Is BOLC required for promotion from 2LT to 1LT in the Army National Guard?

2016-01-19T14:24:25-05:00

I'm coming up on my 18 months TIG from 2LT - 1LT. One of my bestfriends went through OCS at Benning with me and he will be getting promoted sometime during FEB to 1LT...when he asked me whether I would be I told him "No because I haven't been to BOLC".

He was surprised that I wasn't getting promoted; so here are my questions:
- Do I need BOLC to get promoted to 1LT? I thought that was correct...
- I've heard of other NG LT's that got promoted before BOLC...how does that work?

I've gotten so many mixed answers from my Training / Readiness NCO, Commander, fellow officers.

Can someone please explain this to me?

I have not been to BOLC (Going to QM BOLC in April!)

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Jan 19 at 2016 2:27 PM

2016-01-19T14:27:48-05:00

If graduation form BOLC is not required for promotion to 1LT then it should be 1LT Private RallyPoint Member. BOLC is more than a rite of passage.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 2:57 PM

2016-01-19T14:57:20-05:00

It depends on your state and commissioning source. I personally am an ECP 1LT that graduated and commissioned from a Military Junior College. We are required to promote after 24 months. I know the Georgia guard doesn't follow this.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 2:57 PM

2016-01-19T14:57:54-05:00

Yes it is required. The reason you see 1LT at BOLC is because they went to a two year military college became a 2LT while they finish their 3rd and 4th year....or they are branch transferring

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 2:58 PM

2016-01-19T14:58:01-05:00

Also I haven't been to BOLC I will be going at the end of May.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 3:00 PM

2016-01-19T15:00:35-05:00

Sir, if it will make you feel more at ease (and yes you need BOLC to advance), there have been rare times where others never had it and went further. Example: My XO went to BOLC-AMEDD and in her class was a COL/O-6 that was a doctor but had somehow managed to slip through the cracks from his initial commissioning all the way to COL until someone did an audit and told him he needed to go.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 4:22 PM

2016-01-19T16:22:58-05:00

AR 600-8-29 does not list BOLC as a requirement for promotion to 1LT...
But it should be.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 6:46 PM

2016-01-19T18:46:59-05:00

This seems like something you should have been made aware of in ROTC.

Response by SFC Daniel Faires made Jan 19 at 2016 7:09 PM

2016-01-19T19:09:37-05:00

LT
Have you read the officer promotion regs ?

That is the easiest way to find out also check with your state and see if they have a state regulation regarding it

Knowledge is power

Also sorry I can't give you the specific regulation number but this whole retirement piece made me dump most of that instant resource info

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 9:09 PM

2016-01-19T21:09:16-05:00

So you do need BOLC for promotion except for ECP. Part of this comes from the fedrec process. When you commission into the ARNG, a temporary fedrec is given within your current branch. When you put in your fedrec packet for 1LT, they verify that you are branch qualified so that you can be fedrec'ed as this is big army's way of tracking which MOS/AOC you've taken up.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 19 at 2016 10:51 PM

2016-01-19T22:51:58-05:00

1. Yes, BOLC required for promotion to 1LT. Reference: AR 135-155, table 2-2.
2. Aviators, owing to the long duration of BOLC and delay in obtaining seats, have a special provision to gain promotion to 1LT/CW2 with partial completion.
3. As stated in other posts, ECP lieutenants have their own provision of regulation which allows promotion to 1LT without BOLC.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 20 at 2016 12:16 AM

2016-01-20T00:16:22-05:00

When I was a cadet in the Oregon Guard I knew one 2LT who was told he couldn't be promoted without bolc and a 1LT who had been promoted without bolc. Imagine the formers frustration. They were both in the same company too. He just got out as a 1LT with about 3 years tig and 5 years as an LT total.

Response by CPL(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 10:38 AM

2016-01-21T10:38:58-05:00

Hi Bolc is required. Unless you direct commissioned, then you need it anyway. To get to O3.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 12:04 PM

2016-01-21T12:04:58-05:00

AR 135-155, Promotion of Commissioned Officers and Warrant Officers Other Than General Officers (Publication specific to ARNG and USAR), dtd 13 July 2004.
http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r135_155.pdf

Page 9 (physical page 18), which contains Tables 2-1 and 2-2 (time in grade requirements & military educational requirements, respectively) should answer your questions. About O-1 to O-2, Table 2-1 says the minimum TIG is 2 years, and maximum is 42 months, while Table 2-2 says the following as the MEL requirement: "Resident officer basic course. (See notes 1, 2, 6, 7, 8.)"

Note #1 is important here, and says: "Officers assigned to Control Group (OADO) (see para 2-8b(1)) and former OADO officers (including Early Commissioning Program (ECP) participants) transferred to the Control Group (Annual Training) or the Selected Reserve preceding their promotion eligibility to 1LT are not required to meet the educational requirement for promotion to 1LT. Promotion under these circumstances does not negate the requirement to complete the resident officer basic course at a subsequent date. Officers enrolled in a resident basic course, who are otherwise eligible, will also be considered to have satisfied the education requirement for promotion to 1LT."

In short, if you're an ECP, you can be promoted at 24 months regardless (unless flagged). Likewise, if you're enrolled in BOLC and hit 24 minths TIG, you can be promoted. ECPs will normally get promoted automatically by HRC, while non-ECP typically have to get the command to sign-off on it for promotion. If you ask nicely, you can usually get promoted while at BOLC, and even if you don't your command will usually recommend you upon graduation. If you go to BOLC prior to 24 months TIG, you have to wait regardless.

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Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 29 at 2016 7:01 PM

2016-01-29T19:01:11-05:00

yes is the simple answer and reading AR 600-8-29 is the real one

Response by MAJ Keira Brennan made Apr 21 at 2016 12:42 PM

2016-04-21T12:42:18-04:00

I had a could of 1LTs back in my OBC days. Sounds similar to the olden days regs. Outside of early commissioning you would hope BOLC is a priority. Get er done!

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 26 at 2016 9:37 PM

2016-04-26T21:37:43-04:00

You'll probably get promoted as soon as you get back. Sucks you got such a late date, technically they have within 18 months of commissioning to ship you. To your benefit you'll probably be more knowledgeable than many of your classmates.

Usually with the State/Fed Rec system they'll push your state orders through right at the 18 months, and it may take another 6 for it to make it through the Fed Rec system. Look in your Iperms and see if a promo order's been uploaded. I believe they back pay you for the discrepancy in time though, which is nice.

Response by MAJ Anthony Henderson made Apr 28 at 2016 2:05 PM

2016-04-28T14:05:33-04:00

BOLC is required for promotion to 1LT. A Bachelor Degree is required for promotion to CPT. Captain Career Course is required for promotion to MAJ and ILE is required for promotion to LTC.

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 7 at 2019 8:27 PM

2019-02-07T20:27:02-05:00

Unless you're frocked, yes.

Response by 1LT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 7 at 2019 8:30 PM

2019-02-07T20:30:42-05:00

Trust me, as someone who waited until the last minute to do BOLC...I spent 18 months as a PL before going to BOLC and thought I was the shit. I wasn't. BOLC is incredibly useful. And hold on to that gold bar as long as you can. That's your fuck up umbrella. So long as you don't get anyone killed, that gold bar covers all manner of sins and lets you make the fuck ups you need to make to become a good officer. Don't rush lines onto your face.