Posted on May 24, 2021
How does an enlisted Soldier go about applying for OCS?
Suspended Profile
4.7K
13
11
I am a new 11B in the Army. I enlisted with a degree and I really want to apply for OCS in about a year.
I want to take this year to learn my job well, improve my PT/marksmanship, and become a good team member. After that, I'd like the opportunity to attend OCS and become an Officer. I was wondering what the best way to go about this is.
I want to take this year to learn my job well, improve my PT/marksmanship, and become a good team member. After that, I'd like the opportunity to attend OCS and become an Officer. I was wondering what the best way to go about this is.
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
I would have an open door conversation with my PL and CO, since you will need the Commanders endorsement to apply. Next step would be the retention NCO, who should be able to get you the paperwork need to apply and insure that you have all the boxes checked. You will also need an essay on why you want to be an Officer. If there are other OCS officers in your Company, I would speak to them about how to approach that task, it was not a requirement in my day.
Go talk to the retention NCO assigned to your unit. That person can get you the info you need
I was once in the same boat as you are now. 1st thing is you need to have a Security clearance atleast an interim clearance to drop the packet i think and an approved clearance which was definitely a road block for me as it took 3 to 4 yrs for the big army to give it. Secondly Wait for 1st OCT 2021 for the new Milper Message for OCS to come out. It will have all the requirements for your packet. But you dont need to wait for the milper message to start working on your packet. the Miper message usually has minor changes about do's and dont's everything else is pretty standard. go to this link and it will have everything you need for dropping your packet. Also check with your Unit or your base education center for the OCS interview board.
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Officer%20Candidate%20School
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Officer%20Candidate%20School
The security accreditation level of this site is UNCLASSIFIED and below. Do not process, store, or transmit any Personally Identifiable Information (PII), UNCLASSIFIED/FOUO or CLASSIFIED information on this system.
Read This Next
Things move differently now. When I was enlisted, the Army was going through a major expansion (the Reagan Years), so my battalion would come through about once a year and solicit any soldier that had a degree and high enough ASVAB score, and their commander would recommend them, to go to OCS. The second time around I said yes.
I will tell you that OCS is an entirely different kind of suck than Infantry OSUT. After the initial shock, if you had your head wired on correctly, I felt the Drills were doing their best to see that you succeeded in the Army. I never felt that same about OCS TAC Officers (the Officer Equivalent of a Drill Sgt. to a degree). Just think of it as the test you need to endure to reach your goals.