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Warrant Officers | Specialty Branches |
Officer Candidate School |
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The Officer Candidate School (OCS) at Wisconsin Military Academy has commissioned over 1500 Second Lieutenants into the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the United States Army Reserve. The Officer Candidate School is a mentally and physically challenging course designed to educate, train and develop enlisted soldiers who display leadership potential, into federally commissioned officers. Officers in the Wisconsin Army National Guard gain valuable leadership and managerial experience. As a platoon leader you'll be responsible for approximately 30 soldiers and equipment that can easily exceed $1 million in value. This improves your marketability in the civilian sector and you'll be able to offer potential employers proven organizational and managerial skills; discipline and commitment; teamwork and loyalty; a willingness to accept challenges; and an ability to work under stressful conditions. State Officer Candidate School The State OCS option is a 15-month course of instruction conducted from April to June of the following year. Upon commissioning, each officer will attend an Officer Basic Course within 18 months (one six-month extension may be granted) in the branch to which he or she is assigned. To attend OCS soldiers must meet the following criteria:
OCS begins in either November or April of each year. Twice annually there is an OCS briefing conducted at Fort McCoy Wisconsin. INterested soldiers should cantact their unit readiness NCO's for specific dates and times. OCS is divided into different phases of training. Phase Zero One weekend drill will be held each month in April, May, and June, conducted at the Wisconsin Military Academy. Administrative inprocessing is conducted to ensure all applicants meet the minimum enrollment criteria. Drill and ceremony, physical fitness, and land navigation training are conducted to prepare the applicants for Phase One. Applicants must pass an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) during this phase, prior to being accepted into the program. Individuals attending phase Zero are carried in a Split Unit Training Assembly (SUTA) status from their assigned unit until accepted into the OCS program. Each individual will be enrolled and administratively promoted to E-6 (those exceeding that grade are not demoted) for pay when all enrollment criteria are met. Phase One A two-week annual training will be held in July. The training will focus on leadership and basic military skills. Candidates will receive land navigation training and testing conducted at an OCS training facility. Phase Two Training weekends will take place from August through May. Candidates will perfect the skills previously learned and concentrate on military subjects such as ethics, military justice, logistics, personnel administration, NBC, tactics, and patrolling. Phase Three A two-week annual training will be held in June. Tactics and patrolling will be conducted and leadership skills evaluated. Upon completion, candidates may be commissioned pending federal recognition. Accelerated Officer Candidate School Program The National Guard Bureau conducts an eight-week accelerated OCS program. This option is available on a priority basis to enlisted members of the Army National Guard who cannot attend the regular State OCS program. The course overview and prerequisites are the same as the state program, except you must have a minimum of 90 semester hours of college credits to enroll. Soldiers may contact their unit for more information. Contact Information Perhaps the most important thing the Officer Candidate School provides is an outstanding opportunity to excel and to prove yourself, in service to your comrades, your community and your country. Please email the Wisconsin Military Academy for more information about the OCS program. You may also obtain information about the OCS program by contacting the Wisconsin Military Academy at:
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