The path to the Fleet Marine Force

For most would-be Marine officers, the road to Marine Corps service begins at Officer Candidates School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., where the candidates find out if they've got what it takes to become leaders of Marines.

There, students immerse themselves in some of the world’s most demanding training. They are tested and evaluated for character, appearance, speech, command presence, strength, agility, coordination, endurance and intelligence. Candidates are assigned temporary leadership positions to gauge their abilities to lead other Marines.

Upon successful completion of OCS, candidates are commissioned as Marine Corps second lieutenants.

College seniors and graduates can become Marine officers by attending the Officer Candidates Class program, a 10-week summer training session at Quantico.

Beyond OCC, another training program offered at OCS is the Platoon Leaders Course. This program allows students to complete the requirements for a Marine commission without interrupting their academic career.

For college freshman and sophomores, PLC consists of two six-week summer training sessions at Quantico. Juniors attend a 10-week summer session.

Following completion of an OCS program, all Marine lieutenants attend The Basic Officer Course taught at The Basic School at Quantico.

It provides a foundation of professional knowledge and skills necessary for officers to effectively command and lead Marines.

Newly commissioned officers spend 21 weeks in courses on first aid, leadership and techniques of military instruction, marksmanship, map reading, communications, infantry tactics weapons, organization and staff functions, drill, command, military law, logistics, personnel administration and Marine Corps history.

While in TBS, officers will be given the opportunity to name their preferences for assignment. Upon completion of TBS, the newly minted officers next attend a training program for their chosen military occupational specialty. For many, this will be infantry officer training. Infantry officers learn their trade at Quantico, through the Infantry Officer Course at TBS.

This course provides advanced infantry skill training for officers in preparation for duties as commanders of rifle, weapons, anti-armor, heavy machine gun or mortar platoons within the infantry battalion.

The course also prepares the officer students to become commanders of reconnaissance platoons and provides employment considerations for light armored reconnaissance platoons.

The course is designed to develop leaders who have the will and knowledge to take decisive action in an uncertain environment, within their commander's intent. This course seeks to deliver to the Fleet Marine Forces lieutenants who are technically and tactically proficient and who are confident in their abilities as leaders and decision-makers in both peacetime and war.

The Infantry Officer Course was established in 1977. It evolved from a two-week course with emphasis solely on weapons systems to its present 10-week course.

IOC includes more than 800 hours of academic training and education in 48 training days. Of this, more than half the training days are spent in a field environment. This averages out to more than 16 hours of training and education per training day.

Once trained in their job specialty, the lieutenants move on to their first unit, where they will begin service in the Fleet Marine Force. For some, this will take them on deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan or other trouble spots around the world.