Which Schools Developed You the Best?

CCLKOW is a weekly conversation on military affairs jointly hosted by the Center for Company-Level Leaders (CCL) at the US Military Academy at West Point and the Kings of War (KOW), a blog of the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. The views expressed here are the author’s alone and do not reflect those of the US Army or the Department of Defense. Read the post and join the discussion on Twitter #CCLKOW

It’s getting close to graduation day for the Cadets at West Point and one of the most asked questions that CCL gets around this time of year is, “what schools do I need to go to in order to be more prepared to serve in my branch”? Admittedly, I’m really only fit to answer the question for the logistics branch (for those who follow us and were ever curious, I’m a Transportation Corps officer). When I was a First Lieutenant I was fortunate enough to have a boss who cared deeply about my professional development. With his guidance, I began completing the prerequisite requirements to go to the Support Operations Officer (SPO) course (phase two). The SPO course was a two week course that focused on the technical requirements of working in a SPO shop and how to successfully provide logistics support to the warfighter in a combat zone that hasn’t already been developed logistically. At the time, I was a support operations transportation officer and one of only two officers in the shop. This was at a time when manning levels were at an all time low in our Brigade. Going to the course provided the instruction I needed to help “cover down” on the maintenance officer job and the supply and services officer job. I was also dual-hatted as the deputy officer-in-charge (OIC). The biggest piece of advice I give to young company grade officers in the logistics corps is to seek out the opportunity to attend this valuable course. While it’s meant for a post Captain’s Career Course qualified Captain, the school house was willing to offer a waiver. As a disclaimer, the policy may have changed on that and I encourage officers to look into it. If nothing else, it’s a great course for platoon leaders within the logistics branch to push for career development for their platoon sergeants (the course is also available for senior NCOs).

This leads us to this week’s questions:

1. What schools have been the most influential for your own development?
2. What are some of the options for a company grade officer in your branch?
3. What advice can you offer to an officer in your branch preparing to attend the basic officer leader’s course?

At Twitter. Tweet at us with the hashtag #CCLKOW with 1) Your Branch and 2) The name of the school. CCL is Fired Up to hear what schools you recommend!