All Army chaplains must complete the Chaplain Officer Basic Course (CHOBC). This course takes place at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina.

I am frequently questioned by civilians whether chaplains go through basic training. No, chaplains do not go through basic training (boot camp), as enlisted personnel do. However, all officers go through some basic course. Most officers are made either through Officer Candidate School (OCS) or through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). And all officers must complete their Officer Basic Course (OBC) to become qualified in the branch in which they will serve–such as infantry, finance, artillery, etc. The course that qualifies chaplains in their branch is CHOBC.

Now, someone will ask, “Is it possible to be a chaplain without completing CHOBC?” Yes and no. Some Reserve and National Guard soldiers who already have completed the requirements for serving as a chaplain (other than CHOBC) are given slots as assignments with their local units. However, they are non-deployable because they are not branch qualified, and they must complete CHOBC within a certain period of time after appointment. This case does not apply to chaplain candidates.

Chaplain Candidates may enroll in CHOBC for a summer course (June-September) or a winter course (January-April). In order to enroll, candidates must have completed at least 24 semester hours of seminary coursework in the year preceding the CHOBC class they will enter; in some cases, this prerequisite may be waived or altered–contact the Chaplain Candidate Manager if you have some special circumstance.

Additionally, a chaplain candidates may not complete the entire course at one time, unless he is about to enter his senior year of seminary, or has already complete seminary. Instead, he may enroll in the course in phases. (There are also practicums available that can provide more training opportunities.)

CHOBC is divided into four phases: Chaplain Initial Military Training (CIMT, a.k.a. “Common Core”), Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III. CIMT is the acclimation phase for new soldiers; it includes instruction in common soldiering skills and a short field training exercise (FTX); those who have prior service or are transferring branches may be able to forgo this phase. Also, prior service or branch transfer soldiers may be able to complete Phase I by correspondence. Consult the Chaplain Candidate Manager for assistance. Phases 1, 2, and 3 are primarily focused on classroom instruction, though Phase 3 does include a final FTX aimed at practical application of the CHOBC instruction up to that point.

The next two installments of this series will provide more information about preparing for and thriving in CHOBC.