You are here: Recruiting » Trades » Infantry Officer
English / Français
Infantry officers are the leaders, planners and tacticians in the Army. You will lead a platoon of 35 soldiers to complete various objectives.
Infantry Officers are commissioned members of Canada’s Infantry regiments, which (like the Armour, Artillery and Combat Engineers) belong to the Combat Arms. The role of Infantry in battle is to close with and destroy the enemy.
At the beginning of your career as an Infantry Officer, you will be a Platoon Leader in command of 30 to 35 soldiers, and you will be responsible for their training and combat efficiency, discipline, morale, physical condition and well-being, often under the most demanding circumstances. During the course of your career as an Infantry Officer, you will develop the skills and confidence required to perform a wide range of duties, from commanding and leading soldiers as part of a Combat Arms team to occupying various staff positions involving planning, training, intelligence, logistics and personnel administration.
Requirements
Personal Characteristics
Service in the Infantry calls for the highest dedication to the chain of command, to peers and, especially, to subordinates, as Infantry Officers must be able to lead troops in close combat under the most challenging of circumstances. You will often be called upon to perform many difficult physical and mental tasks at the same time, and to go without sleep and with little food for extended periods. To complete an operational mission successfully, you will need to be not only highly motivated, but also prepared to put your soldiers’ safety and well-being ahead of your own. To succeed in this career, therefore, you must be physically robust, mentally resilient, resourceful, methodical, efficient, and able to perform steadily under great stress. You will also need initiative, imagination, courage and common sense.
Formal Qualifications
You must meet Canadian Forces medical standards, and successfully complete a selection process that includes interviews and a wide range of examinations, including tests of physical fitness. If you are not qualified for Direct Entry, you must be qualified for either the Regular Officer Training Plan or (if it is available) the Continuing Education Officer Training Plan.
Direct Entry applicants must hold a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Canadian university.
The Continuing Education Officer Training Plan (CEOTP) is open only when recruiting objectives are not met through other officer entry plans. To qualify for CEOTP, you must be prepared not only to complete a Bachelor’s degree in your own time, but also to make satisfactory progress in your university program before the end of your initial engagement.
Training
The training program described here is designed to prepare you both physically and mentally to lead soldiers in critical and life-threatening situations. Since the Infantry does not fight alone, you will be introduced during your training to the characteristics, tactics and deployment of tactical and close-support aircraft as well as the other Combat Arms.
Phase I: Initial Assessment and Basic Officer Training
During Phase I, you will learn the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the service, basic weapons handling, and first aid. You will also take part in a rigorous program of sports and fitness training, and may receive second-language training as well.
Phase II: Common Army Phase
For Phase II, the “Common Army Phase” of officer training, you will go to the Infantry School at the Combat Training Centre at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, New Brunswick. During Phase II, you will build upon the leadership training you received in Phase I and you will learn the skills required of all Combat Arms soldiers, including more advanced weapons-handling, fieldcraft, and section-level tactics.
Phase III: Basic Infantry Officer Training I
During Phase III, you will acquire the skills, knowledge and experience to command and lead a platoon in dismounted operations. You will learn the characteristics and uses of weapons, and how to command a dismounted platoon in all phases of war both in theory, in the classroom, and in practice in the field. You will be assessed in leadership roles while conducting arduous field exercises.
Phase IV: Basic Infantry Officer Training II
During Phase IV, you will learn to command and lead a mechanized Infantry platoon equipped with the LAV III armoured personnel carrier. This phase concentrates on more advanced platoon tactics, and the techniques of co-operating with the other Combat Arms in fast-paced, skill-testing field exercises. Your ability to command troops and solve complex tactical problems will be confirmed. Phase IV completes your Basic Infantry Officer Training. As you will be ready to take command of your first platoon, you will at this point be commissioned into an Infantry regiment of the Canadian Forces at the rank of Second Lieutenant.
