Army Reserve Officer Education

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO commented on the Department of the Army's reserve officers' professional military education system. GAO noted that: (1) professional military education requirements for reserve officers are the same as active officer educational requirements, but reserve officers have less time available for formal military education; (2) active military officer education is centrally managed, and Army headquarters and field organizations help ensure that active duty officers receive the appropriate education and training at prescribed intervals; (3) reserve officers often change their occupational specialties, but active officers usually keep the same occupation throughout their military careers; and (4) the Army does not usually consider reserve officers' civilian job expertise when determining their need for certain military education.