Editing Officer candidate (section)

===Officer candidate===

====U.S. Army====
In the [[United States Army]], officer candidates attend either the Federal [[Officer Candidate School (U.S. Army)|Officer Candidate School]] (OCS) at [[Fort Benning]], Georgia, or [[Officer Candidate School (United States Army)#Army National Guard|Army National Guard Regional Training Institutes]] (RTIs). RTIs follow the same curriculum and requirements as OCS and commission graduates who receive federal recognition into the Army National Guard. Soldiers who attend OCS are usually prior service enlisted personnel, though civilians with college degrees can enlist and go directly to OCS after basic training.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.army.com/enlist/officer-candidate-school.html |work=Army.com |title=Officer Candidate School |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070404015551/http://www.army.com/enlist/officer-candidate-school.html |archive-date=2007-04-04}}</ref> Additionally, Warrant Officer Candidates attend the Warrant Officer Candidate school and are also officer candidates.

With regard to rank, a U.S. Army officer candidate exists in a gray area. AR 600–20, Army Command Policy, places their rank as outranking all enlisted members of the service and rank directly below all officers. They are not yet officers. They are enlisted soldiers who lose all rank status when reporting to the course. Regardless of pay grade, traditionally, but technically incorrect, candidates are outranked by any course cadre or permanent party enlisted soldiers they may encounter. Although their status does not correspond to a position of authority within the standard U.S. Army ranks, candidates serve in leadership training roles at the platoon or company level. They are addressed as "candidate" by the OCS cadre. During the first few weeks of indoctrination, candidates are treated much the same as a new [[Army recruit|recruit]]. In the final weeks of training, OCS platoons may achieve "senior" status and senior officer candidates may be addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" by more junior candidates, but never by other enlisted ranks.

The [[U.S. uniformed services pay grades|pay grade]] for a U.S. Army officer candidate is [[E-5 (rank)|E-5]] (Federal OCS), or [[E-6 (rank)|E-6]] (state OCS) on the enlisted pay scale, unless the candidate previously achieved a higher enlisted rank.<ref>[http://www.apd.army.mil/pdffiles/r350_51.pdf Army Regulation 350-51 ''United States Army Officer Candidate School'']. June 11, 2001. Chapter 5-2. Retrieved February 9, 2011.</ref>  For example, an [[E-7 (rank)|E-7]] who becomes a candidate would continue to receive [[E-7 (rank)|E-7]] pay.  The OCS uniform is stripped of the rank patch which is replaced by the letters "OCS."  Upon commissioning, a candidate becomes a [[second lieutenant]].

====U.S. Marine Corps====
In the [[United States Marine Corps]], officer candidates are trained by Marine officers and staff non-commissioned officer Marines at the [[Officer Candidates School (U.S. Marine Corps)|Officer Candidates School]] in [[Quantico, Virginia]].

====U.S. Navy====
{{Main|Officer Candidate School (United States Navy)}}
[[File:US Navy OC shoulderboard.svg|thumb|50px|right|U.S. Navy officer candidate insignia.]]
In the [[United States Navy]], officer candidates are trained at either the [[Officer Candidate School (U.S. Navy)|Officer Candidate School]] or Officer Development School in [[Newport, Rhode Island]].  A parallel program known as [[Officer Candidate School (U.S. Navy)|Aviation Officer Candidate School]] (AOCS) at [[NAS Pensacola]], Florida, previously produced officers slated to become [[naval aviator]]s, [[naval Flight Officer|naval flight officer]]s, air intelligence officers and aircraft maintenance duty officers not otherwise procured via the [[U.S. Naval Academy]] or [[NROTC]].  A major distinction between the two programs was the use of enlisted [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] [[drill instructors]] in the AOCS program, a vestige from the World War II and early 1950s period when AOCS graduates were given the option of being commissioned in the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps before proceeding to flight training.  AOCS was disestablished in 1994 due to [[Base Realignment and Closure|BRAC]] action and merged into the current OCS program in 1994.

Officer candidate is also the rank to which participants in the active duty commissioning program "[[STA-21|Seaman to Admiral 21]]" are appointed. STA 21 officer candidates are appointed to the rank at the [[Naval Science Institute]] and go on to hold the rank while training with the [[Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps]] at NROTC-affiliated universities. While attached to their colleges or universities, officer candidates are looked to as mentors to the midshipmen throughout the school year. They must maintain 2.0 GPAs, and are urged to assist midshipmen in developing their own leadership abilities.

STA 21 OCs maintain their enlisted pay grade and eligibility for enlisted advancement. The number of sailors selected each year to participate in the "Seaman to Admiral 21 program" varies from year to year. Fiscal year 2010 admitted about 200 candidates, FY11- 115, and FY12- about 75. Currently, the program has been downsized to only admit 50 candidates.

The rank of officer candidate is denoted by an officer's uniform with no insignia except for a line officer's star device on white and dress blue uniforms.  If the candidate has never had prior service, rank is typically that of Officer Candidate Under Instruction Second Class (OCUI2).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.med.navy.mil/Pages/InfoViewPage.aspx?ItemID=24 |title=Pages - InfoViewPage.aspx |access-date=2020-01-11 |archive-date=2020-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806220013/https://www.med.navy.mil/Pages/InfoViewPage.aspx?ItemID=24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On khaki and working blue uniforms, fouled anchors are worn on the collar points until candidate officer status is achieved, at which time OCs wear the bar insignia similar to their senior/midshipmen 1st class counterparts at the U.S. Naval Academy and in NROTC.

====U.S. Coast Guard====
In the [[United States Coast Guard]], Officer Candidates (OC) are trained at the [[Officer Candidate School]] (OCS) located at the [[U.S. Coast Guard Academy]] in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], [[Connecticut]].