"Every Army cadet must show up here, be evaluated and show they have the command capability to lead American soldiers," said Jeremy O'Bryan, a public affairs officer for the 8th Brigade, U.S. Army Cadet Command.

Formally known as the Leader Development and Assessment Course, or LDAC, and commonly referred to as Operation Warrior Forge, the course will be used to train and evaluate 6,720 cadets from 273 ROTC battalions nationwide this year. The first of 14 regiments begins training on June 14; the last regiment will complete its training on Aug. 6.

"We are literally rolling things out as the first cadets arrive and rolling things up as the last leave," said Joel Manning, LDAC's chief of plans.

The course's training program is sequential and progressive. It begins with individual training that culminates in collective training as it builds from simple to complex tasks. Using light infantry tactics as the instructional medium, cadets will receive instruction in Land Navigation; Chemical, Biological Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive, or CBRNE, scenarios; Cultural Awareness; Weapons Familiarization; First Aid; and Tactics. Interlaced throughout the training are confidence building exercises such as the Slide for Life (water and heights), Log Walk (heights), and numerous obstacle courses.

"We set the conditions to observe behavior and basic infantry tactics," said Manning. "The cadets will be presented with circumstances they've never faced, and they will develop adaptability from this."

In meeting this challenge, Manning said, this year's training is the result of lessons learned from last year.

Vital to understanding and operating in the contemporary operational environment, the training the Army's future officers receive during the Cultural Awareness phase is highlighted.

"It is one of the newer training pieces for LDAC," said O'Bryan. "It puts cadets in an environment which they will not recognize, and they have to figure out what to do."

As cadets are observed and evaluated, the training continues to build on itself.

The culmination of the cadets' training occurs during the Squad Situational Training Exercise, or STX.  The four-day, two-phase event reinforces all previous instruction.

"This is an eclectic operation in which we prepare these cadets to lead," said Manning.  "The training is first class."

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