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Resident courses. RC officers are authorized to attend resident Army service schools to become qualified in their present or projected assignments as funds and allocations allow. Attendance at resident service schools is the preferred option for all RC officers since it allows for peer-to-peer interaction and an ongoing exchange of ideas and experiences. It also allows RC officers to interact with their AC counterparts and provide them with information about the RC. It is understood, however, that not all RC officers will be able to attend all service schools in residence due to budgetary, time or training seat constraints. For this reason, type of school attendance (resident or nonresident) is not a discriminator for promotion or duty assignment in the RC. Officers may also attend courses that contribute to the military proficiency of the unit or enhance their specific abilities. DA Pam 351-4, as supplemented by pamphlets and directives from the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and the NGB, provides information concerning courses of instruction of­fered at Army schools and various agencies in DOD.

Nonresident courses. With the exception of the Officer Basic Course, military schools may be taken through nonresident courses, The Total Army School System (TASS) and through correspond­ence courses. OAC, CAS3 and CGSOC are available in both TASS and nonresident versions. The CMOs at AR-PERSCOM (for USAR) and the State Headquarters (for ARNG) should ensure that officers are enrolled in military education courses in a timely manner to ensure that all RC officers remain fully competitive for promotion and assignment considerations. The below table discusses the options available for RC officers to complete their military education and the amount of time that each officer has to complete the nonresident instruction after enrollment before being dropped from the school.

Branch and functional area educational requirements. All RC officers are assigned to a branch upon appointment. Branching deci­sions are made based upon the needs of the Army, although officer preference is considered. Branching is usually determined prior to commissioning, although RC officers can be rebranched at any time based upon the needs of the service until they attend an OBC; at which point their branch is fixed. Once an officer has attended an OBC, he or she cannot be rebranched until they have either attended another OBC or completed other branch qualifying courses (such as OAC).

(1) Basic course. All officers attend a resident OBC in his or her branch to meet branch qualification and mobilization requirements; no alternative training method is available. Although attendance at OBC immediately after commissioning is preferable, RC officers must complete OBC within two years of commissioning.

(2) Advanced course. RC officers will generally attend OAC be-tween their 5th and 12th years of service. While attendance in residence is preferred, RC officers may complete OAC through RC configured curricula, which normally entail four phases (two per-formed in drill status and two in AT status). Completion of OAC is required for branch qualification.

(3) Combined Arms and Services Staff School. RC officers will generally attend CAS3 between their 7th and 13th years of service, but only after successful completion of OAC. Attendance at CAS3 is mandatory for promotion to major (except for officers assigned to the Chaplain Corps, the Army Medical Department (less AOC 67A/ MFA 70) and the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. RC officers may attend the six-week resident school or opt for the two-phase RC configured curriculum (one phase in drill status; the other in ADT status).

(4) Functional area training. Around the 8th year of service, RC officers may apply for functional area (FA) designation. Although a functional area is not a branch, it is an area of specialization requiring additional training or experience. Many courses provided through the DOD and in the civilian community support functional area training and qualification, as does civilian work experience. For example, many USAR officers are qualified as Operations Research/ Systems Analysts (ORSA) in their civilian profession, yet do not possess the ORSA (FA 49) functional area. Since this FA is chroni­cally short throughout the USAR, these officers will be strongly encouraged to apply for it based on their civilian experience. FA selection is therefore based on such factors as the officer’s experi­ence and abilities, geographical requirements and the needs of the Army. FAs allow RC officers to broaden the scope of their experi­ence and enhance both their assignment and promotion potential.

Command and General Staff College (CGSC). This mid-level school prepares majors for assignments at the division and corps level, as well as joint assignments. The school is branch non-spe­cific and provides training in the military arts and sciences, as well as introductory courses in geopolitical issues and on how the Army runs. RC officers also receive credit for CGSC by attending resident Marine Corps, Navy or Air Force CGSC and the School of the Americas.

Senior Service School (SSC) requirements. SSCs provide field grade officers with advanced professional education in both military and sociopolitical topics. The SSCs, which include the Army War College and university fellowships, prepare officers for senior lead­ership positions throughout the DOD.

Professional development courses.

(1) Field grade refresher courses. Branch refresher courses are conducted by branch proponent schools to provide current doctrine in branch matters and special subjects for field grade officers. While no credit for promotion is given for attendance at these courses, the opportunity to update professional knowledge is of great value to RC officers.

(2) Language training. Where a TOE or TDA position requires language proficiency, officers may apply for language acquisition or sustainment training at either the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, or the ARNG language school. These resident courses are very lengthy, lasting from 25 to 60 weeks.

Civilian education. The standard for civilian education for officers in the U.S. Army is a baccalaureate degree. Most officers commissioned into the RC already have a baccalaureate degree; however, some officers commissioned through the state Officer Candidate School (OCS) do not. Effective 1 October 1995, in accordance with the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1995, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited educational institution is required for promotion to any grade above first lieutenant. Army Nurse Corps officers appointed on or after 1 October 1986 must possess a baccalaureate degree in nursing (accredited by an agency acceptable to HQDA) prior to promotion to major.

Other sources of officer professional education.

(1) Total Army School System (TASS). TASS offers CAS3 and CGSOC to RC officers. Since 1 October 1993, OACs have been offered through the branch proponent schools in RC configured courses. The TASS option offers an excellent opportunity for com­pleting educational requirements because of the presence of quali­fied instructors and the interaction with fellow officers.

(2) The Army Institute for Professional Development (AIPD). The Army Institute for Professional Development at Fort Eustis VA, administers the Army Correspondence Course Program (ACCP). The ACCP provides progressive educational opportunities through correspondence for a wide variety of subjects. This type of military education is particularly well suited for RC officers who cannot take advantage of resident courses. Many courses are targeted at specific assignments, such as motor officer, personnel officer or dining facil­ity officer. DA Pam 351-20 contains enrollment information, addresses and telephone numbers for course coordination.

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Above information derived from Army Pamplet 600-3