I attended the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS), so this could apply to anyone attending a sister-service CCC equivalent.

1. Enroll in an Army course post-CCC that uses MDMP or some level of staff planning following a sister service school. Attending Cavalry Leader Course following EWS, enabled me to re-align into the Army language and see where I was compared to my Army peers in understanding staff planning. Where the Marine Corps said “Happy” the Army said “Glad”. You’ll want to keep the unique things you learned, and absolutely challenge social norms in Army planning, but make sure to understand where those differences are. I would like to have opened FM 6-0 a lot more as I was in a sister service school

2. Handle as much of your administrative work prior to attending, including ORB photos, & updates prior to attendance. You are mostly alone and unafraid when it comes to administrative support. The United States Army Student Detachment (USASD), which also happens to be the organization you will attach to if you attend resident ILE, does not have the administrative support specialists to adequately service their nearly 1,000 students in a way you might be used to. Expect long lead times on any administrative support, keep this in mind when you might be handing an ORB to a Battalion/Squadron commander on the back end of CCC as apart of your resume.

3. Find the nearest Army installation to you, and rely on it for your medical/CIF, and other support needs. Although I found that the USMC/USN had facilities available to me that could support, the additional 30 minute drive to the nearby Army facility saved me a lot of pain when it came time to get things like my dental records and medical records reflected in MEDPROS accurately. Or when it came time to clear post for property.

Good luck and if anyone is interested in EWS specifically, please don’t hesitate to send a message.

Steve