Should Army officers be required to obtain Specialist before being allowed to commission?

My question is should a Specialist care about what officers do or don't do to get promoted? NCO's train, mentor and advise officers at all levels so focus on becoming a NCO that way you can make a difference in the officer corps.

While I do wish I had enlisted before commissioning I don't believe it should be a requirement. I have known several prior enlisted Lieutenants and Captains. Some used their experience to great effect and I believe they were better leaders for it. Other couldn't turn off the NCO mindset and it hurt their leadership. The difference between the duties and responsibilities of an Officer and an Enlisted Soldier are so extreme I believe it would generally interfere with the development of quality Officers.

No. I was enlisted and went to OCS as a SGT. All OCS candidates have taken basic training already, whether they enlisted straight into OCS or came up through the ranks. USMA and ROTC both provide the same skill training as basic training. There have been a lot of great officers without enlisted experience, just as there are great officers commissioned through all commissioning sources with prior service.

There are minimum requirements for a reason. If the Army wasn't producing good officers, they would find another method. All officers have at least 12 weeks of leadership training (OBC/BOLC etc) before they lead troops on their own. They are then mentored by good enlisted Soldiers and senior officers to make mistakes and learn the same way you will as you progress through the ranks.

Yes, all training is important. I think that 50% of them are afraid to go to basic training. ROTC is a eaisier way to get into the military. I am in ROTC right now and there are a lot of cadets there that I will not trust with a pen. These are the men and women that will become leaders but they don't even know how to tie their boots nor pack a ruck. They cry when they got to get dirty and they do not know how to wear the uniform or patches right. Its sad. I'm in it to learn. Its hard to learn when your learning from your peers that read content or watch a movie on training. They need the HOOAH DRILL SEARGENTS. This will break them and rebuild them to a leader.

I was a mustang, but I don't think so. Anecdotally, I didn't see prior enlisted officers as any better in terms of performance or career attainment. A couple of exceptions:

1) Prior enlisted frequently perform better at Advanced Camp, achieving a higher score, thereby becoming more likely to be tendered a Regular Army commission or Active Duty position, if that is what they want.

2) Prior enlisted generally exhibit more confidence for the first couple of months in their first troop unit assignment as a 2LT.

I could be wrong.

A significant portion of ROTC Cadets are prior enlisted. All cadets go to Advanced Camp between their third and fourth year. Many are in a simultaneous membership program, serving as leaders in USAR/ARNG units. Cadets who start ROTC beyond the first year attend ROTC Basic Camp, similar to basic training. Many cadets participate in CTLT, where they spend a month in an active duty troop unit. Some attend Army schools, like Airborne. So, very few get commissioned without having significant exposure.

The rank system is based in an old world caste system where laymen made up the enlisted "caste" and wealthy noblemen made up the officers. While it has some relevance, it is primary based on socioeconomic priviledge rather than ability.

No. I have seen enough green to gold Soldiers become Officers that I know it is character that makes a good Officer, NCO, or Enlisted Soldier. Experience counts somewhat, but not enough to implement this kind of requirement.

It all depends. However, I am glad I had enlisted experience to provide balance to some to of the "by-the-regs" non-sense.

During the 70's and 80's I had the opportunity to work with two types of Officers. Those that took the time to learn how a Platoon works and functions and those that didn't. Guess which one was better?