Instructor Education Course for BOLC B
Patricia Ryder, CPT, USA,
CG 14
Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School
Major Brian Schweers
March 30, 2015
In 1819, to the House of Representatives, Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun wrote “No truth is better supported by history than that . . . victory will be on the side of those who have the best instructed officers.”1 Officers in the United States military carry a heavy burden to take responsibility for the lives they lead. As our Nation faces many unpredictable and complex conflicts in the operating environment, it is apparent that our preparation is essential. The United States Army Officer education program has a gaping hole in the current curriculum structure.
…show more content…
An overview of the Army’s commissioning sources aids in understanding the structure of the officer development program. The Army’s commissioning sources include the Reserve Officer Training Corps, United States Military Academy, Officer Candidate School, and Direct Commissioning. Due to the variety of commissioning sources, the new officers vary greatly in terms of experience. Major Adam Wojack explains, “each commissioning source maintains its own regulatory guideline which governs admissions, training, and other administrative matters.”3 However, with all commissioned officers coming from varying programs, the commissioning end-product of all programs must meet a common goal. That goal is “. . . each graduate possess the character, leadership, integrity, and other attributes essential to a career of exemplary service to the nation.”4
Prior to 2009, attendance at Basic Officer’s Leaders’ Course (BOLC) II served as the next phase in junior officer development. This six week branch-immaterial course strived to challenge and prepare new lieutenants both “physically and mentally. . .with 84 percent of the training conducted … in a tactical or field environment” 5 U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) deemed BOLC II
1 History of the Marine NCO Student Guide. (Quantico: United States Marine Corps Enlisted Professional Military Education Branch, 2011), 5.
The importance of furthering education doesn’t stop there. Leaders should be enrolling in college, and counseling their subordinates to enroll in college as well. In order to become competitive within the Army’s ranks, education plays a huge role. As Major Tim Martin stated “A formal education is an important contributor to the development of leadership qualities and attributes that are crucial in the growth of a military professional (Martin, 2001).”
The purpose of this assessment is to compare and contrast how General Vincent K. Brooks attributes and competencies changed the military. How his encouragement contributed to personal growth and development as a leader. A West Point graduate General Brooks was the academy's first African-American Cadet First Captain, the highest position (Cadet Brigade Commander) a cadet can hold, an appointment that brought much public visibility at an early age in life. He graduated from West Point in 1980. Truly a soldier's soldier, Brooks was born into a military family that was posted in Anchorage, Alaska on October 24, 1958. His father, Leo Brooks Sr. was an army officer who would himself become a Brigadier General, his brother Leo Brooks Jr was as
In the times in which we live technology, knowledge, development strategies and the environment involve a complex panorama that the U.S. Army must face. The most efficient way is through specialized training and looking for means to develop NCOs for the challenges of upcoming event. The NCO 2020 strategy changes the way we educate and train our Soldiers. The educational model used by the military in the last decade was the Noncommissioned Officer Education System (NCOES). This now going to be transformed into Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development System, or NCOPDS. One of the most important goals of this new educational model is that it will provide the Soldier with a long-term career focused on the training, education and experiences acquired during his career, being these institutional, operational or self-development.
Dr. Williamson Murray once declared a want to develop his Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) seminar students into hand grenades. His comments were, of course, figurative, but Murray communicated a vision: his company grade students would read more deeply, think more critically, write with greater effect, and ultimately be more willing to challenge conventional wisdom than their peers. Murray, with EWS, engineered the course, from initial selection through the final seminars, to meet his goal of a competent, well-armed officer prepared to make and recommend just decisions grounded in history.
A person cannot achieve excellence leadership skills and abilities overnight; it is something you develop over time and continue to define and shape for yourself. An officer is someone who can transform their thoughts into someone else’s undertaking -- a skill hard to learn but even more difficult to master-- and be able to delegate responsibilities. I want to become an officer for that very reason: to continue expanding and progressing my leadership skills and develop valuable skills that will help me in the workforce and beyond. Rosalynn Carter once said, “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be." I also want to be an officer to help others reach their full potential, to showcase their skills and knowledge, and lead them to a path of success. For me to become said officer, I will need to complete MS
The situation in today 's Army is clearly much different from what existed years ago. Many changes have occurred, moving the Army 's EO program from a strictly educational and training initiative to a multifaceted management program with clear goals and objectives. These goals and objectives are also an integral part of human relations and are nurtured and developed through a professional military education system.
Outstandingly, American Non-commissioned officers have performed commendably in their discharge of their duties worldwide. Every soldier is entitled with NCO who ensures that all soldiers get good and professional training from experienced and qualified experts. NCO is also mandated to identify leaders from soldiers who can effectively perform in small-units. Hence it is very essential for the non commissioned officer to be empowered with knowledge and technique on how to carry out these duties effectively asserts that excellent leaders understand their soldiers' strength and weaknesses Basically, it is the role of non commissioned officer to employ knowledge and skills they have acquired through the many years of service in planning and decision making stages in the Army. In line with this, the US government is taking initiatives to empower the non-commissioned
Performed duties of an SGL assigned to the Basic Leader Course (BLC) for the Fires Center of Excellence (FCOE). Served as the subject matter expert for all Course Management Plan (CMP) and Programs of Instruction (POI,) training and maintaining instructor certification. Responsible for the wellbeing, safety, professional development, and training of 16 Soldiers on a 22-day recurring cycle, performing nine cycles a year. During my tenure as a BLC SGL, I achieved numerous accomplishments and achievements. Received enormous praise from the United States Sergeants Major Academy (USAMA) for renovation of a Training Support Package (TSP) that was implemented across BLCs for the entire Army. Hand-picked as NCO of the Month for September 2015, selected
As stewards of our profession, commanders ensure that military expertise continues to develop and be passed on to aspiring professionals through operational development. It is during this developmental phase that Professional Soldiers put their knowledge and skills to the test. Operational Army units certify and recertify their Professional Soldiers through repetitive and realistic training events including the Combat Life Saver Course, platoon live fires, and exercises at the National Training Center. In the course of these challenging and realistic experiences, the Army’s operational units develop Soldiers and leaders prepared to maintain high standards, discipline, and operational readiness. Operational development and adaptability will continue to drive changes in Army doctrine, organization, leadership, and education as we enter the post-war era. Without this kind of development, the Army could not maintain a well-disciplined professional fighting force.
Once completed, each student selects serving in an officer’s capacity as active duty in a designated National Guard or Reserves units respectively. In the final analysis, graduating early with a commission can provide several advantages. Among those advances service time useful for promotions and retirement. Eligibility for the Early Commissioning program may also vary slightly among the five institutions or change over time per Army standards. They would include prerequisite academic admission standards and maintaining academic eligibility once enrolled as well as required military and leadership training during a student’s tenure. A student cadet’s curriculum consists of regular classroom instruction and physical training conducted throughout
As the Army transitions from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the organization is well served to take a long look in the mirror. After ten plus years of deployments, our combat tested warriors are sure to possess more than enough valuable knowledge to reinforce and improve upon our status as a profession. A TRADOC published paper explains “to be a professional is to understand, embrace, and competently practice the expertise of the profession.” I believe the profession of arms exists and there are many components that reinforce this argument. Among these components, initial entry training and institutional learning, shared values, and a monopoly on our mission are three of the most important tenants. All Soldiers must graduate
The Creed of the Noncommissioned Officer states, “No one is more professional than I,” “I will strive to remain technically and tactically proficient,” and “All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership.” As America transitions from a nation at war to a nation at the ready, it is imperative as noncommissioned officers, that we remember those responsibilities set forth in the creed in which we live by as we forge our next generation of soldiers and leaders. How we forge our future leaders, train our soldiers, and how we develop ourselves as noncommissioned officers is outlined in Army Regulation 350-1, Army Training and Leader Development. From
In 1973, the Army (and the noncommissioned officer corps) was in turmoil. Of the post-Vietnam developments in American military policy, the most influential in shaping the Army was the advent of the Modern Volunteer Army. With the inception of the Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Course, many young sergeants were not the skilled trainers of the past and were only trained to perform a specific job; squad leaders in