The Army Officer Basic Course is the first course offered in the Officer Professional Development Educational System.  OBC is for newly Commissioned Officers, Officers pending commission, and Army Officers up to the rank of First Lieutenant.

Each Army branch within the Army offers their very own branch specific Officer Basic Course.  Several examples include Infantry, Armor, Quartermaster, Finance, Ordnance, Medical Services, Adjutant General, Engineer, etc.

Upon college, West Point or OCS graduation newly commissioned Second Lieutenants will be assigned to a specific Army branch.  In ROTC, we learned our Army branch at the beginning of our senior year.  Once a new Second Lieutenant is assigned to a specific Army branch, he or she will attend that Officer Basic Course.

The purpose of the Officer Basic Course, also known as OBC, is to provide new Army Officers a basic overview of their specific Army branch.  In addition, newly commissioned Second Lieutenants will learn about military leadership, correspondence, physical fitness, drill and ceremonies, operational terms and symbols, Common Task Training, Staff Organizations and Operations, Land Navigation, etc.

During OBC, new Second Lieutenants will participate in classroom discussions, prepare papers, take oral and written exams, do research, get hands on experience with Army equipment, and participate in Field Exercises.  Most OBC courses are about 90% classroom time and 10% (or less) field time.

For the most part, students will have the weekends off to study, travel and relax.  On some rare occasions, the students might have training during a weekend.  This could include a Staff Ride or Field Training Exercise.  Typically, students can expect to have most weekends off. 

Most students will stay in either post lodging or a hotel for the duration of the Officer Basic Course.  They will be on Temporary Duty Orders and will receive per diem.  If you will be attending OBC soon, it would be wise to save some of this extra per diem money.

Most Officer Basic Courses last somewhere between two and six months.  Upon conclusion of the Officer Basic Course, new Second Lieutenants will by no means be subject matter experts.  Instead, they will simply have basic fundamental book knowledge. 

After graduation from OBC, new Second Lieutenants will travel to their first duty assignment.  Most of the time, a new Second Lieutenant will first serve as a Platoon Leader.  But, depending on their Army branch they might also serve as a primary or assistant Staff Officer, until a platoon becomes available.

At this point, new Second Lieutenants will learn the real world, hands on, on the job training.  Most new Second Lieutenants will work directly with a seasoned NCO who has plenty of experience.  The NCO will teach new Second Lieutenant the ropes about how the Army works.

In summary, the Officer Basic Course, also known as OBC, is a fun and exciting time for new Second Lieutenants.  Army Officers should strive to be a “sponge” and soak up the information they are taught.  In addition, they should network with other Second Lieutenants and cadre and try to have some fun, too.  Learn more about the Officer Basic Course in my Platoon Leader eBook.