The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
's Officer Candidate School (OCS) is an
officer candidate school
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...
located at
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees and civilian employees ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, that trains, assesses, and evaluates potential
commissioned officers
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
of the U.S. Army,
U.S. Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces.
Since July 20 ...
, and
Army National Guard
The Army National Guard (ARNG), in conjunction with the Air National Guard, is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States A ...
. Officer candidates are former enlisted members (E-4 to E-7),
warrant officer
Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...
s, inter-service transfers, or civilian college graduates who enlist for the "OCS Option" after they complete
Basic Combat Training (BCT). The latter are often referred to as ''college ops''.
OCS is a 12-week course designed to train, assess, evaluate, and develop
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
s for the U.S. Army. It is the only commissioning source that can be responsive to the U.S. Army's changing personnel requirements due to its short length, compared to other commissioning programs and their requirements. Completing OCS is one of several ways of becoming a U.S. Army
commissioned officer
An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service.
Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...
. The other methods are:
*Graduation from the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
(USMA) or any of the other U.S.
federal service academies.
*Completing
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
(ROTC) offered at many civilian universities throughout the United States
*Completing Officer Candidate School programs of the Army National Guard at Regional Training Institutes (RTI)
*
Direct commissioning: This is normally reserved for accessions of chaplains,
medical professionals
A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (su ...
, and
Judge Advocate General (JAG) lawyers.
*Inter-service transfer as a commissioned officer of another United States military branch.
*
Battlefield commission
A battlefield promotion (or field promotion) is an advancement in military rank that occurs while deployed in combat. A standard field promotion is advancement from current rank to the next higher rank; a "jump-step" promotion allows the recipient ...
s, or meritorious commissions, though technically still provided for, have not been used by the U.S. Army since the Vietnam War.
The U.S. Army Officer Candidate School is organizationally designated as ''3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment, 199th Infantry Brigade''.
[199th Infantry Brigade](_blank)
/ref> It was redesignated from the 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment in June 2007. It is a subordinate unit of the Maneuver Center of Excellence
Fort Moore was the second of two historic Fortification#Forts, U.S. Military Forts in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, during the Mexican–American War. It lay straight above the junction of the Hollywood Freeway and Broadway, on an histori ...
(MCoE) also headquartered at Fort Benning. As of July 2014 the battalion has five training companies
A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...
and a Headquarters Company in operation, designated HHC, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and Echo, each of which can conduct one class at a time, with a maximum of 160 candidates being trained in each class.[ATRRS Course Catalog](_blank)
Alpha through Delta are used for OCS. Echo Company is reserved for the six-week Direct Commission Course, which is the initial entry training for direct commission officers such as Judge Advocates. HHC serves as the "holding" company for brand new candidates going thru their in-processing or for injured candidates who are recuperating from their injuries. Those who recuperate from injury are often "recycled" into the next class. Every three weeks a class graduates and another one is started.
The commander of the 3rd Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment (OCS), 199th Infantry Brigade is Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Davis, and the Command Sergeant Major is Command Sergeant Major Gilmer.
History
Historically, OCS has provided the means by which the U.S. Army could generate large numbers of junior officers during periods of increasing personnel requirements, typically during wars. Prior to 1973, OCS was branch-specific, at one time there being eight separate schools; by 1968, the Army had consolidated OCS. Candidates being commissioned in the combat support branches were sent to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and would be trained as Combat Engineer Officers. Upon graduation, they would be commissioned in their assigned branch and sent to an officer's basic course. Candidates being commissioned in the combat arms branches would be sent to Infantry OCS at Fort Benning, Georgia or possibly Artillery OCS at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. At that time, OCS consisted of twenty-two weeks of classroom and field training. The Vietnam war brought a significant expansion of the program. In 1973, OCS was made branch immaterial and was consolidated into two courses taught at Ft. Benning, and another at Fort McClellan
Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a decommissioned United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million tr ...
, Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
for female officer candidates; the course length was reduced to 14-weeks. In 1976, the OCS at Ft. Benning integrated female candidates and became the only OCS left in the active Army, with the closure of the WAC School. The term "90-day wonders", both as a pejorative and term of affection, has been intermittently applied to junior officers commissioned through OCS since World War II.
World War II era
Officer Candidate School was first proposed in June 1938, as the Army began expanding in anticipation of hostilities when a plan for an officer-training program was submitted to the Chief of Infantry by Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
Asa L. Singleton, Commandant of the Infantry School. No action was taken until July 1940, however, when Brigadier General Courtney Hodges
General Courtney Hicks Hodges (January 5, 1887 – January 16, 1966) was a decorated senior officer in the United States Army who commanded First U.S. Army in the Western European Campaign of World War II. Hodges was a notable "mustang" officer ...
, Assistant Commandant of the Infantry School
A School of Infantry provides training in weapons and infantry tactics to infantrymen of a nation's military forces.
Schools of infantry include:
Australia
*Australian Army – School of Infantry, Lone Pine Barracks at Singleton, NSW.
France
...
, presented a revised plan to (then) Brigadier General Omar Bradley
Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893April 8, 1981) was a senior officer of the United States Army during and after World War II, rising to the rank of General of the Army. Bradley was the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and over ...
, Commandant of the Infantry School. In July 1941, the OCS stood up as the Infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...
, Field Artillery, and Coastal Artillery
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery in the form of c ...
Officer Candidate Schools, each respectively located at Fort Benning, Fort Sill, and Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virgi ...
, Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
In addition to the aforementioned programs, there were Officer Candidate Schools stood up for other branches, in particular, the Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth
Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The post is surrounded by the communities of Eatontown, Tinton Falls and Oceanport, New Jersey, and is located about from the Atlantic Ocean. T ...
, New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. Due to the rapid creation of these programs because of wartime necessity, and then the rapid closures or restructuring soon after the end of the war, historical records were not always created or adequately maintained and little is known about some of these branch specific commissioning courses. The Signal Corps however has a full list of records going back to its very first class, which graduated 336 Officers on 30 September 1941. The records are maintained by the U.S. Army Signal Corps OCS Association, which is actively collecting and archiving the personal history of many of the over 27,000 Signal Corps OCS graduates that went through its WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War programs. The Signal Corps website includes a list of every U.S. Army Signal Corps OCS graduate, the date of their graduation, as well as all TAC Officers, training school CO's, and most enlisted men who served the Signal Corps' OCS training programs. In addition to the Signal Corps, several other units have alumni organizations that have maintained informal records and preserved documentation of the courses.
On 27 September 1941, the first Infantry OCS class graduated 171 second lieutenants; 204 men started the 17-week course in July.[OCS History](_blank)
Testament to the ability of OCS to produce new second lieutenants quickly can be found in War Department decision that ROTC could not fulfill the national demand for officers; so in May 1943, the advanced course in ROTC was suspended and basic course graduates were immediately sent to OCS so they could be commissioned sooner.
During the war, the Army's policy of racial segregation continued among enlisted members; Army training policy, however, provided that blacks and whites would train together in officer candidate schools (beginning in 1942).[''Women's Army Corps']
[''Integration of the Armed Forces: 1940–1965']
Officer Candidate School was the Army's first formal experiment with integration. Black and white candidates shared officer's quarters, with bunkmates assigned alphabetically, regardless of their race, and all of the candidates trained together. Despite this integrated training, in most instances, the graduates would go on to join racially segregated units.
General Bradley is credited with establishing the format, discipline, and code of honor still used in OCS today. Bradley emphasized rigorous training, strict discipline and efficient organization. These tenets remain the base values of today's Officer Candidate School. Between July 1941 and May 1947, over 100,000 candidates were enrolled in 448 Infantry OCS classes, of these approximately 67 percent completed the course to earn commissions. After World War II, Infantry OCS was transferred to Fort Riley
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...
, Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, as part of the Ground General School. Due to the post-war downsizing of the Army and the declining need for new Officers, all but Infantry OCS was closed. Finally, on 1 November 1947, it was deactivated. The final class graduated only 52 second lieutenants.
The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) was created by an act of Congress on 14 May 1942, permitting them to serve, but not as Soldiers. At that time, women did not have military status and were not integrated into the Army. Their ranks, pay, and benefits were different from the Army, along with all administration. But, being a military organization that was modeled after, and parallel, to the Army, it required a way to train Officers; therefore it created its own WAAC OCS, which stood up on 20 July 1942 at Fort Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
. The course was six-weeks long, its first-class consisting of 440 candidates. Upon graduation, the women were commissioned as third officers (equivalent to a second lieutenant). It is worth noting, that among the first candidates were 40 black women. Initially, black women were segregated, but in keeping with Army policies, integrating officer training, and with pressure from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
(NAACP), by November 1942, they were being trained in integrated units.
Cold War
With the outbreak of the Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, and the Army's rapid expansion in response, the shortage of on-hand officers, and projected commissions, caused the Department of the Army to re-open Infantry OCS at Ft. Benning on 18 February 1951. The course was lengthened from 17 to 22 weeks, as a result of lessons learned from WWII; thus permitting more instruction in Infantry tactics. The Infantry Officer Candidate School became the ''1st Officer Candidate Battalion, 2nd Student Regiment.'' The strength of OCS rapidly increased. As one of eight branch programs, Infantry OCS included as many as 29 companies with a class graduating every week. During the Korean War, OCS commissioned approximately 7,000 Infantry officers.
In April 1949, the U.S. Army established the Women's Army Corps
The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...
Officer Candidate School at Fort Lee, Virginia. The WAC, an active component of the regular Army, a descendant of the WAAC, operated this OCS for female candidates seeking to enter the WAC Officer Corps. The "wash-out" rate was nearly identical to the men's programs, at roughly 37%, during its first four years; an alarming statistic to observers of both programs. By 1954 WAC OCS had been closed and merged with a commissioning program for female direct commissions, due to the low numbers of women attending the WAC OCS course, due in part to tightened standards for selection – in response to investigations of the washout rates.
On 4 August 1953, the Department of the Army reduced OCS from eight to three programs: Infantry, Artillery, and Engineer, finally closing Engineer OCS in July 1954, leaving only the Infantry and Field Artillery schools open. With the onset of the Vietnam War, however, the OCS program was again expanded with officer candidates undergoing a grueling 23-week program of instruction with an extremely high attrition rate which was designed to prepare young officers to be platoon leaders in a demanding Vietnam jungle environment. In September 1965, Engineer OCS reopened at Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Fairfax family for whom Fai ...
, Virginia, and before closing for good in 1971, over 10,000 Engineer Officers had been commissioned.
As the war in Korea edged into 1953, several classes of Infantry School OCS students were given the authorization to transfer to the Medical Service Corps upon graduation. These selected officers (with previous medical experience) were assigned to Korea (after a short training course at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas), with the explicit duty of trying to keep the direct inductee Medical Officers alive. This was necessary because of the shortage of medical officers and the lack of combat preparation training provided to them after their direct induction into the Army and their immediate assignment to Korea.
At the height of the Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, Infantry OCS produced 7,000 officers annually from five student battalions, all located at Ft. Benning. Also, during the war, a female OCS was once again established; it was stood up at Fort McClellan, Alabama, as part of the WAC Center and School. Other OCS programs were located at Fort Gordon
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...
, Georgia (Signal Corps); Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Artillery), Fort Lee, Virginia (Quarter Master), Fort Eustis, Virginia (Transportation), Fort Knox, Kentucky (Armor), Fort Belvoir, Virginia (Engineer) and Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland (Ordnance). In April 1973, a branch immaterial OCS was established at Fort Benning, ending the Infantry and Field Artillery based courses. In 1976, with the end of the gender-separate Army, the women's OCS was merged with the branch immaterial male course, creating a program very similar to the modern OCS. The United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...
, also admitted its first female cadets in 1976. However, due to the length of instruction there (4 years), the newly gender-integrated Officer Candidate School had the distinction of commissioning a female second lieutenant before USMA.
List of Historical OCS Programs
*Anti-Aircraft Artillery (Camp Davis, North Carolina) uly 1941 – January, 1944The first AAA OCS class started at Fort Monroe in July 1941 and finished at Camp Davis onin October 1941.
*Anti-Aircraft Artillery
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
(Fort Bliss, Texas
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...
) ctober, 1951 – July 1953
*Armor (Fort Knox, Kentucky) 941 - 1944; September 1951 - May 1953
*Armor (Fort Knox, Kentucky
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold rese ...
) uly 1966 – February 1968From July 1966 to February 1968 the program was a dedicated Armor OCS. Previously it had been a Branch Immaterial OCS course
*Army Officer Candidate (AOC) Course (Fort Riley, Kansas) 947-1953
*Army Officer Candidate School (AOCS) 946-1947Fort Benning, Georgia.
*Army Air Forces (Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
) ebruary 1942 – June 1944Moved to San Antonio, Texas in June 1944 then moved to Maxwell Field, Alabama in June 1945.
*Branch Immaterial (Fort Knox, Kentucky
Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold rese ...
) ecember, 1965 – September, 1966ref name="tejascoach.com
"When the Nation Called a Third Time – Army Officer Candidate School at Fort Knox, Kentucky: The Vietnam Era"
Fort Knox briefly ran a Branch Immaterial course that trained officers for the Armor,
Quartermaster
Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In m ...
, Transportation, or
Ordnance Corps. Classes performed Phase I (13-week basic officer's training) at Fort Knox and transferred together to complete Phase II (10-week advanced officer training course) at either Fort Lee (Quartermaster), Fort Eustis (Transportation), or Aberdeen Proving Ground (Ordnance Corps). Class 9-66 candidates who completed Phase I could pick between the Armor, Quartermaster, Transportation, or Ordnance Corps Phase II. Classes 14–66, 18–66, 22–66, and 24-66 performed both Phases I and II at Fort Knox and were Armor Corps officers.
*Branch Immaterial (
Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...
)
pril 1973 – presentCreates general-purpose commissioned officers in the place of the previous specialized programs.
*Cavalry (Fort Riley, Kansas)
941-1944
*Engineers (
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
)
uly, 1941 – December, 1946; August, 1953 – July, 1954; November, 1965 – January, 1971
*Field Artillery (
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
)
uly 1941 – December 1946; February 1951 – July 1973
*Infantry (
Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...
)
941 – 1945; 1951 – 1973
*Infantry (
Fort Riley, Kansas
Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Gear ...
)
945 – 1947
*Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course (NCOC) (
Fort Benning, Georgia
Fort Benning is a United States Army post near Columbus, Georgia, adjacent to the Alabama–Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia border. Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees ...
)
967 – 1972
*Ordnance Corps (
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland)
941 – 1945; 1950 – 1962From 1962 to 1985 the Ordnance Corps was disestablished and its functions absorbed by the Army Materiel Command. The Ordnance Branch was placed under the AMC's Logistics Branch.
*Ordnance Branch (
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland)
962-1973From 1962 to 1985 the Ordnance Corps was disestablished and its functions absorbed by the Army Materiel Command. The Ordnance Branch was placed under the AMC's Logistics Branch.
*Quartermaster Corps (
Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster Sc ...
)
uly 1966 – February 1968
*Seacoast Artillery (
Fort Monroe, Virginia
Fort Monroe, managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service as the Fort Monroe National Monument, and the City of Hampton, is a former military installation in Hampton, Virg ...
)
pril 1942 - March 1944Coast Artillery split into the Seacoast Artillery OCS at Fort Monroe and the Anti-Aircraft Artillery OCS at Camp Davis in March, 1942. All graduates were commissioned in the Coast Artillery Branch.
*Signal Corps (Fort Monmouth, New Jersey
941-1946; 1951-1952
*Signal Corps (
Fort Gordon, Georgia
Fort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in October 1941. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps, United States Army Cyber Command, and the Cyber Center of Excellence. It ...
)
966 – February 1968
*
Transportation Corps
The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army. It is responsible for the movement of personnel and material by truck, rail, air, and sea. It is one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Qua ...
(
Fort Eustis, Virginia
Fort Eustis is a United States Army installation in Newport News, Virginia. In 2010, it was combined with nearby Langley Air Force Base to form Joint Base Langley–Eustis.
The post is the home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine ...
)
966 – February, 1968
*Women's Army Corps (
Fort Des Moines, Iowa)
941 – 1946
*Women's Army Corps (
Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster Sc ...
)
949 – 1954
*Women's Army Corps Center and School (
Fort McClellan, Alabama
Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, is a decommissioned United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million tr ...
)
954 – 1976
Training
![OCS Candidates sand](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/OCS_Candidates_sand.JPG)
Today, Officer Candidate School is offered in two ways. Active duty OCS is a 12-week-long school, taught "in residence" at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Its primary purpose is to commission second lieutenants into the U.S. Army, U.S. Army Reserve and Army National Guard.
Active duty
The Army's Officer Candidate School is programmed to teach basic leadership and soldier tasks, using the infantry battle drills found in Army
Field Manual
''Field Manual'' is the debut solo album by Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, released on January 29, 2008 on Barsuk Records. This is Walla's first album under his own name. It was previously speculated that Walla may use a moniker, mo ...
3–21.8 as a framework for instruction and evaluation of leadership potential. A total of 71 tasks are taught and tested while at OCS. A candidate should expect to be under constant observation and evaluation by their cadre. Mental and emotional stress is induced through a variety of controlled methods, to test problem-solving and moral resolve. Additionally, the course is meant to be physically demanding, with numerous tactical road marches, timed runs of varying distance from 2 miles to 5 miles, and
Army Combatives training. Beginning with the first class of FY 2008, the calendar length of OCS was shortened from 14 weeks to 12 weeks, thus allowing for more classes to be conducted each
fiscal year
A fiscal year (or financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. Laws in many ...
, thereby raising the maximum capacity of the school to train Second Lieutenants to meet future commissioning needs as the Army grows. The current capacity of each class that is conducted is limited to 160 officer candidates.
Officer Candidate School is conducted in three phases: Basic Phase, Intermediate Phase, and Senior phase. Students are referred to as either basic officer candidates (BOCs), intermediate officer candidates (IOCs), or senior officer candidates (SOCs) as their classes progress. Initially, upon arrival, the candidates will in-process with HHC and compete via physical fitness test to enter an OCS company. Candidates should expect to arrive at Ft. Benning in top physical condition as the cutoff has historically been an
APFT score of 240–270. Once assigned to a class, the candidates have virtually no privileges and enter into a highly controlled environment similar to Basic Training, although they are expected to act like leaders and take charge and responsibility immediately. As they progress through the course, they may earn some limited privileges. Their bearing, deportment, and behavior, both individually and collectively, will affect the return of their privileges.
Basic officer candidates (BOCs) are identified by wearing a black ascot. The basic phase will test candidates academically as well as physically; all events are scored comprising the Order of Merit (OML) list used for branch selection. After completion of the Basic phase, transition to the Intermediate phase will occur. The intermediate officer candidates (IOCs) are identified with a light blue ascot. The intermediate phase continues with more difficult academic training as well as field and tactical instruction. After a two and a half week field exercise in which candidates are tested on their confidence and their ability to lead Soldiers, Active Duty candidates select their branch based on the amount of slots available for each branch. Officer Candidates can only branch into 16 of the 17 slots available, with two needing special conditions complete prior to arriving to OCS. Shortly after branching, Candidates will test into the Senior Phase. Senior officer candidates (SOCs) are identified by wearing a white ascot. The last phase consists of final exams in academics, physical fitness, peer evaluations, final TAC (Training, Advising, and Counseling) Officer assessments, interviews, and preparation for graduation and follow-on basic officer branch courses. Sometimes, graduates are offered 'walk-on' slots in Fort Benning's Airborne or Air Assault schools since they are under the same higher training command as OCS.
In September 2010, OCS implemented a policy of total immersion. This system removes the possibility of candidates earning on- or off-post passes and using their vehicles during the first 6 weeks of school, restricts the consumption of alcohol to 2 designated days during the course, and prohibits students to carry cell phones while in uniform.
All candidates are commissioned as
second lieutenants upon graduation.
Army National Guard
The programs at the Army National Guard Regional Training Institutes are offered in two different formats to accommodate reserve component soldiers. The "Traditional" OCS program is a 16-month course of instruction conducted from April to August of the following year and is broken down into four phases.
*Phase Zero – is four drill weekends and designed to prepare officer candidates for the OCS program.
*Phase I – is a 15-day annual training period held in the summer.
*Phase II – is conducted one weekend per month for a period of 13 months.
*Phase III – is a final 15-day annual training period, culminating with graduation and commissioning.
The Army National Guard also offers an "Accelerated" OCS program, which is a 56-day, full-time program. The accelerated program is the most physically and mentally demanding program and while the majority of candidates for the accelerated program are already enlisted soldiers, the failure rate is consistently over 40%.
Upon successful completion of either Army National Guard OCS program, graduates are eligible for commissioning as a second lieutenant pending federal recognition. This is normally the only possibility of attaining an officer's commission without the prerequisite of having a bachelor's degree. There are, however, requirements that allow basic qualification for entrance into Officer Candidate School for the Army Reserves. However, as the Army's needs for junior grade officers ebbs and flows, the requirement for a degree may be added as a temporary measure. This will be announced to the force via an Army G1 MILPER message. The Army Regulation (AR) that governs OCS is AR 350–51. These include having at least 90 credits from an accredited college, approval from the Officer Candidate School board, and falling in the age range of 18 to 41 years.
Basic Officer Leadership Course (BOLC)
In 2009, the Army streamlined the officer training pipeline by removing BOLC II and renaming BOLC I to BOLC-A and BOLC III to BOLC-B. Three weeks of training were added to BOLC-B which includes basic soldiering skills such as land navigation and weapons qualification. Thus, three separate schools were combined into two. Today's 'BOLC' was formerly known as the Officer Basic Course (OBC).
Selection
Officer candidates must pass a series of tests before being accepted into the Officer Candidate School. A prospective officer candidate will meet with a recruiter. After the initial interview, the recruiter will decide if the prospective officer candidate should move forward in the process. It is up to the individual recruiter to decide if a prospective officer candidate can pass the OCS program successfully and is worth the time and effort it takes to submit a packet for OCS.
After completing the initial interview the prospective officer candidate will take the
ASVAB
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a multiple choice test, administered by the United States Military Entrance Processing Command, used to determine qualification for enlistment in the United States Armed Forces. It is ...
and need to make at least a 110 GT score. The prospective candidate then must complete a short essay about why they want to be an Army officer, provide identification (usually a
birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a person. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuin ...
and
Social Security card
In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to ...
), pass a
background check
A background check is a process a person or company uses to verify that an individual is who they claim to be, and this provides an opportunity to check and confirm the validity of someone's criminal record, education, employment history, and oth ...
, provide a minimum of 3
letters of recommendation
A letter of recommendation or recommendation letter, also known as a letter of reference, reference letter or simply reference, is a document in which the writer assesses the qualities, characteristics, and capabilities of the person being recommen ...
, and complete a physical medical exam.
After successful completion of these steps, the recruiter may then conduct the officer candidate through an
Army Physical Fitness Test
The Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) was designed to test the muscular strength, endurance, and cardiovascular respiratory fitness of soldiers in the United States Army. Soldiers were scored based on their performance in three events consistin ...
. Upon reaching a score on the test that the recruiter deems to be acceptable (usually in the range of 270 and above), the officer candidate will be scheduled to conduct an interview board. The interview board is conducted by three officers, usually two captains and headed by a major. Upon successfully passing the interview board the prospective officer candidate is accepted into the program and has a week to sign the contract.
The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor
The U.S. Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor was established in 1958 to honor infantry officer graduates of the Officer Candidate School Program who distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. In 2002, it was opened to graduates from all U.S. Army Officer Candidate Schools from across the history of the U.S. Army.
It is hosted at the
National Infantry Museum
The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center is a museum located in Columbus, Georgia, just outside the Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning. The 190,000-square-foot museum opened in June 2009.
The museum chronicles the history of th ...
in Columbus, Georgia, which also hosts the
U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Honor.
Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame
Among the OCS Hall of Honor exhibits include the OCS Hall of Fame. It features over 2,000 inductees whose biographies and portraits can be explored in a digital kiosk.
Selection and induction into the Hall of Fame is not guaranteed and is based on several criteria. The inductee may be commissioned from any active component Army OCS program and must have accomplished at least one of the following:
*Awarded the Medal of Honor
*Attained the rank of colonel while serving on active duty or the reserves.
*Elected or appointed to an office of prominence in the national or state government.
*Achieved national or state recognition for outstanding service to the nation.
*Attained an exceptional wartime service record.
Notable members of the Hall of Fame
There are over two thousand inductees; a few representative examples are listed here:
*
Hugh J. Addonizio, politician
*
William F. Buckley, Jr.
William Frank Buckley Jr. (born William Francis Buckley; November 24, 1925 – February 27, 2008) was an American public intellectual, conservative author and political commentator. In 1955, he founded ''National Review'', the magazine that stim ...
, political commentator
*
Robert J. Dole
Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his te ...
, U.S. Senator from Kansas and presidential candidate
*
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financer John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He is one of the ...
, politician
*
Caspar Weinberger
Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...
, Secretary of Defense during the Reagan administration
*General
Tommy Franks
Tommy Ray Franks (born 17 June 1945) is a retired general in the United States Army. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including the ...
*General
Robert C. Kingston
*General
Frederick J. Kroesen, Jr.
*General
John Shalikashvili
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second E ...
*Lieutenant General Michael S. Tucker
*Lieutenant General David S. Weisman
*Lieutenant General Michael Nagata
*Major General George F. Close, Jr.
*Major General
Michael D. Healy
Major General Michael D. Healy (June 13, 1926 – April 14, 2018) was a general officer in the United States Army who spent 35 years serving in the military, completing tours in Korea and Vietnam. Healy began his career with parachute training ...
*Major General
Keith Ware
*Major General Phillip Kaplan
*Major General William J. McCaddin
*Brigadier General Julia A. Kraus
*Brigadier General Belinda Pinckney
*Colonel Gerald E. Ferguson, Jr.
*Colonel Leland B. Fair
*Colonel Ronald F. Fraser
*Colonel John L. Insani
*Colonel
Leo J. Meyer
*Colonel
Robert Nett
*Colonel Frank Norton
*Colonel
Alan Reich
Alan Anderson Reich (January 1, 1930 – November 8, 2005) was the founder of the National Organization on Disability. In 1962 Reich sustained severe spinal injuries in a diving accident, making him a wheelchair user for the rest of his life. ...
*Colonel
Rick Rescorla
Cyril Richard Rescorla (May 27, 1939 – September 11, 2001) was a British-American soldier, police officer, educator and private security specialist. He served as a British Army paratrooper during the Cyprus Emergency and a commissioned officer ...
*Colonel Archibald D. Scott III
*Colonel Carolyn R. Sharpe
*Colonel Robert F. Staake
*Colonel John Ionoff
*Colonel Frank Harman
*Lieutenant Colonel
Don C. Faith, Jr.
*Lieutenant Colonel Wilbur A. "Sid" Sidney
*Major
Dick Winters, subject of the television miniseries ''
Band of Brothers''
*Lieutenant
Jimmie Monteith
*Lieutenant
Thomas Wigle
*Lieutenant
Donald Prell
Donald B. Prell (July 7, 1924 – July 28, 2020) was an American World War II veteran, venture capitalist and futurist who created ''Datamation'', the first magazine devoted solely to the computer hardware and software industry.
Early life
Prell ...
, venture capitalist and futurist
US Army OCS Alumni Association
The United States Army Officer Candidate Schools Alumni Association (USAOCSAA) :
[https://www.ocsalumni.org/about-association.php] is the alumni association for the United States Army Officer Candidate Schools (OCS) past, present, and future regardless of location and includes Army National Guard OCS. It is incorporated in the State of Georgia as a 501 C(19) not for profit, war veterans organization. It is led by 13 directors, all graduates, 5 of which form the executive committee. The executive committee is led by the president and chief executive officer, who acts as the executive director. The current president and chief executive officer is Colonel (Ret.) Frank L Harman III.
The mission of the association is to serve and honor the OCS program and its graduates; and its purpose is to further the ideals and promote the welfare of the Officer Candidate Schools, the Officer Corps and the US Army.
USAOCSAA supports the OCS Battalion and the OCS Program by sponsoring each OCS class with resources to assist with class events and graduation awards. USAOCSAA also sponsors major events, annual awards, and ceremonies and facilities on the OCS campus which include the Annual OCS Alumni Reunion, the Patterson Award, the OCS Hall of Fame, the OCS Memorial Walk and the OCS Heritage Center in Wigle Hall. USAOCSAA acknowledges and recognizes alumni and cadre with monuments in the OCS Memorial Walk, Decorating National War memorials in the National Mall and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Award of the
Order of Saint Maurice
The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the w ...
, distinguished and honorary members of the
11th Infantry Regiment and the annual Colonel
Robert Nett Award. USAOCSAA communicates with its members and educates the public on the vital role of OCS by operating th
USAOCSAA Web Site providing articles to national publications, publishing their Quarterly Newsletter, and a Bi-Weekly Email Updates to its members.
Colonel Robert Nett Award
The purpose of the Nett Award is "to remember and continue to honor the service of Colonel
Robert B. Nett to our country, the Army, and the OCS program" and "to recognize and honor annually an OCS Hall of Fame or OCS Alumni Association member or current and former cadre who has provided superior support and advocacy to the OCS program". The Nett Award is presented by the USAOCSAA president and the Senior Maneuver Center representative at the USAOCSAA alumni dinner.
The criterion is: "the nominee, through years of continued service, support, and action, best represents and has contributed to the OCS Alumni Association mission and purpose".
Recipients
Recipients of the award are as follows:
*2017 Colonel John Ionoff
*2018 Colonel Frank Harman
*2019 Lieutenant Colonel Edgar S. Burroughs
*2020 Captain Danny Leifel
*2021 Colonel Thomas Evans
OCS Alma Mater
The school's alma mater is:
Far across the Chattahoochee
To the Upatoi
OCS our Alma Mater
Benning’s pride and joy!
Forward ever backward never
Faithfully we strive
To the ports of embarkation
Follow me with pride.
When it's time and we are called
To guard our country's might
We'll be there with our heads held high
in peacetime and in fight.
Yearning ever, failing never
To guard the memory
The call is clear, we must meet the task
For freedom’s never free!
See also
*
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...
*
Air Force Officer Training School
Officer Training School (OTS) is a United States Air Force and United States Space Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.
Overview
Officer Training School is a part of the Jeanne M. Holm Center fo ...
*
Officer Candidate School
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...
*
Noncommissioned officer candidate course
The United States Army's Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course (NCOCC), originally located at Fort Benning, Georgia, was created to fill the Army's critical shortage of junior noncommissioned officers with the best qualified and best trained ...
*
Officer Candidates School (United States Marine Corps)
The United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School (OCS) is a training regiment designed to screen and evaluate potential Marine Corps Officers. Those who successfully complete the period of instruction are commissioned as Second Lieutenan ...
*
Officer Candidate School (United States Navy)
*
Training and Doctrine Command
The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is a major command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces and the development of operational doctrine. ...
*
Warrant Officer Candidate School (United States Army)
References
External links
ArmySignalOCS.com– U.S. Army Signal Corps OCS Association
Official Army OCS Website– Officer Candidate School
ArmyOCS.comThe Army OCS Alumni Website– Army Officer Candidate School Alumni
Artillery Officer Candidate School Alumni
{{United States Armed Forces
United States Army schools