Become a Tactical Officer

Become a Tactical Officer

What is a Tactical Officer?

A Tactical Officer (TAC) is the legal Company Commander of a Cadet Company and the primary integrator at the United States Military Academy. They assess the potential and oversee the holistic development of cadets as required by the physical, military, academic, and moral-ethical programs. Tactical Officers coach, teach, and mentor the cadet chain of command by empowering them to take ownership and responsibility for their Cadet Company.  

Consider applying for the Eisenhower Leadership Development Program (ELDP) to help shape the leaders of tomorrow’s Armed Forces, nation, and world.  

Prior TAC officers on their experience

Requirements

You must

  • Be an officer in a Regular Army status at the time of application and selection.
  • Have not more than a total of 17 years of Active Federal Service upon entry in Columbia University (ACS Program).
  • Hold an undergraduate degree with a minimum GPA of 2.5. GPA
  • Officers may apply and be selected without a record GRE, but they must meet the minimum requirements (153 Verbal, 144 Quant, 4.0 Writing) before beginning the program. 

You must

  • Have GRE scores within 5 years from the date of entry into the program.
  • Be Branch Qualified Captains.
  • Demonstrate potential for continued service.
  • Be projected to be complete with Captain Key Development time. 

Additional Considerations

  • All commissioning sources are highly encouraged (USMA, ROTC, OCS).
  • Selection to the program is competitive, based on both performance evaluations as an officer and academic achievement.
  • Annual selection boards convene each November and make selections for the academic year beginning 1.5 years ahead (In other words, the November 2022 selection board chooses officers for a class start date of May 2024 and so forth.)
  • Company Command experience is highly desirable.

FAQs about becoming a TAC officer

  • January (1.5.years) - April (1 Month Out): Successfully command
  • January/February: Application to Columbia (3-4 months out)
  • Mid / End of March: Request for Order/Orders (2 months out)
  • April/May: Permanent change of station (PCS) to West Point (1 month out)
  • No later than May 30: Report date to West Point for orientation
  • Early June: Begin summer semester at Columbia
  • Graduate and Commission (Year Group (YG))
  • BOLC and 1st Assignment (YG+1 Year)
  • 1st Assignment Staff/XO (YG+2 Years)
  • 1st Assignment Staff/XO (YG+3 Years)
  • Attend CCC (YG+4 Years)

Apply to West Point

  • 2nd Assignment Company Command (YG+6 Years)
  • 2nd Assignment Staff/Company Command (YG+5 Years)

Graduate School

  • 3rd Assignment, Year 1 at West Point, ELDP at Columbia (YG+8 Years)

Three-Year Utilization at West Point

  • 4th Assignment, Year 2 at West Point, TAC Year (YG+9 Years)
  • 4th Assignment, Year 3 at West Point, TAC Year (YG+10 Years)
  • 4th Assignment, Year 3 at West Point, RXO/USMAPS, TAC Year (YG+11 Years)
  • Command and General Staff College (CGSC) (YG+12 Years)

Application and Selection Timeline

  • June: Messaging for hiring (2 years out)
  • November 1: Application Deadline (1.5 years out)
  • November: Hiring Board (1.5. years out)
  • November/December: Brigade Tactical Department Interviews (1.5 years out)
  • End of January: Session Notification (1.5 years out)

Timeline for Year Group +5

  • Year 1: Columbia University ELDP
  • Year 2: TAC Year 1
  • Year 3: TAC Year 2
  • Year 4: TAC Year 3
  • Year 5: ILE
  • Year 6: Next Assignment

Timeline for Year Group +6 (Concurrent ILE (DL) & AOC (@USMA))

  • Year 1: Columbia University ELDP
  • Year 2: TAC Year 1
  • Year 3: TAC Year 2
  • Year 4: TAC Year 3
  • Year 5: Next Assignment

* Target Year Groups (YG) are YG+5/6 for application and YG+7/8 to begin ELDP to ensure you remain competitive for primary zone Lieutenant Colonel.

Graduate School

  • 3rd Assignment, Year 1 at West Point, ELDP at Columbia (YG+8 Years)

Three-Year Utilization at West Point

  • 4th Assignment, Year 2 at West Point, TAC Year (YG+9 Years)
  • 4th Assignment, Year 3 at West Point, TAC Year (YG+10 Years)
  • 4th Assignment, Year 3 at West Point, RXO/USMAPS, TAC Year (YG+11 Years)
  • Command and General Staff College (CGSC) (YG+12 Years)

No.  For any additional questions, please contact our recruiting team at comstafftacrecruitingteam@westpoint.edu

The summers are physically challenging, fast-paced, and focused on military skills training. During the summer, you typically serve as a Cadet Basic Training (CBT) or Cadet Field Training (CFT) company TAC.   During this time, TACs fulfill the same roles as in the academic year but with a greater focus on military skills. The cadet cadre consists of upperclassmen in leadership positions that range from squad leaders to Regimental Commanders

New Cadets (rising freshmen) attend CBT. CBT has a dual role of turning New Cadets (approximately 1,300 each year) into members of the United States Corps of Cadets and training them in many of the soldier-skills expected of future platoon leaders. Tactical Officers and Tactical Non-commissioned Officers oversee all training, from drill and ceremony to basic rifle marksmanship. 

Rising “yearlings” (Third Class Cadets/sophomores) attend CFT. CFT places more focus on pre-commissioning skills.  It has a distinct “deployed to the field” atmosphere.  All rising cadet-sophomores are trained on such subjects as leading physical training, extensive land navigation, synchronizing indirect fires, conducting performance counseling, and executing confidence courses. 

Yes, in many ways it is like a typical TDA command. Because you are legally responsible for approximately 125 Cadet Soldiers who will be future Army leaders, the Officer Record Brief (ORB) job title is listed as “TACTICAL OFFICER/COMPANY COMMANDER.” You have an amazing opportunity to make a positive long-term impact on the Army through your actions and values.  Each Tactical Officer has a full-time NCO counterpart (1SG equivalent), and they work as a command team to develop the cadets in their company.

Your supervisor would be one of the four Regimental Tactical Officers (RTOs). RTOs are typically lieutenant colonels who have come from Battalion Command in an operational unit. The four RTOs supervise the 36 cadet companies by dividing them into four equal regiments. The Brigade Tactical Officer (BTO) serves as each Tactical Officer’s senior rater. The Commandant of Cadets oversees the Brigade Tactical Department.

The combination of a top tier Ivy League graduate school experience and service as a TAC officer is life changing. You will emerge a better officer and more prepared to lead Soldiers in future assignments. Many of our former TACs have gone on to serve as battalion and brigade commanders. EDLP is a truly unique and opportunity-broadening assignment because you will also be a part of numerous leadership development opportunities during your assignment.

During Graduate School

  • You will receive West Point Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) regardless of where you decide to live during your 12-month master’s degree program.

As a Tactical Officer

  • If you choose to live on post, you will receive priority housing at West Point due to your mission-essential status. 
  • West Point Housing is privatized and managed by Balfour Beatty Communities. 

To receive further information and to apply for housing please visit the following website: https://www.westpointfamilyhomes.com/.

March: Application for Columbia University

Late March / Early April: Request for Orders (RFOs) and Orders

Mid- to late May: Report date and in-processing

1st week of June: West Point and Columbia Orientation

2nd week of June: Summer classes begin

The Eisenhower Leadership Program (ELDP) at Columbia University

Prior to starting your job as a Tactical Officer (TAC), the Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS) portion of your assignment through the Eisenhower Leadership Program (ELDP) takes 12-months to complete earning a master’s degree in Social-Organizational Psychology from Columbia University (Teachers College).  Officers are stationed at West Point during this period and are assigned to the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership. They are inter-post transferred to the Brigade Tactical Department after graduation for the remainder of their tour as a TAC.

ELDP Courses

Classes are coordinated between USMA and Columbia University, with some held on post but most are held on the Teachers College, Columbia University campus in New York City.

Summer Courses 

June - August

  • ORLJ 4005: Organizational Psychology
  • ORLJ 4009: Behavioral Research 
  • ORLJ 5005: Leadership
  • ORL 5362: Group and Team Dynamics
  • LD710:  Quantitative Research Methods

Fall Courses

August - December

  • ORLJ 4001: Executive Coaching
  • ORLD 4051: Adult Learning
  • ORLJ 5340: Adaptive Negotiation and Conflict Resolution
  • LD720: West Point, the Army, and the American Military Experience
  • LD730: Cross-Cultural Leadership
  • Elective

Spring Courses

January - May

  • ORLJ 5045: Organizational Dynamics and Theory
  • ORLJ 5010: Field-Based Coaching Practicum
  • ORLJ 6343: Practicum in Change and Consultation in Organizations
  • LD740: Leader(ship) Development

FAQs about the ELDP at Columbia University

You must have:

  • Uploaded all OERs/AERs
  • Undergraduate Education Information
  • Inputted GRE/GMAT scores
  • At least Two Letters of Recommendation
    • One from current command team
  • College Transcripts
  • Letter of Intent
  • PT Score Card

* All applications are run through teach.westpoint.edu (CAC-enabled).

The ELDP is a comprehensive, full-time, graduate-level educational experience specifically designed to prepare Army officers for service as Company Tactical Officers at the United States Military Academy.  The program contributes more broadly to officer professional development by intellectually preparing officers for higher-level leadership and command positions in the Army.  The 45-credit hour academic program begins each June, and participants graduate the following May with a Master of Arts in Social-Organizational Psychology (Leader Development) from Columbia University.  

The ELDP is very rigorous but very rewarding, consisting of 45-credit hours of graduate-school level requirements in a 12-month program.  Captains find the program to be challenging, both in terms of the workload and the intellectual rigor required.  Although we have maintained historically high graduation rates, it is possible to fail to graduate from Columbia University).

Typical workload includes classes four days a week with three days at Columbia and one day at West Point. ELDP participants find the program to be challenging yet extremely helpful in preparing TACs to develop Leaders of Character. Officers in the program are generally exempted from all additional duties beyond their educational experience.  

Yes – but officers who are accepted into ELDP will apply using a modified application form through the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership to the Social-Organizational Psychology Program at Columbia. If you are selected by the United States Corps of Cadets, we will contact you, send the applicable paperwork for submission (modified application, resume, personal statement, official GRE scores, and official transcripts), and guide you through the process.

The program is co-taught and co-administered by the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership (BS&L) and Teachers College (Columbia) faculties.  Selected senior members from BS&L and the Department of History serve as Adjunct Faculty for the program and teach the courses taught at West Point.  There are also specific USMA- based courses that serve as the bridge between the Columbia curriculum and USMA Tactical Officer requirements.   

  • Graduate and Commission (Year Group (YG))
  • BOLC and 1st Assignment (YG+1 Year)
  • 1st Assignment Staff/XO (YG+2 Years)
  • 1st Assignment Staff/XO (YG+3 Years)
  • Attend CCC (YG+4 Years)

Apply to West Point

  • 2nd Assignment Company Command (YG+6 Years)
  • 2nd Assignment Staff/Company Command (YG+5 Years)
Cohort NumberApplication DeadlineMove to West PointELDP Start DateLeave West Point
221 November 2024April / May 2026June 2026Summer 2030
231 November 2025April / May 2027June 2027Summer 2031
241 November 2026April / May 2028June 2028Summer 2032
251 November 2027April / May 2029June 2029Summer 2033
261 November 2028April / May 2030June 2030Summer 2034