Sapper Leaders Course Info

[RR691983]

TRAINING LOCATION
The training location is at the US Army Engineer Center, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473-6400.

PURPOSE
To train selected soldiers in leadership skills, combat engineer and infantry battle drills, and the specialized engineer and infantry techniques required to perform as members of combined arms teams. To build cohesion and increase the confidence..

SCOPE
The Sapper Leader Course is designed to train one group (50 personnel). Training is conducted in a team building environment to build leadership skills, learn specialized engineer techniques, and perform battle drills necessary to perform the engineer missions of a Engineer element. The course is also designed to build cohesion and esprit de corps by training element in troop leading procedures, demolitions (conventional and expedient), mountaineering operations, aerial operations, airborne operations, foreign weapons, land navigation, waterborne operations, and contingency threat. The course culminates in an intense field training exercise that reinforces the use of the battle drills and specialized engineer techniques learned throughout the course.

ELIGIBILITY

The Sapper Leader Course is open to all active, reserve and national guard units. The school is designed for in the grades of E5 and above. This includes specialist promotable and above, and any branch officers in the rank of Captain and below. Soldiers in the grade of E4 who are not promotable must have a waiver signed by their battalion commander or 1st LTC in their chain of command, verifying grade and potential for success. This memorandum must be turned in at inprocessing. Blanket memorandums for groups of E4s are not permitted. Under no circumstances will enlisted soldiers below the rank of Specialist be allowed to attend the Sapper Leader Course. Any soldier arriving to the course below the rank of Specialist will be returned to his home station immediately. Previous heat casualties are prohibited from attending the summer classes (May – Aug). Previous cold weather injuries are prohibited from attending the winter classes (Sep - Apr).

PREREQUISITES
All Sapper Leader Course students must meet the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) standards with a minimum of 210 total points, and at least 60% in each event in their age group, and meet height and weight standards IAW AR 600-9 for their age group.

COMBAT WATER SURVIVAL TEST (CWST)
All units must conduct Combat Water Survival Testing prior to arrival and must provide a list to the Sapper Training Detachment (STD) on in-processing day noting swimmers, weak swimmers, and non-swimmers. The CWST is administered IAW DA Pam 351 4. While passing the CWST is not required for attendance, it is required to identify weak and non swimmers. The CWST will not be conducted at the Sapper Leader Course. All students must have at least attempted the CWST.

ATTENDANCE
Units must meet the prerequisites IAW Department of the Army (DA) Pam 351-4. Units which are selected to attend are prioritized by the Comander, MANSCEN. Allocations are normally assigned in March for the following year. Units may obtain an allocation by written request to:

Commander
United States Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN)
ATTN: ATZT-PTM-PS
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473

Individual course allocations are on a space available basis, and requests must be received and approved 90 days before the class start date. Requests are made on DA Form 4187 and must include the following information: name, rank, SSN, MOS, unit, desired class date and a statement verifying the soldier meets all prerequisites. Individual allocations are limited to five personnel per class. Request for individual allocations will be mailed to:

Commander
HHC, 577th Engineer Battalion
Sapper Training Detachment
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri 65473-6400


REENTRY INTO COURSE
Release from the Sapper Leader Course for misconduct or refusal to train requires a waiver from the soldier’s battalion commander for the soldier to return to the course. The soldier can return no earlier than one year after dismissal.

All other releases or students who receive a certificate of attendance may return to the course no earlier than six months from departure from the course.

Note: This packing list should not be used as your only source of information.
Make sure to contact Sapper Ops for any changes.

good post that was realy intersting, I had absolutely no idea the US army had sapper units i figured it was a sorta vietnamese doctrine, perhaps i'l check out engineering instead of infantry as my chosen path

[Naenaen]

The Army's Sapper Leader Course has been opened up to anyone in the Army who can meet the requirements. Personally I am curious how that has changed the curriculum, if any. I attended the course back in 1997, and recall that most of the training built on prior combat engineer knowledge (along with a good dose of Ranger School, if you can believe my Lt.).

Just wanted to add this so folks didn't unfairly weigh Engineers against Infantry. Although as a former Combat Engineer, I don't see the contest anyway. What Engineers have that infantry don't have now is a 6 or 9 week course for dealing with unexploded ordnance(UXO). Of course, I would imagine your unit would not send you to this until you had been with them for 18-24 months, to make sure you would be suitable for it.