The Ordnance Officer Basic Course (OBC) gives the technical and tactical expertise needed by Ordnance officers to serve as maintenance and ammunition platoon leaders. The OBC emphasizes leadership, oral and written communications skills, unit maintenance operations, combined arms operations and all facets of support level maintenance and ammunition support.

The course consists of three phases: common core, tactical and technical phases. The common core phase consists of training that integrate officers into day-to-day platoon and company level operations. Subjects covered include performance counseling, military customs and courtesy, training management and unit level logistics.

The tactical phase focuses on many of the skills Ordnance officers need to lead their soldiers in a field environment. Officers learn troop leading procedures, how to prepare operation orders, how to plan and establish a company defense, and how to conduct convoy operations to name a few. The field training exercise (FTX) is the capstone event for this phase. The lieutenants plan their own training for the FTX. Small unit tactics, NBC operations, land navigation, and recovery operations are emphasized. Tactical Application Exercise (TAX) lanes are also integrated into the FTX.

The technical phase covers the specialized aspects of duties as maintenance and ammunition officers. Ordnance officers learn Army maintenance doctrine, support maintenance, and maintenance management techniques. State of the art management information systems (MIS) used in managing unit and direct support  level maintenance, supply, and ammunition operations are introduced. To prepare for duties in an ammunition assignment, officers learn the critical areas of munitions management to include ammunition identification, storage compatibility, field storage, and ammunition supply point (ASP) operations. This phase concludes with a munitions practical exercise. The officers exercise the planning and execution skills required to operate an ammunition transfer point supporting a brigade combat team.

The technical phase of the training is concluded with a capstone exercise - Direct Support Fully Integrated Exercise (DS Fix). DS Fix requires the officers to exercise both the tactical and technical skills required to support a combined arms force engaged in high intensity combat. Students are assigned to key leadership positions and respond to all of the dynamics inherent to battlefield operations. Briefings are prepared and presented to field grade officers assigned to the Ordnance Center and School. This capstone exercise introduces students to some of the same challenges that they will face when they arrive at their first duty assignment.