Requirements to Become an Army Officer
The body of commissioned officers makes up the leadership structure of the U.S. Army. An officer is different from enlisted soldiers and warrant officers. Enlisted soldiers provide the fighting force and bulk of the Army. Warrant officers provide very specific technical expertise and experience in particular areas of Army operations like aviation. Commissioned officers are generalists and part of the command and control mechanism used to accomplish missions. However, the standards and requirements to become an Army officer vary depending on one of four paths to a commissioning.
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Officer Candidate School
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Officer Candidate School is a 12 week program that includes field and classroom instruction to prepare candidates to be commissioned officers. Candidates attend the course at Fort Benning, Georgia, which consists of two parts: basic leadership skills and field training including an 18 day mission to test your skills and abilities. However, to get into the course, aspiring officers must be U.S. citizens, have a college degree and not be older than 35. If the OCS applicant has no previous military experience, the applicant must complete enlisted basic training before attending OCS.
Reserve Officer Training Corps
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Cadets in a Reserve Officer Training Corps program attend college full-time and include military courses within a chosen major as electives. ROTC programs are progressively more challenging with every subsequent year and culminate in a commission as an officer upon completing the program. For example, underclassmen cadets take the basic ROTC courses followed by an advanced course during junior and senior years. Also, the summer between junior and senior years, cadets take the Leader Development & Assessment Course to let cadets practice the skills learned in the previous three years of the program.
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United States Military Academy
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The United States Military Academy at West Point is a military college that immerses cadets in a military environment throughout four years of undergraduate study. The Academy requires cadets to be no younger than 17 years of age and no older than 23 by July 1 of the year of admission. In addition, cadets are required to be unmarried U.S. citizens with no dependents and meet academic and athletic admission criteria. West Point cadets must complete undergraduate requirements in addition to internship-style placement in military installations, summer military training and challenging physical fitness programs.
Direct Commission
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Direct commissions allow civilians with professional and specialized skills to become Army officers. Some of the areas where civilians obtain direct commissions include medical professionals, lawyers and chaplains. Direct commission officers are required to meet the standards to practice in their field according to the standards of each profession. For example, Army nurses are required to have a degree from a properly accredited nursing program and posses a valid nursing license without restrictions. Similarly, lawyers commissioning into the Army's Judge Advocate Corps (JAG) are required to graduate from a law school approved by the American Bar Association, admission to the bar of a federal court or the highest court in any state.
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