By Royal Decree of His Majesty Vittorio Emanuele II on 11th March 1867, the "Higher War School" was founded in order to reorganize the General Staff Corps and go into the culture of the Officers destined to the high levels of the military hierarchy. On 2nd July 1867 Major General Nicolis di Robilant, Carlo Felice Count, was appointed first Commander of the School. On 1st January 1874 the Institute assumed the name of "War School".
Firstly it was located in Turin, at the Palace in Via Bogino n.6 and later, since 1st October 1911, at the new palace in Corso Vinzaglio. From 1st June 1915 to 1918 the War School interrupted the Courses because teachers and students had to fight in the Great War. When the courses started again, by Royal Decree on 6th June 1932, Vittorio Emanuele III gave the War School the possibility to use the heraldic motto "Alere Flammam", still in use today. On 6th July 1935 the Institute changed its name into "Higher War Institute". In December 1941, for all the war period, the courses were suspended.
On 21st December 1978 the Institute became the headquarters of the Schools Inspectorate with the name "Inspectorate of the Schools and the War School". After having changed the headquarters, on 1st September 1983 it retook the previous name of "War School". On the framework of the reorganization of the school-training sector of the Army, on 1st March 1997 the School passed at the dependencies of the Schools Inspectorate of the Army and on 24th April 1999 it received the Flag of the Military Institute, decorated with the Golden Cross to the Army Merit.
Renamed "War School – Simulation and Validation Centre of the Army", after having ceded the competences related to the General Staff Courses to the Application School and the Institute of Military Studies, on 1st January 2006 it assumed the name of Simulation and Validation Centre of the Army.