The Special Warfare Center and School began as the Psychological Warfare Division of the Army
General School at Fort Riley, KS, in 1951. The school moved to Fort Bragg in 1952. Civil-affairs
classes were added to the curriculum when the Civil Affairs School moved from Fort Gordon, GA, to
Fort Bragg in 1971. In 1961, the school established the Special Forces Training Group to train
enlisted volunteers for assignments in special forces groups.
The Institute for Military Assistance at Fort Bragg, NC, was, on 1 October 1983, redesignated the JFK
Special Warfare Center, as a result of a special operations forces (SOF) realignment of that year. The
JFK Special Warfare Center was in essence a branch school, but was categorized as a TRADOC special
activity. Further SOF realignments in 1990 transferred the TRADOC school to the U.S. Army Special
Operations Command at Fort Bragg, by orders of 20 June.
The school's Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center, established in 1996, consolidates and
standardizes all SOF medical training within DOD. In all, the school trains more than 10,000 U.S. and
foreign students, yearly, in 68 programs.
The legendary green beret and the special forces tab are symbols of physical and mental excellence, courage,
ingenuity and just plain stubbornness. And the only place to get them is at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy
Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, NC. At the heart of special forces training is the 1st Special
Warfare Training Group, which conducts the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course, Special Forces
Qualification Course and all advanced special forces skills training such as language training and regional studies.
