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The Reserve Component leader development program develops the values, attributes, skills and actions of ARNG and USAR soldiers to meet the mobilization needs of the Army. RC officers must be properly trained in order to perform effectively in the event of mobilization. The development of RC officers is a continuous, progressive and sequential process made up of three pillars: institutional training, operational assignments and self-devel­opment.

(1) Institutional training. There are a variety of schools, both resident and nonresident, that provide the RC officer with military educational opportunities. These educational programs, which are designed to increase and update the professional knowledge of each officer, have the secondary goal of satisfying promotion and assignment prerequisites. Officer military education requirements are shown in the table below. (For exceptions, see AR 135-155 and NGR 135-155.)

(2) Operational assignments.

(a) Operational experience through duty assignments augments what has been learned in the formal education process. To the maximum extent possible, RC officers receive operational assign­ments that allow them to apply the knowledge and leadership skills learned in institutional training. This is especially critical for com­pany grade officers. Every attempt should be made to assign junior officer to troop units. This phase in development is critical to developing leadership competencies and instill the Army values necessary in the officer corps. Careful planning and programming by agencies, commanders and the individual officers is essential to maximize the career potential and efficient use of officer skills and attributes. Experience gained through challenging and varied assign­ments enhances officer development and provides trained officers able to meet the dynamic needs of the Reserve Components.

(b) The assignment and transfer of RC officers is a collective effort between the career management officer, the officer and his or her unit. The applicable TOE or TDA prescribes the grade, branch and area of concentration (AOC) requirements for positions to which officers may be assigned. In the RC environment, assignment options are constrained by the force structure and demographic and geographic limitations. For these reasons, RC officers must be will­ing to accept assignments throughout the Selected Reserve, to in­clude the Army National Guard and USAR programs. RC officers must also accept the necessity of occasional and temporary transfers to the IRR, especially in conjunction with the completion of Professional Development Education (PDE) requirements. These transfers provide the officer with an opportunity to complete required studies without the distraction of a troop assignment and allow other offi­cers the opportunity to gain troop leadership experience.

(3) Self-development. Each officer has a responsibility for profes­sional development from the time of commissioning. Individual study, reading, research and interpersonal skills development and assessment are critical parts of leader development. AGR, temporary tours of active duty (TTAD), Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW), Key Personnel Upgrade Program (KPUP, ARNG only) are ways to enhance that development.

Although it is not specifically one of the pillars of leader development, mentorship is the foundation upon which these pillars rest. Mentorship is the act of proactively developing each subordinate through observing, assessing, coaching, counseling, and evalu­ating which results in treating people as they should be treated with fairness and equal opportunity. Mentorship is a critical component of leader development since it is a force multiplier. The pillars of leader development (institutional training, operational assignments and self- development) primarily affect the officer. Mentorship affects not only the mentored officer; it sets the tone for the relation-ship that the mentored officer will have with those he or she will mentor in the future. The importance of mentorship is enhanced by the limited amount of time that RC officers will spend in units serving under more senior officers who can serve as mentors.

Notes: * Officers having a date of rank to captain on or after 1 October 1987 must have completed CAS3 prior to enrolling into CGSC. (Completion of CGSC satisfies CAS3 requirement.)

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Above information derived from Army Pamplet 600-3