Basic Officer Leaders Course
Encyclopedia
The Basic Officer Leaders Course (BOLC) is a two-phased training course designed to produce commissioned officers in the United States Army
. It is a progressive model designed to produce American Army officers with leadership skills, small unit tactics and certain branch specific capabilities.
, Officer Candidate School
, or the United States Military Academy. It is at this stage the officer candidate learns basic leadership skills and basic small unit tactics.
For direct commissioned officers (generally available only to doctors, lawyers, and chaplains), BOLC A consists of a 4 week Direct Commissioned Course (DCC) Course at Ft. Benning, GA
. The primary purpose of this post-commissioning training is to allow those officers who generally have little to no prior military experience to obtain the skills necessary to continue on to BOLC B. DCC is not required for direct commissioned officers with prior service experience.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. It is a progressive model designed to produce American Army officers with leadership skills, small unit tactics and certain branch specific capabilities.
BOLC A
For almost all Army officers, phase I of the Basic Officer Leaders Course consists of pre-commissioning training, either through Reserve Officers' Training CorpsReserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
, Officer Candidate School
Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)
The United States Army's Officer Candidate School , located at Fort Benning, Georgia, provides training to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army...
, or the United States Military Academy. It is at this stage the officer candidate learns basic leadership skills and basic small unit tactics.
For direct commissioned officers (generally available only to doctors, lawyers, and chaplains), BOLC A consists of a 4 week Direct Commissioned Course (DCC) Course at Ft. Benning, GA
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. The primary purpose of this post-commissioning training is to allow those officers who generally have little to no prior military experience to obtain the skills necessary to continue on to BOLC B. DCC is not required for direct commissioned officers with prior service experience.
BOLC B
The second phase of the Basic Officer Leaders 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 the systems and equipment they will use in their duty unit.- Chemical, EngineerUnited States Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, and Military Police train at the U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of ExcellenceU.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of ExcellenceThe U.S. Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence is located at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.The current commanding general is Major General David E. Quantock and the command sergeant major is Command Sergeant Major Corbly L. Elsbury.-Priorities:...
(MSCoE) at Fort Leonard WoodFort Leonard Wood (military base)Fort Leonard Wood is a United States Army installation located in the Missouri Ozarks. The main gate is located on the southern boundary of St. Robert. The post was created in December 1940 and named in honor of General Leonard Wood, former Chief of Staff, in January 1941...
, MO. - InfantryInfantry Branch (United States)The Infantry Branch is a branch of the United States Army First established in 1775.-History:Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775...
and ArmorArmor Branch (United States)The Armor Branch of the United States Army is an active combat arms branch created in 1776.-History:Even though the armor branch traces its linage back to the original cavalry units, its first beginnings date from the First World War. The Tank Service of the National Army was formed on 5 March...
trains at Fort BenningFort BenningFort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
, GA. - SignalUnited States Army Signal CorpsThe United States Army Signal Corps develops, tests, provides, and manages communications and information systems support for the command and control of combined arms forces. It was established in 1860, the brainchild of United States Army Major Albert J. Myer, and has had an important role from...
trains at Fort GordonFort GordonFort Gordon, formerly known as Camp Gordon, is a United States Army installation established in 1917. It is the current home of the United States Army Signal Corps and Signal Center and was once the home of "The Provost Marshal General School" . The fort is located in Richmond, Jefferson, McDuffie,...
, GA - Military Intelligence trains Fort HuachucaFort HuachucaFort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
, AZ. - Adjutant General, Finance, and Chaplain Corps, train at Fort Jackson, SC.
- Field ArtilleryUnited States Army Field Artillery CorpsThe Field Artillery branch was founded on 17 November 1775 by the Continental Congress, which unanimously elected Henry Knox "Colonel of the Regiment of Artillery". The regiment formally entered service on 1 January 1776...
and Air Defense Artillery train at Fort SillFort SillFort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, OK. - LogisticsUnited States Army Logistics BranchThe officer-only Logistics branch was introduced as part of the creation of a Logistics Corps encompassing the three long-established functional logistics branches of Quartermaster, Ordnance, and Transportation...
(TransportationUnited States Army Transportation CorpsThe Transportation Corps was established 31 July 1942 by Executive Order 9082. The Transportation Corps is a combat service support branch of the U.S. Army, and was headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia, but has now moved to Fort Lee, Virginia. The Transportation Corps is responsible for the...
, Ordnance, and Quartermaster) trains at the Army Logistics UniversityArmy Logistics UniversityThe United States Army Logistics University , a subordinate school of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command, is located at Fort Lee, Virginia....
(ALU) at Fort Lee, VA. - AviationUnited States Army Aviation BranchThe Aviation Branch of the United States Army is the administrative organization within the Army responsible for doctrine, manning and configuration for all aviation units....
Officers train at Fort RuckerFort RuckerFort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
, AL. - Medical Officers train at Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the first President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston....
, TX.