Army Reconnaissance Course. It is a month long course dedicated to reconnaissance focused on planning and tactics. First week is dismounted landnav, then there’s a week of classes, and then two weeks of platoon missions. You get a lot of platform experience on Strykers which is good because you don’t get any time on Strykers in BOLC. Much of ABOLC is focused on tanks and recon is complex so ARC is an excellent supplement to BOLC. Even as a tank PL I use fundamentals learned in ARC and it helps to understand what the scouts do and how they gather information to better understand the big picture.

I think one of the best benefits of being an Armor officer is the variety in the branch. You can be on Strykers, Bradleys, HMMWVs, and Tanks. Then there’s both Reconnaissance and Tanks. When you go to MCCC which is combined with Infantry you’ll have at least a doctrinal understanding of both heavy and light operations with experience in at least one. I think the variety of jobs, platforms, and missions makes it a well rounded branch with a multitude of options throughout a career.

Janelle