what is the officer basic course

by Bryce Purdy 5 min read

The Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC) is a two-phased training course designed to produce commissioned officers in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is made up of three components: one active—the Regular Army; and two reserve components—the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Structure_of_the_United_Stat...
. It is a progressive model designed to produce US Army officers with leadership skills, small unit tactics and certain branch specific capabilities.

Full Answer

What is the basic qualification of a certifying officer?

  • An individual must successfully pass the applicable State Officer Certification Examination.
  • The State Officer Certification Examination is administered electronically by a contract vendor.
  • An individual has three attempts to pass the State Officer Certification Examination. ...

How to become an officer?

Officer candidate school is one of the most common ways to become an officer in the U.S. Army. Follow the steps below to become an officer through officer candidate school. 1. Receive a four-year college degree. You can attend any undergraduate program before enrolling in officer candidate school.

What is the basic officer leader course?

Basic Officer Leaders Course

  • BOLC A. For almost all Army officers, Phase I of BOLC consists of pre-commissioning training, either through Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Officer Candidate School, or the United States Military Academy.
  • BOLC B. ...
  • Notes. ...
  • See also
  • References. ...

What to expect on your basic course?

What to Expect in Basic Training

  1. Expect to be deployed!
  2. Expect the unexpected Strange things happen at basic training. Some recruits can’t handle the stress, some recruits try to get away with too much, and some recruits just like ...
  3. Expect mistakes and failures Let me tell you this right now, you will fail. ...
  4. Expect stress I touched upon this subject in number 7. ...

More items...

What does a Basic Officer Leader Course do?

The second phase of the Basic Officer Leader Course - previously referred to as the Officer Basic Course (OBC) and BOLC III - is designed to develop new combat-effective officers and train them to perform their wartime duties as commissioned officers.

Is there basic training for officers?

The Army is the only service where individuals must enlist first, before attending Officer Candidate School (OCS). That is right, if you are going to be an officer, you will attend Basic Combat Training (BCT) alongside enlisted recruits.

How long is Army officer basic course?

You'll undergo training in OCS for 12 weeks to ensure you're prepared to successfully lead others. Training will include two phases of advanced classroom instruction and on-the-ground training that you'll complete as part of a small squad.

How long is the Basic Officer Leader Course?

Your first steps after commissioning After you have been assigned your branch and given a commission, you will be required to attend Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC). Each branch has a different duration of BOLC with some being as short as 12 weeks and others taking up to one year.

What ranks are officers?

Officer RanksSecond Lieutenant. Typically the entry-level rank for most commissioned officers. ... First Lieutenant. A seasoned lieutenant with 18 to 24 months of service. ... Captain. ... Major. ... Lieutenant Colonel. ... Colonel. ... Brigadier General. ... Major General.More items...

Can you become an officer without college?

Highly skilled technical experts in their field, specializing in areas including intelligence, aviation, or military police. Officers are not required to have a college degree, but must attend Warrant Officer Candidate School (WOCS) before receiving an appointment.

What is officer training like in the army?

U.S. Army OCS is the U.S. Army's training academy for officers. It is a rigorous 12-week course open to candidates who are active-duty noncommissioned officers, civilians who have a four-year college degree, contract workers like doctors and nurses and those in the U.S. Army Reserve or U.S. Army National Guard.

What happens if you fail OCS?

If you fail Army OCS you have one of two choices: You get discharged from the Army. You complete the remainder of your service agreement as an enlisted soldier.

What do army officers do?

Officers typically do the following: Plan, organize, and lead troops and activities in military operations. Manage enlisted personnel. Operate and command aircraft, ships, or armored vehicles.

How long is army officer contract?

ROUTINE USES: DISCLOSURE: Title 5, United States Code, Section 552A. I further agree that, upon graduation from OCS, I will accept appointment as a commissioned officer in any branch of the USAR, if tendered, and will serve for a minimum of 3 years in a commissioned status on active duty.

Do you become an officer after ROTC?

When cadets complete the ROTC course, upon graduation, they become commissioned officers in the U.S. Army.

What rank comes after ROTC?

second lieutenantsOfficer Ranks After ROTC When students graduate from college, they are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army and required to serve eight years. Army ranks not only correspond to the officer's level of responsibility, but they also correlate to pay grade.

What is the basic training for a peace officer?

Peace Officer Basic Training. The POST-certified Regular Basic Course (basic academy) is the training standard for police officers, deputy sheriffs, school district police officers, district attorney investigators, as well as a few other classifications of peace officers.

What is the duty of a law enforcement officer?

As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality and justice.

How many hours does a post certified school have?

Most POST-certified basic training academies exceed the 664 hour minimum by 200 or more hours with some academies presenting over 1000 hours of training and testing. Academy students are subject to various written, skill, exercise, and scenario-based tests.

How long is the PC 832 course?

For many other peace officer classifications, the PC 832 Course is the training standard. The 40-hour PC 832 Arrest Course and the 24-hour PC 832 Firearms Course may be presented separately or as a single course.

What is the law enforcement code of ethics?

Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. The Code of Ethics establishes the foundation for all peace officer motives, actions, and expectations. Pursuant to Commission Regulation 1013 , the Code shall be administered to all peace officer trainees during the basic course and all other persons at time of appointment. The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is as ...

What is the OBC course?

Officer Basic Course: The Officer Basic Course (OBC) provides training in the values and skills necessary to represent the Surgeon General as a commissioned officer. This two-week course is an orientation to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Commissioned Corps of the U.S.

What is OAC in the military?

The Officer Advanced Course (OAC) is currently being piloted to selected officers and is designed to prepare the commissioned officer for successful assignments as an officer and leader in a dynamic public health environment.

What is the Army Medical Department course?

This course is designed to instruct students on the basics of being an Army and Army Medical Department (AMEDD) officer. It will assist the student in making their transition into the Army a smooth one. This course will provide the student with an increased understanding of the U.S. Army, its various missions and most importantly, how to contribute to the success of those missions. The student`s focus here at the AMEDD Center & School Health Readiness Center of Excellence (AMEDDC&S HRCoE) should be discipline, teamwork, basic Soldier skills, tactical medical doctrine, and learning the principles behind becoming an resilient, agile leader.

What do officers wear in BOLC?

Upon arrival to BOLC, officers must wear face coverings. It is encouraged for officers to bring extra face coverings (brown, black, tan, green, or subdued to match uniform). Officers will be tested for COVID-19 and placed on 14 days of Restriction of Movement (ROM).

What is required for BOLC B?

All student attending BOLC-B (RC) Phase 2 are required to have a passing Army Physical Fitness Test score and passing Army Height and Weight prior to enrollment in the resident course.

How long does it take to get paid in the Army?

If you are new to the Active Duty Army, or the U.S. Army Reserves, including Individual Ready Reserve and National Guard, it can take up to 30 days before your pay is established. Ensure that you report to JBSA Fort Sam Houston with enough money to cover your expenses such as purchasing uniforms.

What is WOBC in the Army?

WOBC is the first major test a newly appointed officer must pass to continue serving in the Army as a warrant officer, as W01 appointments and award of a Warrant Officer MOS are contingent upon successfully completing WOBC.

What is a WOBC?

Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) The purpose of the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) to certify warrant officers as technically and tactically competent to serve as warrant officers in a designated specialty.

How long is the OCS course?

The Officer Basic Course currently lasts 28 weeks, during which new officers receive classroom, field, and practical application training on weapons, tactics, leadership and protocol. The course is split into three graded categories; Leadership, Academics, and Military Skills. Much like OCS, graded events are split between events that are graded, and events that must be passed. Events that must be passed are the 15 mile hike, all three exams, the Endurance Course, Final Land Navigation, Night Land Navigation, and Rifle and Pistol Qualification. Events that simply are given a grade are the 3, 6, 9, and 12 mile hikes, leadership billets in field exercises, and various decision making exercises.

Where is the Basic School?

The Basic School is at Camp Barrett, Quantico, Virginia, in the south-west of the Marine Corps Base Quantico complex.

How many years of service do you need to be a Marine to be a warrant officer?

For the Marine Warrant Officer (Gunner) program, a Marine must have at least sixteen years of enlisted service in an infantry MOS.

How long is the Marine warrant training?

Marine warrant officers attend a 16-week training regime similar in scope and instruction to the 28-week course required of second lieutenants, which is shortened due to the prior experience possessed by the newly appointed warrant officers. They are assigned to India Company at Camp Barrett.

How many years of service do you need to be a gunner?

For the Marine Warrant Officer (Gunner) program, a Marine must have at least sixteen years of enlisted service in an infantry MOS. This requirement is waived for those holding rank of ( Gunnery Sergeant) for a minimum of one year prior to applying for the weapons warrant officer program.

How long is the LAR leader course?

Officers selected to serve in a Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) battalion complete an additional six-week LAR leaders course conducted at the School of Infantry.

Do restricted line officers go to BOC?

Restricted Line/Limited Duty Officers are direct commissioned from the chief warrant officer ranks as either a first lieutenant or captain and do not attend BOC; however, as warrant officers, they have already completed the WOBC at TBS prior to beginning their officer service in the operating forces.

What is the basic officer leader course?

The Basic Officer Leader Course is a three-phase training program that offers initial military training for junior commissioned and warrant officers. Its purpose is to train new officers on the subject matter specific to their new job (since they only received general leadership and tactical training at OCS).

What is the physical fitness score for Army OCS?

The Army enforces strict physical fitness scores for Officer candidates with an expected score between 240-270. Candidates receive very little privileges comparable to boot camp. However, Army OCS is different from boot camp in that instructors expect candidates to immediately act like leaders and take responsibilities.

What is the role of OCS in the Army?

Therefore, Army OCS presents recruits with the framework to prepare and handle the important role as a unit commander.

What is boot camp in the army?

Boot camp is your orientation to the United States Army with thorough training. Following the completion of Army BCT, it’s time to progress to Officer Candidate School (OCS). Army OCS is available to qualified non-prior service (NPS) and prior service (PS) applicants.

How long is the Army OCS?

The training academy is open to qualified enlisted Noncommissioned Officers along with civilians with at least a four-year college degree. Army OCS lasts 3 months with a rigorous training regime. Recruits that successfully complete Officer Candidate School receive formal commissions as U.S. Army Officers.

Where is the Army OCS training academy?

The training academy is based out of Fort Benning in Georgia. Army OCS trains, assesses, and evaluates prospective commissioned officers for not only the U.S. Army, but also the Army National Guard and Reserve. Officer Candidate School adheres to the motto “Standards, No Compromise”.

How old do you have to be to be an OCS?

The basic requirements for Army OCS candidates that are already enlisted personnel: A college graduate with at least a four-year degree. Between 19-32 years of age. Less than six years of Active Federal Service (AFS) upon arrival at Army OCS. Eligible for secret security clearance.

image