Misplaced Pages

The Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) is a two-phased training course designed to commission officers and prepare them for service in the United States Army. Prospective officers complete Phase I (BOLC A) as either a cadet (United States Military Academy or Reserve Officers' Training Corps) or an officer candidate (Officer Candidate School (United States Army)) before continuing on to BOLC B as Second Lieutenants. If BOLC B is not completed within two years of commissioning, 2LTs will be administratively separated from the service unless there are extenuating circumstances. This a progressive model designed to produce US Army officers with leadership skills, small unit tactics and certain branch-specific capabilities.

BOLC A

The majority of Army officers start in Phase I of BOLC pre-commissioning training through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, Officer Candidate School, or the United States Military Academy. At this stage officer candidates learn basic leadership skills and small unit tactics.

Direct commissioned officers (primarily medical/dental, legal and chaplains) not from a pre-commission training source must attend the Direct Commission Course (DCC) in place of BOLC A. DCC consists of a six-week course at Ft. Moore, Georgia or Ft Sill, OK (AMEDD). The primary purpose of this training is to provide basic military training to obtain the skills necessary to continue on to BOLC B. DCC is required for all direct-commissioned officers regardless of prior service experience.

BOLC B

The second phase of the Basic Officer Leader Course - previously referred to as the Officer Basic Course (OBC) and BOLC III - is designed to develop new combat-effective officers and train them to perform their wartime duties as commissioned officers. It is during this phase that they learn the specifics of their branches, and the systems and equipment they will use in their duty unit.

• Chemical, Engineer, and Military Police officers train at the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence (MSCoE) at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
• Infantry and Armor officers train at the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence (MCoE) at Fort Moore, Georgia.
• Signal Corps and Cyber Corps officers train at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia.
• Military Intelligence officers train at Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
• Adjutant General, Finance and Chaplain Corps officers train at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
• Field Artillery and Air Defense Artillery officers train at the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence (FCoE) at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
• Logistics (Transportation, Ordnance, and Quartermaster) officers train at the Army Sustainment University (ASU) at Fort Gregg-Adams, Virginia.
• Aviation officers train at Fort Novosel, Alabama.
• Army Medical Department (AMEDD) officers train at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
• Judge Advocate General's Corps officers train at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia.

See also

• Armor BOLC
• Engineer Officer Basic Course

Notes

• BOLC II was a 7-week combat preparation course located at Fort Sill, OK and Fort Moore, GA. It was discontinued at the end of 2009, and as of 2010, any required training has now been merged into BOLC B (formerly BOLC III).
• Until June 2013, Army Judge Advocates, complete their training in reverse order, first attending BOLC B at The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS) in Charlottesville, Va., and then attend the DCC course at Fort Moore. As of the 191st Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course (JAOBC), the direct commissionees will attend DCC first and then attend BOLC B at TJAGLCS.
• Chaplains, who are direct commissioned, complete initial training and BOLC in one setting at the US Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) located in Fort Jackson (South Carolina). The initial phase is called Chaplain Initial Military Training (CIMT) with the remaining three phases consisting of Chaplains BOLC (CH-BOLC). The four-phases are usually referred to as CH-BOLC, with little distinct separation between the different phases.

References

1. "Fort Benning | Infantry Basic Officer Leader Course (IBOLC)".
2. "Fort Benning | U.S. Army Armor School".
3. "Fort Gordon - 442nd Signal Battalion". Archived from the original on 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
4. "Basic Officer Leader Course - Fort Sill, OK". Archived from the original on 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
5. "U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence". Archived from the original on 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-03-07.
6. "U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School Portal - Welcome!". Archived from the original on 2009-11-28. Retrieved 2020-06-24.
7. https://www.jagcnet.army.mil/Sites/tjaglcs.nsf/homeContent.xsp?open&documentId=1AA8592B56D0ADE585257BB1006B8FA4
8. Crawley, Jeff (February 11, 2010). "Army changes structure of Basic Officer Leadership Course". United States Army (IMCOM).

v t e United States Army
Leadership	Secretary of the Army Under Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff 4-star generals 3-star generals 1798–1959 1990–1999 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer Sergeant Major of the Army House Armed Services Committee (House Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces) Senate Committee on Armed Services (Senate Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces)
Components and commands	Regular Army Army Reserve Army National Guard Active Units Reorganization plan of United States Army Commands Forces Futures Materiel Training and Doctrine Service components Central Europe and Africa Pacific North South Special Operations Surface Deployment and Distribution Space and Missile Defense Cyber Command Direct reporting units Second Army Medical Intelligence and Security Criminal Investigation Division Corps of Engineers Military District of Washington Test and Evaluation Military Academy Reserve Acquisition Support Center Installation Management War College Field armies First Third Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Branches Acquisition Corps Adjutant General's Corps Air Defense Artillery Branch Armor Branch Aviation Branch Army Band Chaplain Corps Chemical Corps Civil Affairs Corps Corps of Engineers Cyber Corps Dental Corps Field Artillery Branch Finance Corps Infantry Branch Inspector General's Corps Judge Advocate General's Corps Logistics Branch Medical Corps Medical Service Corps Medical Specialist Corps Military Intelligence Corps Military Police Corps Nurse Corps Ordnance Corps Psychological operations Quartermaster Corps Signal Corps Special Forces Transportation Corps Veterinary Corps
Installations	United States and overseas Germany Japan Kuwait South Korea
Training	Basic Training BOLC ROTC (ECP) OCS WOBC WOCS Military Academy (West Point) MOS
Uniforms and insignia	Awards and decorations Badges Branch Officer Warrant Enlisted World War I World War II Uniforms
Equipment	Individual weapons Crew-served weapons Vehicles
Premier ensembles	Army Field Band Army Band Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps West Point Band
History and traditions	History Continental Army Union army National Army Army of the United States Center of Military History Institute of Heraldry America's Army Army Art Program Flag National Museum West Point Museum Rangers U.S. Army Regimental System Soldier's Creed "The Army Goes Rolling Along" Division nicknames Draft Service numbers Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra
Historical	Buffalo Soldiers Army Air Forces Army Service Forces Women's Army Corps Rough Riders U.S. Cavalry United States Colored Troops United States Army Hospital Corps U.S. Sanitary Commission
Category

• Military officer training in the United States
• United States Army education