United States Marine Corps - The Basic School - Warrant Officer Basic Course Materials

Book excerpt: Over 2,200 total pages !!! WARRANT OFFICER BASIC COURSE (WOBC) 1-18 INFORMATION Congratulations on your selection as a Warrant Officer of Marines. You are about to embark upon a truly remarkable journey as an officer of Marines. That journey begins with your successful completion of the Warrant Officer Basic Course (WOBC) at The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico, Virginia. Warrant Officers and Title 10: Warrant Officer (WO) is an appointed rank, vice a commissioned one. Chief Warrant Officers (Marine Gunners and Recruiting Officers) are commissioned. All Chief Warrant Officers and Warrant Officers must successfully complete the WOBC in order to retain their appointment or commission. Title 10 U.S.C. Section 1165 states: THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY HAS THE AUTHORITY TO TERMINATE THE REGULAR APPOINTMENT OF ANY PERMANENT REGULAR WO AT ANY TIME WITHIN THREE YEARS AFTER THE DATE WHEN THE OFFICER ACCEPTED HIS ORIGINAL PERMANENT APPOINTMENT. A MARINE WHOSE APPOINTMENT IS TERMINATED MAY, UPON HIS REQUEST AND AT THE DISCRETION OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, BE ENLISTED IN A GRADE NOT LOWER THAN THAT HELD IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO APPOINTMENT. THEREFORE, THE FIRST THREE YEARS AS A WO IS A PROBATIONARY PERIOD AND THE APPOINTMENT TO WO WILL BE TERMINATED IF A MARINE DOES NOT COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE WOBC. WOBC MISSION STATEMENT: Train and educate newly appointed warrant officers in the high standards of professional knowledge esprit-de-corps, and leadership required to transition from enlisted Marine to officer with particular emphasis on the duties, responsibilities and warfighting skills required of a provisional rifle platoon commander. The Warrant Officer Basic Course: The WOBC is an eighteen-week course that focuses on the transition from enlisted Marine to Marine officer. TBS and the WOBC focus on five horizontal themes that define expectations of all Marine Officers: (1) a man/woman of exemplary character, (2) devoted to leading Marines 24/7, (3) able to decide, communicate, and act in the fog of war, (4) a Warfighter who embraces the Corps’ warrior ethos, and (5) mentally strong and physically tough. The universal concept that Marine Officers must be able to assess situations, weigh the pros and cons of various decisions, make a decision, develop a plan, communicate that plan effectively, and supervise its execution is stressed and exercised throughout the course. The course will teach the science and art required for service of Marine Officers with an emphasis on decision making throughout. Provisional infantry and planning subjects are together used as the means or vehicle to teach and evaluate this process. Since all students are evaluated on leadership as Marine Officers; physical, mental, and emotional stress are incorporated throughout the course in order to evaluate the ability to lead in chaotic and stressful environments. Some individuals will be pushed close to their failing point, but the WOBC is designed to give students an opportunity to display positive leadership qualities in the face of adversity. The WOBC is not a “check in the block.” It is a course designed to provide students with the learning experiences necessary to effectively transition to service as a Marine Officer. Students who do not successfully complete the course face a variety of administrative actions, including repetition of the course, recycle to a six month lieutenant Basic Officer Course, revocation of appointment, or separation from the service. The WOBC curriculum is an academically rigorous, provisional infantry and staff planning based program of instruction (POI) which consists of approximately 935 hours of formal instruction. The POI includes classroom instruction, field exercises, sand table exercises, and discussion groups. Classroom instruction is designed around the flipped classroom model.