and the OT factor, bracketing and TTLODAC as interactive lessons, then a randomised map simulator with a walkthrough mode that grades every call.
Learn It, Then Run a Mission
Conduct a Platoon Raid, Animated Step by Step
Thirty-two phases on two screens: the leader’s recon, the guns laid in on TRPs and phase lines, initiation from the support by fire, the breach, clearing building by building, special teams, and the phased withdrawal.
Run the Walkthrough
Occupy a Patrol Base, Animated Step by Step
Twenty-three phases on two screens: the combat football, the leader’s recon, the LP/OP at the 90° turn, occupation by squad, the tower of power, and R&S one team at a time.
Run the Walkthrough
Conduct an L-Shaped Ambush, Animated Step by Step
Thirty phases on two screens: the leader’s recon out of the ORP, security, support and assault emplaced, the claymore initiation, assault through and lift fire, special teams, and the choke-point withdrawal.
Run the Walkthrough
Platoon Movement to Contact, Animated Step by Step
Forty men, 21 phases: bounding overwatch, contact, guns up, the bold flank, shift and lift fire, the L, special teams, and the red-white-blue withdrawal. And the one thing the manual says that nobody repeats.
Run the Walkthrough
What To Bring To The Field: An Infantryman's Packing List
Twelve items worth packing on top of your unit list — foot powder, permethrin + DEET, APEL eye pro, a red-light headlamp, electrolytes. Ounces equal pounds, so every one has to earn its weight.
Read the Guide
Army Movement Formations & Techniques, Animated Soldier by Soldier
Every fire team, squad and platoon formation drawn one Soldier at a time, plus traveling, traveling overwatch and bounding overwatch animated at real distances. ATP 3-21.8, no fluff.
Run the Walkthrough
Best Plate Carriers 2026 — And Whether You Can Even Wear One
Owner verdicts on Crye, Ferro, Shellback, Agilite and more, with zero affiliate links on any carrier. Plus what your unit actually allows, what it all weighs, and what size plate you are.
Read the Guide
What ECWCS Level to Wear at What Temperature
The Army’s own layering chart by temperature and activity, plus an interactive selector that gives you the exact Gen III levels — why Level 7 is static-only, the cold-injury rules from TB MED 508, and the boots, gloves and socks worth your own money.
Open the Selector
Crossing an Open Danger Area: Box, Contour, and the Bounding Cross
Doctrine gives a squad two ways to bypass a small open area and one way to cross a large one. The detour bypass (box) method, the contour method, and bounding overwatch — animated step by step from FM 3-21.8 and TC 3-25.26.
Run the Walkthrough
React to a Drone: The Army UAS Battle Drill, Animated Step by Step
How a platoon reacts to an enemy drone — the contact report, the freeze, the PL’s call to engage, the football-field lead, smoke, and breaking contact. Built on the 2025 Army drill and the war in Ukraine. 15 animated phases.
Run the Walkthrough
Crossing a Linear Danger Area (LDA), Animated Step by Step
How a platoon crosses a road or trail without being seen or shot — halt short, security walked in, the crossing point, far-side clearance, one lane across, and the head count. 15 animated phases.
Run the Walkthrough
Establish an ORP: The Objective Rally Point, Animated Step by Step
Security halt, leaders recon, the triangle, count out and in, occupation by the numbers — the full platoon ORP sequence in 19 animated phases.
Run the Walkthrough
Best Rucking Backpacks 2026: The Rucks Worth Buying, And Why You Should Ruck
The honest tier list — GORUCK to a $28 budget pack — plus the science-backed case for rucking, the three training gears, and an 8-week plan to start.
Read the Full Guide
Military Branch & Job Quiz: Every Branch, Every Job
20 questions. Percentage matches for all six branches, real jobs matched across every branch that offers your field, your ASVAB checked against real requirements — plus a searchable database of all 488 enlisted jobs.
Take the Quiz
Army Basic Training Packing List: What to Bring, What to Leave Home
Every item verified against the Army’s official guidance — what to pack, what gets confiscated, and what 11B OSUT at Fort Benning is actually like from an infantryman who lived it.
Read the Full Guide
The SMP: The Smartest Way to Become an Army Officer
Serve in the National Guard and ROTC at the same time. Drill pay, GI Bill plus kicker, double tuition coverage, and years in service that raise your officer pay from day one — the complete breakdown from a current SMP cadet.
Read the Full Guide
Sapper School vs Ranger School: From a Graduate of Both
The head-to-head comparison almost nobody can write firsthand. Length, entry events, the 1,000-point system vs go/no-go grading, the three demolitions tests, timed hill runs, patrolling mission sets, and real class attrition numbers from both schools — 330→98 at Ranger, 65→21→14 at Sapper. Plus the honest answer to which one is harder, and why a Ranger Tab won't save you at Fort Leonard Wood.
Read the Full Guide
Battle Drill 3: Break Contact
An animated, top-down walkthrough of U.S. Army Battle Drill 3, Break Contact. Watch a squad disengage under fire: gain fire superiority, screen the move with smoke, and bound away by teams to a rally point — with the task, conditions, standards, the clock-method break command, and the ACE report.
Read the Full Guide
Battle Drills 1 & 2: React to Contact & Squad Assault
An interactive, animated top-down walkthrough of Army Battle Drills 1 & 2. Watch the squad move through contact, return fire on line, gain fire superiority, execute the bold flank and battlefield handover, then assault through to the LOA — with the task, conditions, standards, SALT report, and PACE plan a Ranger grad actually uses.
Read the Full Guide
Active Duty vs National Guard vs Reserve: The Real Differences
A comprehensive 2026 comparison of the three Army components — pay differences, time commitment, deployment frequency, education benefits (Post-9/11 GI Bill, FTA, STA, MGIB-SR, ROTC stipends), healthcare, and retirement math. Includes an interactive recommendation quiz, a 14-row side-by-side comparison table, and an honest take from a Guardsman currently using stacked benefits to pay for school without debt. Cross-referenced against Army.mil, VA.gov, and DoD policy documents.
Read the Full Guide
How to Pass the New Army Combat Field Test (CFT)
Complete guide to the Army's brand-new seven-event combat fitness test, rolled out April 2026 under Army Directive 2026-07. Sourced directly from Army.mil with the official event list, 30-minute time cap, the 24 designated combat MOSs, race-day strategy built around heart-rate management, and an 8-week training plan focused on VO2 max — because running is most of the battle. FAQ included.
Read the Full Guide
Roth TSP vs Traditional TSP: A Soldier's Honest Guide
An honest, soldier-written breakdown of the most consequential financial decision new service members face. Real math with 2026 IRS tax brackets, an interactive calculator using real 10-year TSP fund returns, the combat zone trick that turns Roth TSP into the most powerful retirement vehicle in the U.S. tax code, and exact step-by-step MyPay setup instructions. Built for E-1s through O-5s and everyone in between.
Read the Full Guide
How to Study for the ASVAB: Score Strategy from a Soldier
An honest ASVAB guide focused on what most recruits get wrong: the AFQT score decides if you can enlist, but the line scores decide what job you'll do for the next four years. Covers the 2026 minimum scores by branch, real Army MOSs and their line score requirements with civilian salary translations, the retake trap that costs recruits their MOS, and the free study tools that actually work — including March2Success, Quizlet, and the recruiter-recommended ASVAB For Dummies.
Read the Full Guide
How to Get Better at Rucking: Technique, Pacing & Strategy
An honest rucking guide focused on the technique and strategy gaps most ruckers never close. Covers terrain-based pacing (stride uphill, shuffle on flat, jog the downhills), the difference between training rucks and competitive rucks, when ruck-running is actually a good idea, and the two underrated training adjustments that take you from "passing" to "comfortable" on the 12-mile. From a Ranger and Sapper grad — no programs to sell, just the knowledge.
Read the Full Guide
What MOS Should I Choose? An Honest Guide to the Top 26
A no-recruiter, no-marketing breakdown of the 26 most popular Army MOSs (Military Occupational Specialties) — with day-to-day reality, ASVAB requirements, real civilian translations, and the hardships nobody puts in the brochure. Includes an interactive 11-question survey that surfaces your top 5 matches and full breakdowns of all 8 Combat Arms MOSs plus the Parachute Rigger (92R).
Read the Full Guide
How to Pass Ranger School
A complete breakdown of RAP Week, the three phases, the gear that mattered, and what actually breaks soldiers — written by a Ranger graduate who recycled Darby, then peer-rated #1 in Florida and earned his Ranger Tab. Covers the new RPFA, land navigation, the 12-mile ruck, peer evaluations, and the mental game that decides who makes it.
Read the Full Guide
The Beginner's Tactical Gear List
A 5-phase build order for the soldier who's never bought a piece of personal kit. Plate carriers, battle belts, slings, IFAKs, hydration — every item is gear I've personally run, ordered, or am actively wearing. Zero sponsored picks. Includes the "what to skip" section that saves new soldiers hundreds of dollars.
Read the Full Guide
How to Prepare for the Army Fitness Test
Event-by-event breakdown of every AFT lift and run, plus a free 4-week program built from infantry training cycles. Covers deadlift technique, hand-release pushup standards, sprint-drag-carry pacing, plank holds, and 2-mile run pacing — with scoring tables for both Combat and General standards.
Read the Full Guide
The TSP Guide for Soldiers
How to actually set up your Thrift Savings Plan as a new soldier. Hit the 5% match, pick the right fund, and keep money accessible for opportunities outside retirement. Written by an Infantryman and business finance major. Covers Roth vs Traditional, the C Fund vs L Fund decision, and the Roth IRA strategy that most TSP articles skip.
Read the Full Guide
Best Military Boots 2026
Field-tested rankings of OCP-authorized boots from an Infantryman who's worn them in the suck. Covers Garmont T8, Belleville TR960Z, Nike SFB, Salomon Quest 4D Forces, and more — broken down by terrain, durability, break-in time, and what actually holds up in the field.
Read the Full ReviewMore Articles Dropping Weekly
Plate carrier breakdowns, BAH optimization, Sapper School prep, deployment finance, and more — all in development. Subscribe to get the next one in your inbox the day it goes live.
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// tacticsConduct an L-Shaped Ambush, Animated Step by Step
Thirty phases, from the leader’s recon at the ORP to the choke-point withdrawal.
Read it →// tacticsPlatoon Movement to Contact, Animated Step by Step
Forty men, 21 phases, from the LD to the red-white-blue withdrawal.
Read it →// tacticsArmy Movement Formations & Techniques, Animated Soldier by Soldier
Every formation and movement technique, animated soldier by soldier.
Read it →The 4-Week Hybrid Military Program
The exact framework I use myself — built for the soldier juggling unit life, school, and a real schedule. Free PDF delivered to your inbox in under 60 seconds.
- 5 lift days · 3 run days per week, supersets for 45-minute sessions
- Week-over-week progressions targeting AFT and combat-MOS standards
- Hybrid framework — strength, conditioning, and recovery, balanced
- Built around real soldier schedules — unit time, school, family
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