Join other Army Candidates that aspire to be leaders! Attend the Army Officer Candidate Course (OCS). It is a great way to enhance your leadership and management skills. Being an Officer in the U.S. Army means you are a leader, counselor, strategist and motivator who is driven to achieve success on every mission.
OCS is open to recent college graduates and college seniors who are looking to earn commissions as Officers. It provides an opportunity for graduates who desire a challenging management position in one of sixteen career fields ranging from communication and personnel management to finance and logistics. Training encourages the development of leadership and problem solving skills that make them sought after by civilian employers while rivaling the salary and benefits of rival civilian corporations.
Benefits
Army OCS is one of the Nation’s top leadership programs, with many benefits to joining. Through Army OCS you can:
- Get help with your college tuition
- Gain experience you can’t find anywhere else
- Gain the respect of your peers and future employers
- Train to become a leader and manager
Training & Curriculum
Officer Candidates will attend Basic Training, a nine-week training course where candidates go through the process of becoming full-fledged Soldiers. Upon graduation, Officer Candidates will attend Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA.
The specific training you receive in Officer Candidate School will teach you things like leadership development, military skills and adventure training. This will take place both in the classroom and in the field. Depending on if you are new to the Army or currently in the Army, you will undergo most or all of the following courses. The best part about this leadership development training? You will use and benefit from it for years to come.
OCS is 14 weeks of intense classroom and field training held at Fort Benning, GA. You will receive the kind of leadership development training that is unmatched by any other program. How? By developing your potential in the most important of ways”mentally, physically and emotionally. You will be grouped into squads where you will gain experience in all leadership roles”culminating in verbal and written feedback on your improvement. The 14 weeks and three phases of OCS can lead you to the ultimate goal: becoming an Army Officer.
PHASE 1
Learn the basic leadership skills required of a commissioned Officer. Candidates are faced with both physical and mental challenges, designed to develop and evaluate your determination and desire to excel.
PHASE 2
Grown through an intense academic program with the same physical and mental rigors you faced while in Phase I. Instruction in Phase II is designed to develop and enhance the technical skills and overall knowledge today’s commissioned Officers must possess.
PHASE 3
All of the skills you have learned in your training until this point will be put to the test in a field environment. As a Phase III Candidate, you are tested on both leadership abilities and your ability to work as a team. It is an intense 15-day training mission that hones the skills learned during your previous two phases.
Your Commitment
Army OCS candidates who enter the Army OCS Course must agree to complete a period of service with the Army.
- Active Army OCS will serve three years upon commissioning.
- U.S. Army Reserve OCS will serve in a U.S. Army Reserve unit for a period of six years.
