National Guard Officer Recruitment Programs
Officer Strength Manager Contacts:
1LT James Syrowski at (502) 607-5147 or by e-mail at
James.Syrowski@us.army.mil
2LT David Shelley(502) 607-5147 or by e-mail at David.W.Shelley@us.army.mil
The Kentucky Army National Guard offers many ways for you to become an officer. Many of these are available to someone who has never been in the military as well as those with prior military service. Most require the applicant to already have completed a certain amount of college credits. These programs are an excellent opportunity to become a leader in the Guard.
State of Kentucky Officer Candidate School
National Guard Bureau Accelerated OCS
Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC)
Federal OCS
Direct Commission
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Professional Degree Commissioning
OCS Application Procedures and Documents
State of Kentucky Officer Candidate School, 238th Regiment (OCS)
– If you are ready to accept the special challenges of leadership as a Commissioned Officer we offer
Officer Candidate School.
COURSE OVERVIEW:
The State OCS (Officer Candidate School) option (Traditional Course) is a 16- to 18-month course of
instruction conducted from March to August of the following year. Upon commissioning, each officer must
attend an Officer Basic Course within 18 months (one six-month extension may be granted) in the branch to
which he or she is assigned.
PHASE ZERO:
One weekend drill will be held each month in March, April, May, and June, conducted at the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center (WHFRTC) in Greenville, KY. Administrative in-processing is conducted to ensure all applicants meet the minimum enrollment criteria by a written examination and board evaluation. Drill and ceremony, physical fitness, and land navigation training are conducted to prepare the applicants for Phase I. Applicants must pass an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) during this phase prior to being accepted into the program. Applicants are on a
SUTA status until accepted into the program. Unit of assignment will receive a SUTA certificate from WHFRTC following drill weekends. Each individual will be enrolled and promoted to E-6 when all enrollment criteria are met.
PHASE I:
A two-week annual training will normally be held in June or July at Ft. McClellan, Alabama Regional Training Institute, with personnel reporting to one of seven Regional OCS Battalions. The training will focus on leadership, teamwork, and basic military skills. Candidates will receive land navigation training, training management, and testing conducted at the regional OCS training
facility.
PHASE II:
IDT weekends will usually take place from July to June of the following year. Candidates are attached to
the 238th Regiment (CA) OCS Company and will perfect the skills previously learned. In addition, they will concentrate on military subjects such as ethics, military justice, physical fitness, logistics, communications, personnel administration,
NBC, tactics, and patrolling.
PHASE III:
A two-week annual training is normally held in July or August. Candidates will report from WHFRTC and be transported to Ft. McClellan, AL where they will be evaluated on tactics, patrolling, and leadership skills through squad and platoon level. Upon completion, candidates may be commissioned pending federal recognition.
NGB Accelerated OCS
National Guard Bureau (NGB) conducts an eight-week accelerated OCS program for qualified personnel,
in both winter and summer months. Qualified personnel will be identified by OPM (Office of Personnel Management) or OSM (Officer Strength Manager) and enrolled in the course. The candidates will report for screening and indoctrination sessions during OCS IDT drills in the March-May period each year. The course is conducted over eight weeks, from June to August each year. (The three phases of training are conducted at region-specific locations throughout the continental United States, with Phase 3 at Ft. Lewis, VA and Ft. McClellan, AL.) Candidates are eligible for commissioning upon course completion pending federal recognition.
Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC)
– Requires full-time enrollment at a sponsor university. Many two-year scholarships for Guard members are available. The University of Kentucky and many other colleges offer Army ROTC programs.
Federal OCS
– A fourteen-week program conducted at Fort Benning, Georgia. The mission of OCS is to train selected personnel in the fundamentals of leadership; basic military skills; instill professional ethics; evaluate leadership potential; and commission those who qualify as second lieutenants in all sixteen basic branches of the Army. Candidates attend the course with Active Duty Soldiers and Soldiers from the Reserves. This program is steeped with a rich heritage and much tradition. The Federal OCS program is considered the most challenging and demanding of the OCS programs by many.
Direct Commission
– The intent of this program is to offer an alternate-commissioning source to exceptionally qualified individuals. An individual will not request a direct appointment; rather, an individual must be nominated and selected for consideration by the chain of command. An applicant must have served a minimum of twenty-four months on Active Duty and twelve months in the National Guard. The nominated soldier must have completed their baccalaureate degree, an ASVAB GT score of at least 110 and hold a leadership position (E-5 or higher rank) in the Kentucky Army National Guard. The National Guard Bureau no longer requires twenty-four months of active duty serve but it is highly recommended by the senior leadership of Kentucky.
United States Military Academy at West Point – One of the elite Universities in the nation. Applicants must be between the ages of 17-22, not married and have no dependants. For more information, see their web site.
Professional Degree Commissioning
-These are offered only to those applicants who hold professional degrees in the medical, legal and theological fields.