The US Army Detachment is the home to all soldiers, Army Officers and DA Civilians (National Guard, Reserves and Regular Army) attending courses at the Defense Information School (DINFOS). Because DINFOS is a Department of Defense (DoD) asset, it is Student Company's task to insure that Army standards are met during your training at Fort Meade. Student Company will administer all APFTs, conduct random Alcohol and Drug dependency testing, perform Common Task Testing (CTT) and respond to all students administrative needs.
The company maintains two barracks. One barracks, Bldg 8609, is designated for Initial Entry Training (IET) soldiers. These are soldiers who have only recently completed Basic Combat Training and are here to earn their first Military Occupation Specialty (MOS). Soldiers are considered Non-IET if they have been awarded an Army MOS under a previous enlistment or are prior service from one of the other US Military Services. Non-IET students reside in Bldg 8545. Non-IET soldiers and officers attending the Public Affairs Officer Course are not required to perform CTT.
Married Regular Army soldiers attending training for 25V or 25R are authorized to bring their family with them to live in quarters at Fort Meade. IET soldiers must spend their Phase IV and Phase V time in the barracks. Once they reach Phase V+ (usually within 11 weeks) they are authorized to stay in family quarters with their family. Non-IET soldiers are authorized to live with their family immediately. Soldiers who become married while attending classes at Fort Meade are not authorized post housing.
Non-IET soldiers maintain all the rights and privileges of permanent party personnel. You may own and operate a POV. You may take passes on the weekend and visit the many sites there are to see in the Baltimore / Washington D.C. area. You are required to fill out a pass form if you choose to leave the B/W area. The company requires you to have a traveling companion when traveling more than 300 miles on a weekend by POV.
IET soldiers receive "phase" privileges IAW TRADOC Regulation 350-6 and 15th Regimental Signal Brigade policy. Soldiers just arriving to Student Company will be placed in semi locked down status, similar to the environment in Basic Combat Training. As students achieve different milestones in their training at Student Company, they are rewarded with more privileges. Near the end of training at Student Company and DINFOS, a soldier should earn privileges similar to permanent party soldiers.
Be prepared! Not all courses start the same time as stated on your orders. If you are a Non-IET or split option soldier, call the company first and confirm the start date of your particular course. IET soldiers arriving directly from Basic Combat Training are placed in "casual" status until their course start date. IET Reserve and National Guard soldiers will remain on active duty during this "casual" status at the company. They are not authorized to return to their parent unit until they complete their active duty training.
Entering Fort Meade can be difficult at some times. Many of the gates are closed for security purposes. Any military member with a valid ID card and DoD decal on their POV may enter any gate at any time. However, you will meet stiff resistance if you lack a DoD decal on your vehicle or you do not have a valid Military ID card. You will be required to enter Fort Meade at the Visitor Control Center located on Reece Road and Highway 175. For hours of operation, please check the VCC page. The military police will issue you a temporary pass to allow you access on post. It may be necessary for them to contact the company so that you are escorted onto the installation. The company Charge of Quarters (CQ) number is (301) 677-2386.
There are many opportunities to excel in Student Company. The company's student load is around 200 soldiers at any given time. The company has only a few Drill Sergeants, so we depend greatly upon student leadership. You can expect to hold a squad leader position once during your tour. The best and brightest are chosen to be platoon guides. They function the same as a platoon sergeant. The company also accepts volunteers to be honorary chaplain's assistants. They aide the DINFOS chaplain in accomplishing his tasks to provide for the spiritual needs of the soldiers in the unit. Student company is also active in the Fort Meade intramural sports program.
You will receive a one of a kind experience while at Student Company. You will train side by side with service members from other services and countries while attending classes at DINFOS and you will be able to hone your skills as a soldier while at the company. I look forward to meeting you soon.
JAMES P. ALLEN
CPT, Signal Command
Commanding