Officer Candidate School
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Officer Candidate School or Officer Cadet School (OCS) are institutions which train civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country.
How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Typically, it is of a short duration (less than a year), and the focus of the course is on military skills and leadership. This is in contrast with service academies which include academic instruction leading to a Bachelor degree.
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[edit] Australia
Officer Cadet School of Australia - Portsea (OCS Portsea) commenced training officers for the Australian Army in 1951 and continued through to the end of 1985. Since OCS Portsea's closure in 1985, all Australian Army Officer training has been conducted at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra.
[edit] Singapore
In Singapore, Officer Cadet School is a school within SAFTI Military Institute, which serves as the main center for training officers of all ranks. Other schools within the SAFTI MI complex include SAF Advanced Schools and Singapore Command and Staff College.
Like the other schools on SAFTI MI, OCS is a tri-service institution which trains officers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force. A great deal of symbolism exists within the SAFTI MI complex to remind officers and aspiring officers of the tri-service nature of the Singapore Armed Forces.
Unlike other countries, OCS is the only route to a commission in the SAF. Even selected cadets who hold scholarships to train in friendly service academies must complete two thirds of OCS and receive their commission before undergoing further training overseas.
OCS in Singapore lasts approximately 38 weeks. The first term consists of military knowledge applicable to all services, including military history and military law. Subsequently, Officer Cadets are streamed into their services based on aptitude and personal preference, and receive training specific to their service.
[edit] Republic of the Philippines
In the Philippines, Officer Candidate School was originally formed out from the defunct Reserve Officer's Service School or ROSS that was established pursuant to the provisions of then Philippine Commonwealth Act Number 1 or otherwise known as "The National Defense Act of the Philippines" in the 1930s. This was created in preparation for the Defense capability of the Philippines-10 year program of training of Filipino Servicemen and Civilian Volunteers (Reserve) forming the Philippine Army as the main ground forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. A transfiguration took place with some military personnel from the Philippine Constabulary as its nucleus to form the Philippine Army. However, that 10 year program would not be completed at the outbreak of World War II in the Pacific, ROSS training was stopped, and with enough enlisted personnel trainees to be officers were immediately called to active duty to serve the war most particularly with the U.S. Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE). The need for commissioned officers after the U.S. liberation of the Philippines in 1940's prompt the ROSS to reemmerge as the School for Reserve Commission before it became the Officer Candidate School. Early trainings were held in Camp Tinio, Bangad, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Nichols Air Base in Pasay City and Fort Bonifacio in Metro Manila. Some graduates of these class were sent in both conflicts in Korea and Vietnam. Later, OCS training location was moved to Camp Capinpin, Tanay, Rizal and had its glorious turn out of graduates from Class 1 in 1987 to Class 27 in 2005. The officer candidates with the rank of Probationary Second Lieutenant and Probationary Ensign have to undergo and pass the 12-month Officer Candidate Course before they can be commissioned as Regular and Reserve Officers in the Philippine Army, the Philippine Constabulary, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Navy and the Technical Service (Medical Administrative Corps and Women's Auxiliary Corps). In 1993, OCS started accepting two foreign officer candidates from the Royal Brunei Armed Forces which joined the Officer Candidate Course "Balikatan" Class 12-94. In 1994, five female OCs belonging to AFPOCS "Balikatan" Class 12-94 graduated to become the first female officers of the AFP and were not included anymore as Women's Auxiliary Corps officers. Some Filipino officer candidates were also sent to train in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Today, Officer Candidate School in the Philippines were distributed on each armed services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) - Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy, these armed services conducts each of their officer's training annually on separate locations such as Philippine Air Force Aviation OCS in Fernando Air Base, Lipa City; Philippine Army OCS in Camp O'Donnell, Capas, Tarlac; and Philippine Navy OCS in San Antonio, Zambales.
[edit] United States
In the United States Armed Forces, Officer Candidate School (OCS) or the equivalent is a training program for non-commissioned officers, soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and recent college graduates to earn commissions as officers. The courses generally last from ten to seventeen weeks and include classroom instruction in military subjects, physical training, and leadership.
People may earn a commission in the United States Armed Forces through OCS or OTS, by staff appointment, through Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), or through one of the four military academies.
- The Officer Candidate School of the United States Navy is at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. It has been based there since the fall of 2007 after relocating from Pensacola, FL. In the 1990s OCS had departed Newport to combine with AOCS in Pensacola. On its return, it brought the tradition of USMC drill instructors (a la "An Officer and a Gentleman") from Pensacloa.
- The Officer Candidates School of the United States Marine Corps is at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. Most Marine officers are initially trained at OCS, with the exception of those who come from the United States Naval Academy. Entrance to OCS is obtained through the Platoon Leaders Class and Officer Candidates Class programs. Candidates who enter the Platoon Leaders Class attend either two six-week sessions or one ten-week session during college. Those who enter the Officer Candidates Class attend one ten-week session after graduation from college. Naval ROTC midshipmen in the Marine Option also attend for one six-week session prior to commissioning.
- The Officer Candidate School of the United States Army is a 12 week long program held at Fort Benning, Georgia. Candidates with no prior military service will first attend Basic Combat Training. If one has completed a bachelors degree while in college, and has completed Basic Training or BST, one is automatically sent to OCS for training. There are also National Guard Officer Candidate Schools that allow a National Guard soldier to train without deviating from the "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" training program; this is called 'Traditional', as it is the original method for the National Guard, and takes 18 months to complete. In addition, National Guard soldiers do have the option to attend the Federal course (if offered), or to attend an accelerated eight-week program which happens in conjunction with other states. Both Federal and state programs are accredited by the U.S. Army Infantry School. Upon completion of either OCS programs, graduates are commissioned as Second Lieutenants (2LT) and then attend the rest of their Basic Officer Leadership courses. In 2006, the officer commissioning programs changed, making the entire process, 'Basic Officer Leadership Course', occurring in three phases (BOLC I, II & III). Phase I is the original commissioning source (OCS, ROTC, USMA, Direct) and BOLC 2 is a brief Infantry course and may be held at Ft. Benning as well as other posts around the US. BOLC III is the Officer Basic Course which trains the new officers into their Basic Branch skills.
- The Officer Training School of the United States Air Force is at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
- The Officer Candidate School of the United States Coast Guard is at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
