The Common Core course is the first portion of CGSOC and provides officers with 50% completion of Joint Professional Military Education 1 / Military Education Level 4 requirement. The course assists junior field grade officers moving from a tactical-level focus to an operational-level perspective. It provides graduates with the skills, knowledge and attributes to adapt and dominate in Unified Actions in a range of operational environments

The Mission of CGSOC Common Core is to prepare field grade officers with the knowledge, skills and attributes to adapt and dominate in Unified Actions in a range of operational environments.

DDE offers two options for completing Common Core. Students can enroll in the DL version (independent online courses) or the TASS option. The TASS option offers a resident like experience with two 2 week ADT sessions and 8 monthly weekend IDT sessions. In order to provide flexibility in completing CGSOC-CC, students may transfer between DL and TASS during phase breaks.

Common Core (CC) - Distance Learning Option

The CC-DL course is completed through independent study. Students are given access to the three (3) phases and nine (9) blocks of non-facilitated instruction to work through independently on a Blackboard Learning Management System. Each phase represents a separate “course” in ATRRS, to be completed sequentially. Students are assigned faculty advisors who monitor and support their progress through the course. AR 350-1 authorizes students 18 months to complete the course, although completion time varies by student, and depends largely upon time invested by students.

ILE - Distance Learning Memorandum for Commanders

Please provide this memorandum to your commander. This memorandum explains the programs and the work load. ILE-DL Memorandum for Commanders DEC 2020.pdf

Total Army School System (TASS) – Common Core (CC) Option Students may also enroll in CGSOC-CC through the TASS course option. The United States Army Reserve supports the execution of CGSOC-CC through an accredited, instructor-led program. This option provides students with a resident like CGSOC experience. Students enroll in the TASS version of the CC course in the same manner they would CC-DL, by applying for the TASS option through ATRRS. TASS organizations include CGSC certified instructors to facilitate the course.
The TASS option is also a three phase course. The DL and TASS phases of instruction are nearly identical - allowing students to move between either online or TASS instruction.

• Phases 1 & 3: two week annual duty training (ADT) periods. Site locations include Fort Dix, NJ; Fort McCoy, WI; Camp Parks, CA; Fort Shafter, HI; and Grafenwoehr, Germany.
• Phase 2: one weekend a month for eight months, individual duty training (IDT). There are numerous site locations both stateside (including Hawaii) and in Europe.

The AOC credentials Basic Branch Field Grade Officers to serve on general staffs and lead battalion and brigade-sized units in the execution of unified land operations guided by mission command philosophy in joint, interagency, intergovernmental, and multinational environments. It focuses on Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) at the Division-level, with Field Manual (FM) 3-0, Operations, as its centerpiece. As learners, officers will serve as a Division G5 Planning Cell to plan the deployment, integration, defense, offense, and consolidation of gains in a Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE) Europe scenario.

As a result of this course, officers: Are capable of preparing and leading organizations using Mission Command to prevail in large scale combat operations against peer threats in complex and contested environments. Can synchronize the elements of combat power to achieve unity of effort in sustained large-scale combat operations. Can apply critical and creative thinking, ethical reasoning, and problem solving processes to analyze complex operational problems and recommend solutions. Can communicate information clearly, correctly, and convincingly to reach a shared understanding. Can apply historical context to inform military judgment and decision making.

• M100: Brigade Training and Division Deployment Operations
• M200: Joint Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration (JRSOI)
• M300: Transition to the Offense
• M400: Division Offensive Operations
• M500: Transition from the Offense

How much time do I have to complete CGSOC-DL?

AR 350-1 authorizes students 18 months to complete each course, CGSOC-CC-DL or CGSOC-AOC-DL.

AR 350-1 authorizes all Army Officers in the rank of O–3 (if promotable) or O–4 who are CCC graduates; Sister Service officers of equivalent rank, International Military Officers, and selected civilians from other U.S. Government agencies to enroll in CGSOC-DL.

Students will receive Joint Professional Military Education Level 1 and Military Education Level 4 credit upon completion of both the CGSOC Common Core course and a Department of the Army approved credentialing course. For operations career field officers, the approved credentialing course is the Advanced Operations Course. If only Common Core is completed, officers are not designated as CGSC complete. Upon completion of Common Core and the credentialing course, officers are designated as CGSC complete.

The first step is to apply for, and obtain, a course reservation in ATRRS. Once your reservation is approved, you will receive a system generated email directing you to complete the CGSOC application. You must complete all enrollment requirements, and be approved for admittance, before being enrolled in a course. The enrollment application site is also found at the link provided on the “Student Enrollment Information” page of this site.

Students are expected to do their own work and any form of plagiarism is neither acceptable nor tolerated. All students must review information on academic misconduct and sign an ethics statement indicating they understand the requirements and ramifications of not following the guidelines. Students suspected of plagiarism, or other forms of academic misconduct, will be subject to investigations that may result in their dismissal, or disenrollment from the course. Such actions normally lead to a referred academic efficiency report (AER).

Students who experience situations that prevent them from completing the course in the prescribed timeframe may request an extension of up to 12 months to finish the course. If you find yourself in that situation, communicate with your faculty member or Student Operations POC as soon as possible.

Each CGSOC course is facilitated differently. If you are enrolled in CGSOC-CC-DL, you will be assigned a faculty advisor to support your efforts through the course. If you are enrolled in CGSOC-CC-TASS, you will have instructors for each phase of the course you attend the TASS option. If you are enrolled in the CGSOC-AOC-DL course, you will have a faculty member who facilitates your 16 member staff group through the entire course.

AR 350-1 authorizes students 18 months to complete the course. You can take the entire time if needed. However, most students who remain engaged will finish the course in 12 months or less.

AOC-DL students will achieve the same learning objectives as resident AOC students through online lessons and exams, written assignments, and online collaboration for tactical and operational exercises. One advantage to AOC-DL is that students have suggested they are able to immediately apply “lessons learned” within their current jobs.

AOC-DL is a 52-week course. Generally speaking, students must complete all structured course work as part of the 16 student staff group and cannot complete the course ahead of the scheduled 52 week timeline.

Students may earn "college credit" for their coursework in the CGSOC-DL. Students will need to provide documentation of their completion of CGSOC-DL for consideration to the college/university of their choosing. The amount of credit hours is determined by the university the student wishes to attend. Several colleges and universities have already agreed to grant partial credit for CGSOC-DL completion. Your installation, state, or readiness division Education Service Officer (ESO) can provide details for local and national colleges and universities who may accept CGSOC-DL credits.

Reserve and National Guard students may receive retirement point credit upon completing a block of instruction and submitting the CGSC Form 1002 through their organization/chain of command. The Form 1002 is located on the college student management system (SMS).

It depends on your goals, career timeline, your unit, Army force structure, and other factors. By regulation (DA PAM 600-3), officers must be JPME1/MEL4 qualified to be eligible for Senior Service College (SSC) attendance consideration. CGSOC graduates have increased chance for promotion, selection to SSC, or assignment to a joint billet. Additionally, the knowledge you gain by completing AOC will enhance your ability to serve on staffs at Brigade-level and higher immediately.

The Command and General Staff College (CGSC) manages an extensive Adjunct Faculty Program through the Department of Distance Education (DDE). The purpose of the program is to evaluate distance learning student’s written assignments. Each adjunct faculty member is charged with providing a grade and detailed written feedback concerning the student's substance and writing ability. Since CGSC cannot provide monetary pay for adjunct faculty members, most are members of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) or Individual Mobilization Augmentation (IMA) and are paid in participation points at the rate of one‑half point per student paper (DDE OPM 2016-5)

Some of the qualifications for our adjunct faculty include the following:
• Lieutenant Colonel or higher. Highly qualified majors will be considered if the student population and written requirements justify the needs.
• Graduate of the Command and General Staff Officer Course with above average grades.
• Minimum of a master's degree from a nationally recognized accredited institution.
• The following additional criteria will be considered:
• Published articles.
• Joint military experience.
• Recent operational assignments

If you are interested in becoming an adjunct faculty member, contact the DDE Common Core Program Manager at (913) 758-3585.

Complete the Adjunct Faculty Curriculum Vitae Application Form

Department of Distance Education
290 Stimson Avenue
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-2314

or

faye.w.anthony.mil@mail.mil