More of this Feature • Officer Information • Guard/Reserve Officer Info

Join the Discussion Visit Our Military Message Board

Related Resources • Officer Job Descriptions • Joining the Military • Army ROTC • Army OCS • West Point

The goal of the Officer Education System (OES) is to produce a broad-based corps of leaders who possess the necessary values, attributes, skills and actions to perform their duties and serve the nation. These leaders must know how the Army runs and must demonstrate confidence, integrity, critical judgment and responsibility while operating in an environment of complexity, ambiguity and rapid change. Additionally, they must build effective teams, fully capable of supporting joint and multinational opera­tions, amid continuous organizational and technological change as well as adapt to and solve problems creatively. The OES prepares commissioned officers for increased responsibilities and successful performance at the next higher level.

Common core. Regardless of branch affiliation the common thread which ties all OES courses together is common core training. Common core is the consolidation of common leader, military and directed or mandated training subjects prescribed by law, Army regulations and competent authority. It consists of the tasks officers are expected to perform successfully regardless of branch. School commandants identify branch specific training requirements and assist TRADOC in identifying common training requirements for offi­cers and cadets. With task proponents, Commandants also develop appropriate training materials to support the institutional or unit training to meet these requirements. Common core instruction begins at precommissioning and continues at each educational level (Officer Basic Course, Captains Career Course and Command and Staff College). The instruction is progressive and sequential and builds upon the skills and knowledge acquired through previous training and operational assignments.

Precommissioning. Precommissioning training qualifies indi­viduals to serve as officers. The purpose of precommissioning train­ing is to educate and train cadets/officer candidates, assess their readiness and potential for commissioning as second lieutenants and prepare them for progressive and continuing development.

Officer Basic Course (OBC). The OBCs are branch specific qualification courses which provide newly commissioned officers an opportunity to acquire the attributes and skills required to lead platoon sized units. The OBCs train newly commissioned lieuten­ants to:

(1) Prepare platoons, squads, teams, leaders and soldiers and their equipment for operational missions.

(2) Control, lead, supervise and train subordinate leaders.

(3) Care for subordinate leaders, soldiers and their families.

(4) Plan, schedule, supervise, execute, assess and fix responsibil­ity for mission training.

(5) Plan, initiate, supervise and assign responsibility for platoon level personnel, administrative and supply actions.

(6) Plan, supervise, assess and assign responsibility for the safe use, maintenance, security, storage and accountability of personal equipment and organizational material.

(7) Advise the commander on the status of platoon/squad train­ing, discipline, equipment maintenance and personnel readiness.

Captains Career Course. The Captains Career Course has two phases.

(1) The branch phase (OAC) consists of 18 weeks of advanced branch specific technical and tactical training with integrated com­mon core instruction. This provides company grade officers an opportunity to acquire the attributes and skills required to lead company-sized units and serve on battalion and brigade staffs. The instruction prepares students to:

(a) Establish and maintain a disciplined command climate.

(b) Execute the unit’s assigned missions.

(c) Command, control, lead, supervise, discipline, train and develop subordinate leaders and care for subordinates and their families.

(d) Develop the unit’s Mission Essential Task List (METL) and training plan.

(e) Schedule, resource, supervise, execute and evaluate unit and sub-unit individual and collective training.

(f) Plan, supervise and evaluate unit leader training and develop­ment and personnel, administration, supply, maintenance, safety and security actions.

(g) Plan, supervise and evaluate the safe use, maintenance, secu­rity, storage and accountability of unit material.

(h) Administer the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) at the company level.

(i) Advise the battalion commander and staff on the status of company, platoon and squad level training, equipment and personnel readiness.

(2) The 6-week staff process phase (CAS3) uses battalion, bri­gade, division and installation scenarios to train officers to serve on battalion and brigade level staffs. It develops officers to function as staff officers by improving their abilities to analyze and solve mili­tary problems, communicate, interact as staff members and broaden their understanding of Army operations, organizations and proce­dures. This module, taught at Fort Leavenworth, is unique in that it is the first time an officer receives integrated instruction with offi­cers from different branches of the Army. The course provides the skills necessary for success in single service, joint and multinational environments.

Command and Staff College (CSC). The CSCs provide inter-mediate level professional military education and leader develop­ment training. The Army’s CSC, the Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC), educates and trains officers in the values and attitudes of the profession of arms and in the conduct of mili­tary operations in peace and war. The course prepares officers for duty as field grade commanders and staff officers, primarily at brigade and higher echelons.

Senior Service College (SSC). The SSCs provide senior level professional military education and leader development training. The Army’s SSC, the Army War College (AWC), prepares military, civilian and international leaders to assume strategic leadership re­sponsibilities in military or national security organizations; educates students about employment of the U.S. Army as part of a unified, joint or multi-national force in support of the national military strategy; researches operational and strategic issues; and, conducts outreach programs that benefit the nation.

Return to Officer Career Information Menu

Above information derived from Army Pamplet 600-3