Should basic training be required for all officers (ROTC, OCS, etc)

They should not experience it, just to say they've experienced it, especially if they know they are "only visiting" the world of an enlisted Soldier....could easily lend to the idea of enlisted Soldier feeling patronized. An officer will not have the same struggles as an enlisted Soldier, they just wont, we shelter (for lack of a better term) many of out young officers to protect them from harming themselves....if you want to know how it is to serve as an enlisted Soldier, volunteer to serve as one, then go to the other side. There have been many very successful Officers after having served as an enlisted Soldier first.

I would think that OCS, OTS, ROTC or service Academy would be more than sufficient.

My view is, LT, that if you want to have a better understanding of your soldiers, talk to them. Ask about their experiences. A willingness to identify with those you command, I believe, is more so a choice than anything else.

Having been through Basic Training, I got a lot out of it and I think that officers who have never been fail to understand what it is like to be a private. I think it is important to understand what it is like to be at that worker level and a 2LT can never do that - you are starting as management. Understanding what it is like to be at the bottom lets you relate to them when you are in charge, not to mention he respect you garner. Too many officers are not interested in what it is like to be the guy who has to receive the orders or stand out in the freezing cold while the officers or NCOs make their decisions.

When I got off of AD, my first boss started me off on a drafting board even though I had an engineering degree for exactly the same reason. How can you supervise if you don't understand what it is like to be the worker?

I wouldn't make it mandatory, but I certainly would highly encourage Basic Training.

They all have some type of indoc training. If you are suggesting they attend enlisted boot-camp I would say not, first it would be a waste of time and money and second they already have a system to indoc officers per their commissioning source. If you want to make that indoc more physical or intense than change the system. Boot-camp is their for the person to learn how to function as a member of a team and to achieve success together. You make an officer part of that team being yelled at by E-6's you are teaching the rest of the enlisted entry level members the wrong lesson.

I have done both, and I think the indoctrination, as mentioned in some of the other posts, is sufficient at OTS to accomplish those tasks. I like MSgt (Join to see)'s input on having new officers shadow junior enlisted troops to have a better understanding of their impact on the mission and what has to be accomplished on the lowest level.

I think that humility and a genuine interest in getting to know your troops and their needs is sufficient to make those connections.

No, but I had a commander once that made all the in coming officers shadow and airman on all three shifts. He stated this was for his future leaders to better understand what impact decisions they made had to the lowest levels.

No. The Pre-Commissioning education programs (ROTC, USMA) are evidence-based, time-tested programs that are effective at preparing men and women to enter the Army as 2LTs.

Those who enter via OCS have the benefit of having gone through Basic Training, as do those who have Prior Service and return to college and re-enter the Army via ROTC, or those who are selected to participate in the USMA preparatory program and go on to graduate from West Point.

As one who completed an Enlistment and then returned to college and earned my Commission through ROTC, I do believe my Basic Training experience was beneficial, and personally, I would never trade my experience for anything in the World, but the additional bit of credibility it gives you with your Enlisted Soldiers only goes so far. If anything, the stated or perceived benefits an Officer gains from this experience are overblown.

When I was enlisted, I trained with the UK Royal Marines...their officers did all the enlisted training and then did additional officer training.

I strongly believe my enlisted time makes me a better officer, and think it would probably do the same for every other officer.

That being said, when I consider the cost in time and dollars, I don't think it would be worth it to the DOD. Also, I think military officers do well, so our system appears to work.

No...You want better understanding. Talk to them...Assume nothing.


Good question though.

I think there's value in it. I don't claim that BCT gave me any great insight into the life of an enlisted Soldier, but I would certainly do it again. My experience in BCT instilled discipline, motivation, and gave me a base to build upon when I began ROTC. In short, it helped me transition from a civilian to a Soldier. I don't feel our commissioning sources accomplish this.

Based upon comparison with neighboring programs, I went to one of the better ROTC programs available. However, basic skills like wearing the uniform properly, customs and courtesies, and basic Soldier skills were typically taught by senior Cadets in my ROTC program. This resulted in a good amount of jackassery going on, typically because the senior Cadets hadn't been trained properly themselves. Furthermore, from what I understand today's LDAC is a joke. Cadets no longer go to the field and now do land navigation with a buddy. None of this is going to produce disciplined and resilient leaders. If it were up to me all Soldiers in our Army would attend BCT, even the Direct Commission Docs and Dentists.