{"id":18603,"date":"2018-02-21T18:28:01","date_gmt":"2018-02-21T18:28:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:29:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:29:06","slug":"infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/","title":{"rendered":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Faced with towering attrition rates, the Marine Corps has steadily modified its grueling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/07\/passing-combat-endurance-test-is-no-longer-required-for-infantry-officers\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Infantry Officer Course<\/a> \u2015 changes that top Marines say are not attempts to water down standards, but to more accurately replicate today\u2019s real-world requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recent changes include the number of evaluated hikes required to pass the course, and the removal of the physically demanding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/opinion\/2016\/10\/15\/marines-requirements-for-infantry-officers-are-unrealistic-army-colonel-says\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\">Combat Endurance Test <\/a>as a strict requirement to graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the new requirements, only three of those nine hikes will be evaluated, and Marines will have to pass all three evaluated hikes in order to graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The condition that Marines at IOC participate in nine hikes remains unchanged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the previous rules six of those hikes were evaluated, and Marines had to pass five of those six evaluated hikes.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps in recent years has struggled to meet its goals in graduating an adequate number of new infantry officers. Attrition rates reached as high as 25 percent in 2014. But since implementing the new modifications, last year the Corps hit its target for the first time since 2008, Brig. Gen. Jason Q. Bohm, the commanding officer of Marine Corps Training Command, told reporters at a roundtable discussion Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps argues the changes made to the hikes more accurately reflect standards outlined in the Marine Corps infantry training and readiness manual \u2015 standards that undergo a formal evaluation every three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recent increase in graduation rate is also attributable to a newly added IOC preliminary course at The Basic School that helps better prepare future infantry leaders for the physically and mentally demanding challenges at IOC. That course starts two months before newly commissioned officers graduate from The Basic School. Marine officials contend The new course has been successful in reducing injuries at IOC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"574\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/m6201410304060022arjpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41820\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/m6201410304060022arjpg.jpg 800w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/m6201410304060022arjpg.jpg?resize=300,215 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/m6201410304060022arjpg.jpg?resize=768,551 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">9\/28\/12 11:06:15 AM &#8212;  Quantico, VA, U.S.A &#8212; Female Marines taking combat endurance test, the first event in the Infantry Officers Course. &#8212;  A woman Marine goes through an obstacle course, one of the tasks of the combat endurance test.\r\r\rPhoto by H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Attrition rates under 10 percent are considered acceptable, but Bohm said he would like to see those numbers at 5 percent or below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat was a principal driver behind us making modifications to the course,\u201d Bohm said. But, he argues, \u201cit was not about lowering attrition, it was about making students more successful to complete the course.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps has come under criticism regarding the notoriously grueling 13-week <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinecorpstimes.com\/opinion\/2016\/10\/15\/marines-requirements-for-infantry-officers-are-unrealistic-army-colonel-says\" title=\"\" class=\"\" target=\"_blank\"> infantry course<\/a> that so far has only seen one woman successfully graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But most washouts from the IOC are men \u2014 only 35 women have attempted the course, and only five of those have attended the IOC after the job field was opened to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2016\/10\/15\/marines-requirements-for-infantry-officers-are-unrealistic-army-colonel-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/patrol.JPG.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Marines&#8217; requirements for infantry officers are unrealistic, Army colonel says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A retired Army colonel asks how often Marine infantry officers carry 152-pound loads in combat, as they are required to do at Infantry Officers Course.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The recent changes, the Corps argues, have nothing to do with gender integration in the combat arms job fields or a watering down of any standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cTechnically what we have done is we have modified graduation requirements, but we actually tie our requirements now more to the T&amp;R [Marine infantry training and readiness manual] standards.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the Corps has modified graduation requirements to accurately reflect the infantry manual, Marines attending the course will still have to participate in all the events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the evaluated hikes was changed to meet gender-neutral standards referred to as Military Occupational Specialty Specific Performance Standards, or MSPS, Bohm said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2015 NDAA called for the service branches to draft gender-neutral standards as the services began gender integration into the combat jobs previously closed to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That hike that was changed is the 15-km hike, which must be completed within three hours while humping 105 lbs of kit and weapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other two hikes evaluated for graduation purposes are a 7-mile hike carrying 95 lbs and a 9-mile hike carrying 105 lbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4256\" height=\"2832\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41919\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg 4256w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg?resize=1024,681 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/636066174302603953-mar-ioc-women-quantico-3jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4256px) 100vw, 4256px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A female lieutenant in the Infantry Officer Course hangs during the obstacle course portion of the initial Combat Endurance Test at Marine Corps Base Quantico July 2, 2013 .    Thomas Brown\/Staff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hikes are \u201cprogressive in both distance and weight,\u201d Bohm said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But the Corps has struggled to adequately explain how its changes to the IOC are not an attempt to make the course easier, especially if one of the intended goals is to increase graduation numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps temporarily increased infantry course standards in 2012 when it made made passing the CET a graduation requirement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That change was made to reflect an operational shift to a more physically demanding operating environment, according to Bohm. The CET was first introduced in 1994, but was only a graduation requirement from 2012 to November 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2012 the Corps was changing how its forces operated on the ground. In Iraq, Marines were primarily vehicle mounted, but in Afghanistan \u201cthey were now fighting in mountainous terrain, foot mobile, carrying loads in austere conditions. So that started to modify the physical expectations of what we required,\u201d Bohm said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Corps has since made gradual modifications over the past two years to help boost graduation rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While far fewer Marines are deployed to Afghanistan, the Corps is now prepping for a major confrontation with more capable adversaries like Russia and North Korea, where the climate and terrain may be more physically taxing than anything Marines have fought in since the Korean War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe course is as hard as it\u2019s ever been. We did not do away with any training events,\u201d Bohm said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But, the Corps did make a major modification to one of its most grueling hikes known as the weapons company and weapons platoon hike. Previously, Marines had to conduct a single file forced march carrying heavy and medium weapon systems that could weigh anywhere from 125 lbs-150 lbs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was a lot of angst about our students having to carry 150 lbs,\u201d Bohm said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now the hike is done as a tactical displacement, where Marines practice bounding during a simulated attack. The Marines are no longer required to single-handedly carry all 125-150 lbs, and can pass the weight off to a buddy as they tire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bohm argues that this modification better reflects operational reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Marines spread load heavy weapon systems during marches, no single Marine ever carries the weight of the heavy weapon systems themselves. That weight is passed throughout the platoon or company throughout the hike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To now graduate from IOC, Marine officers will need to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Participate in a total of nine hikes.<\/li><li>Pass three evaluated hikes.<br><\/li><li>Conduct the Combat Endurance Test (although passing it is no longer a requirement).<\/li><li>Participate in six tactical field exercises.<\/li><li>Pass infantry officer physical standards requirements, including a 15 km hike with 105 lbs in 3 hours.<\/li><li>Cross a 56\u201d wall unassisted in 30 seconds.<\/li><li>Conduct a ground casualty evacuation (214 lbs. dummy) in 54 seconds.<\/li><li>Lift a MK-19 heavy machine gun (77 lbs.) overhead, and rush 300 meters to an objective in 3 minutes 56 seconds.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":27803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":69,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["news","your-military"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,12,25,69],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3398],"class_list":["post-18603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-marine-corps"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"2CMPR36D3RDFHJWRZU77IMNSH4","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Shawn Snow\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 1119,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/IOC.png.png\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Marine Corps\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/IOC.png.png\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/IOC.png.png\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/IOC.png.png\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/2018\\\/02\\\/21\\\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Marine Corps\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/news\\\/your-marine-corps\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-marine-corps\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes - Marine Corps Times","description":"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes","og_description":"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00","author":"Shawn Snow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Shawn Snow","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes","datePublished":"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/"},"wordCount":1119,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IOC.png.png","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Your Marine Corps"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/","name":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IOC.png.png","datePublished":"2018-02-21T18:28:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:29:06+00:00","description":"Now Marines will only be required to pass three evaluated hikes, down from five last year.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IOC.png.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IOC.png.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/2018\/02\/21\/infantry-officer-course-lowers-requirement-for-hikes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Marine Corps","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/news\/your-marine-corps\/","ad_zone":"your-marine-corps"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Infantry Officer Course lowers requirement for hikes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IOC.png.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18603"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94773,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18603\/revisions\/94773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18603"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=18603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}