The Basic Leader Course or known as the BLC is the first leadership course non-commissioned officers take. This course teaches the Army members about leadership, training management, map reading, land navigation, drills, warfighting, and ceremonies.
If you’re an NCO, BLC is the first leadership course you will take. This course takes about a month and takes place in the Academy. So expect to be in the Academy for potentially over a month during the duration of the course.
The Basic Leader Course is combined with field applications and classroom instructions. The students of the BLC must report one day prior to the start date. For example, if your course starts at the third day of November, you must report the second day before the BLC begins.
The class dates for the FY 2026 are as follows.
| Class No. | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| BLC 001-21 | October 16, 2025 | November 6, 2025 |
| BLC 002-21 | February 5, 2026 | February 26, 2026 |
| BLC 003-21 | March 5, 2026 | March 26, 2026 |
| BLC 004-21 | April 30, 2026 | May 21, 2026 |
| BLC 005-21 | June 4, 2026 | June 25, 2026 |
| BLC 006-21 | July 8, 2026 | July 29, 2026 |
| BLC 007-21 | August 6, 2026 | August 27, 2026 |
| BLC 008-21 | September 9, 2026 | September 30, 2026 |
The report dates for the BLC is one day prior to the start date. Therefore, for the BLC 003-21, the report date is March 4th, 2026. If you have further questions about the BLC, you can contact the Staff Duty by dialing 1-804-873-5964.