Purpose
Prepare sergeants, promotable specialists, and corporals to lead team-level size units by providing an opportunity to acquire the leader skills, knowledge, and experience needed to be successful as noncommissioned officers. The Basic Leader Course (BLC) is the foundation for further training and leader development.
Scope
Future junior leaders upon completion of the BLC should be able to:
- Lead by example and model characteristics of the Army Profession.
- Use the Leadership Requirements Model (attributes and competencies) and are critical thinkers and problem-solvers.
- Are skilled in communication and capable of effectively communicating verbally or in writing to lead, supervise, counsel, coach, mentor, and build teams.
- Use the Army’s training principles to assess risk management and prepare an eight-step outline to conduct individual training
- Who practice mission command as the Army's approach to command and control by using troop leading procedures (TLPs) at the team-level.
Preparation Tips
- Review DLC114 Conducting Squad Drills and Ceremonies lesson from your Army Learning Management System (ALMS) learning content.
- Read FM 7-22, Holistic Health and Fitness to assist you with physical training.
- Review DLC111 Introduction to Grammar and Writing lesson from your ALMS learning content.
- Turn your reflective DLC essay into your facilitator for writing feedback to assist you with BLC writing assignments.
- Review DLC119 Map Reading and Land Navigation lesson from your ALMS learning content.
- Be ready to collaborate with your peers.
- BLC is a professional education environment.
Course Structure
Facilitation at BLC is accomplished through the Army Experiential Learning Model (ELM) methodology as the principal tool to delivery educational content. Lessons are facilitated in a small collaborative group setting. This allows the learner to use experience and knowledge to show how much lesson comprehension the learner has. Also, where the learner should be at the end of the lesson. Learning is self-directed, using background knowledge, and your motivation to learn should enable you to apply lesson content to new and ambiguous situations. Lessons incorporate critical and creative thinking activities, which aid in learning. Facilitators assess the learners’ leadership ability and potential by observing their discussions and interactions.
The BLC is a 22-academic day course consisting of 169 academic hours. The course map below shows the mandatory lesson sequence.
If you are having any technical or enrollment questions, please visit our contacts listed at the top right.