What is the difference between a Direct Commission and OCS to become an officer in the Army?
I agree with WRG and jim. The practical difference is that those of us who can commission by DC are needed moreso for our professional skills than to lead Soldiers on missions. That’s not to say that you wouldn’t be able to have a command. Plenty of Nurses, Doctors, Lawyers, etc can end up as a company commander or hospital commander, etc. It’s just not the norm. For most if not all of your military career, you would serve in your professional capacity…i.e. as a Nurse you would be taking care of patients or managing other Nurses. Doctors provide medical treatment to patients, Lawyers provide legal counsel, etc. As mentioned before, it is possible though not common to be placed in a command position, and if so, would usually be over a medical unit if you are a health care provider. I don’t know how it works for Lawyers but probably something similar.
