Hi. This is my first blog and I hope you find it helpful. I intend to shed some light on Intermediate Level Education (ILE) for Medical Corp officers. I also hope to peak some interest in attending the In-residence course (located at the end).
I’m currently stationed at Fort Leavenworth, KS in the Command and General Staff College attending In-residence ILE/AOC. To start, I’ll try to clear up some of the confusion. ILE is the newer terminology. It used to be referred to as CGSOC; short for the Command and General Staff Officer Course. CGSC is the acronym for the college (Command and General Staff College) which is alive and well. It is a college that offers professional military education. ILE is the main course of study at the college, but not the only one.
There are three ways to complete ILE:

ONE: You can attend the In-residence course which is in conjunction with the Advanced Officer Course (AOC) and takes a little over 10 months to complete (4 months ILE, 4 months AOC, 2 months electives). This is a PCS. However, the military now offers a BAH (housing) waiver for Professional Military Education. Thus, you can attend ILE and leave your family put so they don’t have to move for this 10 months spell and then move again.

TWO: Attend the Non-residence course which takes 4 months to complete (4 months of ILE only). This is offered at 6 sites around the U.S. and is done in a TDY status.

THREE: Enroll in the Distance Learning course which gives you 18 months to complete (ILE course only). This is the one that most medical officers will complete. It’s mostly all online, but does require mailing in essays and awaiting for them to be graded before getting credit for that particular block of instruction. Thus, I would NOT consider it like the usual mandatory e-learn training we do (where you skip right to the test and can retake the test until you satisfactorily complete it). While there are elements of this, it is going to take some time to complete.

When you complete ILE it will be placed on your Officer Record Brief (ORB) and you will have satisfied your field grade education making you more competitive for promotion. If you attend the In-residence course you not only satisfy ILE, but you get AOC on your ORB as well. You also get a certificate for graduating from the Command and General Staff College. CGSC is run much like any graduate level college with adult learning at the Master’s level. In fact, you can get a Masters in Military Arts and Science (MMAS) with very little extra work (the biggest part is doing a thesis).
Most of us know that if we intend to pursue a career in the Army Medical Department we will need to knock out ILE at some point. In general, we start thinking about this as a mid to senior level Major. However, since many of us don’t know if we intend to stay beyond our commitment, it’s not uncommon to address this later in the rank of LTC. Just so you know….this is not how the rest of the Army does it. The vast majority of the Army will do ILE as a Major. In fact, it is now mandatory for all Army Majors (minus the special branches – docs, lawyers, dentist, vets, nurses etc) to attend the In-residence ILE/AOC course at Fort Leavenworth. My suggestion…knock out ILE while you are a Major, especially if you’re interested in the In-residence course. Your arm will get plenty tired of saluting on your way to class if you wait until LTC. There are over 1400 students between two classes and they are almost all Majors. Plus, it really can put you on a better course regarding your career path.
Finally, what is ILE? The goal of ILE is to prepare Army officers for their next 10 years of service, “re-green” Army officers on warfighting doctrine, enhance the Army’s capability to conduct full spectrum operations, and develop self aware and adaptive leaders. Basically, for the Army Medical Officer you will learn the language of the Army and how the Army conducts full spectrum operations (offensive, defensive, stability, and civil operations). You will have courses in leadership and military history. You will also have opportunities to become more self aware which I have to tell you is worth your weight in gold. (I wouldn’t have said that before attending). There is a ton of reading in ILE. For me, the amount of reading rivaled medical school. If you attend the in-residence course then you will stay for AOC. Basically, AOC is where you apply all those lessons learned in ILE. It is mostly filled with practical exercises where you are planning for every aspect of an operation….again full spectrum operations planning.
Now the sell….Fort Leavenworth, Kansas may not sound like a good time, but it is very conveniently located. It is about 15 miles from the airport and 30 miles from Kansas City, MO. It is a post of mostly Majors. Thus, you have a middle class, small town atmosphere not too far from a major city. I also recommend that you bring your family. I did not and have regretted it ever since. Classes start at 0830 so that you can drop your kids off at school before going to class. On the first day, I saw all of these active duty officers walking with their wives and children to the on-post schools. My heart sank. I truly would have enjoyed that. Plus, on about 2 out of 3 days you get out of class at 1230. Of course, you have about 3-5 hours of reading to do, but you can juggle this to meet any family time you may desire. Finally, the education I have received is truly amazing. I’m comfortable in the Army now. Its no longer a mystery. I’m more comfortable with myself. There is a lot of emphasis on self awareness. I’m very well rested. This is the longest period of getting 7-8 hours of sleep every night since starting residency. I’ve made new friends outside of the medical profession. Each class has 16 officers in it; each representing a different career field. And, I’m re-energized and excited about my next adventure in the Army. If you’re interested in attending ILE in-residence or just to get started on your on the distance learning course, then contact your branch manager at HRC.

LTC Todd S. Albright
Command and General Staff College
U. S. Army Combined Arms Center
Fort Leavenworth, KS

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.