Quote Originally Posted by JMA View Post
What range of degrees? I wonder apart from the added maturity and life skills and generally improved education level how this all helps the young infantry officer comply with his role... which is to close with and kill the enemy?
All sorts of degrees (mine is in Philosophy ). Apart from the advantages that you elucidate above there is a feeling that there is an adavantage in having a broadly educated officer corps. The main reason however that so many officers have a degree is the amount of social engineering that has happened in the last 15 or so years where the Government stated that they wanted half of all school leavers to have a degree; it is now very hard not to get people with a degree... Add to this the changes to the (Army) career system whereby initial entry is on a short service commission for 4-6 years, then by competitive selection to an Intermediate Regular Commission (12 years) and then Regular Commission (up until the age of 55). Because people cannot join for a full career on application a great many hedge their bets by taking a degreee as well.

Professionally Qualified Officers (PQOs - doctors, nurses, cghaplains and lawyers) arrive with the recognised qualification and com plete a 6 week course at RMAS. Engineers (civil or otherwise) have to complete the full year at RMAS.

In terms of course length, in the 1970s and early 1980s Regular Commission officers conducted 2 years of training at RMAS and Short Service Commission officers completed 12 months training at Mons Officer academy. IIRC that it was felt that 2 years was somewhat extravagent and Mons was shut with all officers completing a 12 month course at RMAS (less graduates who were an exceptional breed in those days and completed only 6 or 9 months training at RMAS).

Most cadets at RMAS are in the 21-28 age bracket. This ties in with most students graduating aged 21 or 22. Apocryphally most officers from the ranks are aged about the same, assuming they joined at 18/19, realised within two years that they wanted to apply for a commission and then it takes up to 2 years to move them through the selection process to RMAS. The Army is trying to shorted the length of time it takes between a soldier expressing an interest in applying for a commission and getting him to RMAS.