DRAPER, Utah – The Utah National Guard's 640th Regiment Regional Training Institute is helping shape the future of Army Noncommissioned Officer education as the only National Guard school selected to pilot the Army's newly expanded Master Leader Course.
The pilot course, conducted May 28-June 18 at Camp Williams, extends the Master Leader Course, or MLC, from 15 training days to 21 and increases instruction from 112 to 144 academic hours. The changes are part of the Army's effort to modernize professional military education and prepare senior noncommissioned officers, or NCOs, for increasingly complex operational environments.
In November 2025, the United States Army Noncommissioned Officer Academy, or USANCOA, announced plans to expand the Basic Leader Course and Master Leader Course. While Army doctrine allows reserve component schools up to a year to implement curriculum changes, Utah was selected to help lead the effort far ahead of schedule.
"It's exciting to be part of these dynamic changes to NCO professional military education," said Command Sgt. Maj. Kyle Harrison, commandant of the 640th Regiment Regional Training Institute, or RTI. "We're helping develop the next generation of Army leaders, and Utah is proud to play a role in shaping that future."
The Master Leader Course is a branch-immaterial program for sergeants first class and master sergeants that prepares senior NCOs to transition from tactical-level leadership to operational and strategic thinking. Graduates are expected to serve in key leadership positions at the company, battalion and brigade levels, where they must understand mission command, multi-domain operations and unified land operations.
The expanded curriculum reflects feedback from previous graduates and evolving Army requirements. While the course continues to prepare senior NCOs for service on battalion and brigade staffs, it now includes additional instruction focused on first sergeant responsibilities and leadership at the company level.
Master Sgt. Cory Rose, former Master Leader Course, or MLC, chief of training and course manager at the 640th RTI, spent months working with USANCOA curriculum developers as the new course was built.
"Students who had already graduated the course recommended changes that would better prepare them for first sergeant duties while still maintaining the operational and strategic focus of the course," Rose said. "The additional week gives students more time to work through military decision-making processes, understand staff functions and develop the critical-thinking skills they'll need as senior leaders."
Rose said Utah was one of only three pilot locations nationwide – representing the active component, reserve and National Guard components – selected to review course material and provide feedback throughout the development process.
"Utah was the RTI that provided the most feedback," Rose said. "Because of our relationship with the courseware developers and the reputation of the RTI, we were able to help refine the course and provide recommendations on everything from lesson content to learning activities."
That collaboration helped establish Utah as a key contributor to the Army-wide effort. According to Harrison, Rose's work with curriculum developers was instrumental in Utah's selection as the only National Guard institution to pilot the new course.
Ordinarily, major curriculum revisions can take more than a year to implement. This redesign was completed in less than six months, requiring instructors to rapidly learn new lessons and doctrine while continuing to teach the existing course. For facilitators like Master Sgt. Justin Howlett, the additional week is already paying dividends.
"We don't want students leaving MLC feeling completely overwhelmed," Howlett said.
"We're trying to get away from the firehose effect. We want senior NCOs to come here, learn, retain it and actually use it when they get home,” Howlett said.
Howlett said the course introduces concepts many senior NCOs may not encounter in their military occupational specialties, including mission command, operational approaches, military decision-making processes and the integration of warfighting functions.
Graduation standards remain rigorous. Students must meet Army body composition requirements, pass the Army Fitness Test and successfully complete all academic requirements. The curriculum also places greater emphasis on written communication and critical thinking, requiring students to analyze complex problems and develop recommendations grounded in Army doctrine.
Master Sgt. Laura Lateo of the Massachusetts National Guard said the additional week allowed students to absorb information instead of simply rushing through assignments.
"If you're trying to push that kind of information into two weeks, I don't think anyone's retaining it," Lateo said. "With the three-week course, we're able to compartmentalize, retain and learn. I really loved it."
Sgt. 1st Class Mathew Connor, assigned to the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia and a member of the Oklahoma National Guard, said the course challenged students to think critically rather than simply memorize doctrinal answers.
"The course teaches you how to operate in the gray area," Connor said. "There isn't always one right answer. You have to understand the doctrine, understand the problem and be able to explain your thought process."
As the Army prepares to implement the three-week Master Leader Course across the force, lessons learned at Camp Williams will help shape how future generations of senior NCOs are educated and prepared for leadership positions at the company, battalion and brigade levels.