Military officer training program in the US
The
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(
ROTC
;
or
) is a group of
college
- and
university
-based
officer-training
programs for training
commissioned officers
of the
United States Armed Forces
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches of the U.S. military, the
U.S. Marine Corps
, the
U.S. Space Force
, and the
U.S. Coast Guard
do not have their own respective ROTC programs; rather, graduates of Naval ROTC programs have the option to serve as officers in the Marine Corps contingent on meeting Marine Corps requirements.
[4]
[5]
Graduates of Air Force ROTC also have the option to be commissioned in the Space Force as a Space Operations Officer.
In 2020, ROTC graduates constituted 70 percent of newly commissioned active-duty
U.S. Army
officers, 83 percent of newly commissioned U.S. Marine Corps officers (through NROTC), 61 percent of newly commissioned
U.S. Navy
officers and 63 percent of newly commissioned
U.S. Air Force
officers, for a combined 56 percent of all active-duty officers in the Department of Defense commissioned that year.
[6]
Under ROTC, a student may receive a competitive, merit-based scholarship covering all or part of college tuition, textbooks and lab fees, in return for an active-duty service obligation after graduation (or completion of a graduate degree under an approved education delay). ROTC students attend college like other students, but also receive basic military training and officer training for their chosen branch of service through the ROTC unit at or nearby the college. The students participate in regular drills during the school year and off-campus training opportunities during the summer.
Army ROTC
units are organized as brigades, battalions and companies.
Air Force ROTC
units are detachments with the students organized into wings, groups, squadrons and flights. Army and Air Force ROTC students are referred to as cadets.
Naval ROTC
units are organized as battalions and also include NROTC students under "Marine Option" who will eventually be commissioned as officers in the Marine Corps. Marine NROTC students may be formed in a separate company when the program includes sufficient numbers. All Naval ROTC students are referred to as midshipmen. Some of the summer training that is offered to cadets in the Army ROTC program are: Airborne, Air Assault, Mountain Warfare,
WHINSEC
and other related schools. In addition to their mandatory pre-commissioning Field Training (FT) at
Maxwell AFB
, Alabama (4 weeks for 4-year program cadets; 6 weeks for 2-year program cadets),
Air Force ROTC
cadets are also eligible for Airborne training under the tutelage of the Army at
Fort Moore
, Georgia. Naval ROTC midshipmen will participate in summer cruise programs every summer, either afloat or ashore, similar to their
U.S. Naval Academy
midshipmen counterparts.
History
[
edit
]
The concept of ROTC in the United States was created by the founder of
Norwich University
,
Alden Partridge
, who was a former
United States Military Academy
instructor. Partridge, who founded Norwich in
Northfield, Vermont
in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy," promoted the idea of "citizen soldiers," men trained to act in a military capacity when their nation required but capable of fulfilling standard civilian functions in peacetime.
[7]
[8]
The
Morrill Act
of 1862 established
land-grant colleges
. Part of the federal government's requirement for these schools was that they include military tactics as part of their curriculum. Another root of the modern ROTC program comes from the "Plattsburg Idea". In 1915, Major General
Leonard Wood
instituted the Citizen's Military Training Camps (not to be confused with the
later CMTC
), the first series of training camps to make officers out of civilians. For the first time in history, an attempt was made to provide a condensed course of training and commissioning competent reserve line officers after only a summer of military training. In 1916, the provision to formally establish ROTC was advocated to
Congress
by a delegation from
Ohio
including
William Oxley Thompson
, President of the
Ohio State University
.
[9]
On February 7, 1916,
Ralph D. Mershon
, a graduate of Ohio State, testified before the committee as a professional
engineer
. Present to testify as an advocate of a Reserve Engineers Corps, he expanded his remarks to argue in favor of the "Ohio Plan". Mershon noted:
- "... the transformation that will take place in one term of drill in a man just off the farm and very clumsy when he enters college, and who at the end of a term is 'set up', carries himself well, looks neat in his uniform, and has acquired a measure of self-respect, and the respect of his colleagues, to an extent he would not have had without the military training."
[10]
Congress agreed, and the ROTC provision was included in the final version of the
National Defense Act of 1916
.
[11]
[12]
The first ROTC unit was at
Harvard
in 1916.
[13]
Over 5,000 men arrived at Plattsburgh in May 1917 for the first of the officer training camps. By the end of 1917, over 17,000 men had been trained. By the eve of its entry into
World War I
, the U.S. had a prepared corps of officers including one of the earliest Plattsburgh graduates,
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
The
National Defense Act of 1920
ramped up ROTC, and by 1928, units had been established at 225 colleges and universities, including all of the Morrill Act land-grant colleges. They were commissioning 6,000 reserve second lieutenants per year.
[13]
During the 1930s, there were junior ROTC programs in some larger city high schools, such as in
Memphis, Tennessee
,
Charlotte, North Carolina
,
Kansas City, Missouri
, and
New Orleans, Louisiana
.
[14]
[15]
Until the 1960s, many major universities required compulsory participation in ROTC for all of their male students. However, because of the protests that culminated in the
opposition to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
, compulsory ROTC was dropped in favor of voluntary programs.
[16]
In some places ROTC was expelled from campus altogether, although it was always possible to participate in off-campus ROTC.
[17]
As of 2021, more than 1,700 high schools have
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(JROTC) programs.
[18]
In the 21st century, the debate often focused around the Congressional
don't ask, don't tell
law, signed into law by President
Bill Clinton
in 1993 and in force until 2011, which forbade homosexuals serving in the United States military from disclosing their sexual orientation at the risk of expulsion. Some schools believed this legal mandate would require them to waive or amend their non-discrimination policies.
In recent years, concerted efforts are being made at some
Ivy League
universities that have previously banned ROTC (including
Columbia
) to return ROTC to campus.
[19]
The
Harvard ROTC program
was reinstated effective March 4, 2011 following enactment of the
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010
.
Under current law, there are three types of ROTC programs administered, each with a different element.
[20]
- The first are the programs at the six
senior military colleges
, also known as military schools. These institutions grant baccalaureate degrees (at a minimum) and organize all or some of their students into a
corps of cadets
under some sort of military discipline. Those participating in the cadet program must attend at least 2 years of ROTC education.
- The second are programs at "civilian colleges". As defined under Army regulations, these are schools that grant baccalaureate or graduate degrees and are not operated on a military basis.
- The third category is programs at
military junior colleges
(MJC). These are military schools that provide junior college education (typically A.S. or A.A. degree). These schools do not grant baccalaureate degrees but they meet all other requirements of military colleges (if participating in the
Early Commissioning Program
) and cadets are required to meet the same military standards as other schools (if enrolled in ECP), as set by Army Cadet Command. Cadets can be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Army Reserve/Army National Guard as graduating sophomores. Upon commissioning, these lieutenants are required to complete their bachelor's degree at another institution (of the lieutenant's choosing) while serving in their units. Upon receiving their bachelors, ECP lieutenants can assess active duty and go onto active duty as a first lieutenant. Only the Army currently offers an
Early Commissioning Program
. In time of war, MJC's have played a significant role in producing officers for the Army. During the Vietnam war, the requirement to complete one's bachelor's degree was not in effect. Therefore, upon commissioning lieutenants went straight onto active duty.
One difference between civilian colleges and the senior or junior military colleges is enrollment option in ROTC. ROTC is voluntary for students attending civilian colleges and universities. However, with few exceptions (as outlined in both Army regulations and federal law) it is required of students attending the senior and junior military colleges.
[20]
Another major difference between the senior military colleges and civilian colleges is that under federal law, graduates of the SMCs are guaranteed
active duty
assignments if requested
[21]
with the approval of the school's professor of military science.
U.S. Army ROTC
[
edit
]
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) program is the largest branch of ROTC, as the Army is the largest branch of the military. There are over 20,000 ROTC cadets in 273 ROTC programs at major
universities
throughout the
United States
. These schools are categorized as
Military Colleges
(MC),
Military Junior Colleges
(MJC) and Civilian Colleges (CC).
[22]
[23]
Army ROTC provides the majority of the Army's officer corps; the remainder comes from West Point, Officer Candidate School (OCS), or direct commissions.
AROTC offers scholarships based on the time of enrollment in the program. Newly graduated seniors in high school can enter the program with a full four-year scholarship while college students can enroll later and earn a scholarship that would cover the remainder of their college career.
The two-year scholarship is available for students with two academic years of college remaining. An applicant for a two-year or four-year scholarship must meet the following requirements:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Be between ages 17 and 27
- Have a college GPA of at least 2.5
- Meet the Army physical fitness standards
The applicant must agree to accept a commission and serve in the Army on active duty or in a reserve component (U.S. Army Reserve or Army National Guard).
The four-year scholarship is for students who receive it out of high school or before entering college. The four-year scholarship can be extended with the same conditions to a 5-year scholarship if the major is in Engineering.
Campus-based three-year, two-and-a-half-year, and two-year scholarships are available for students already enrolled in a college or university with three (or two) academic years remaining.
An applicant for a campus-based scholarship must meet all AROTC administrative and academic requirements as well as have a minimum SAT score of 1000 or ACT score of 19.
Once a prospect has shown interest in the AROTC program they can compete in a scholarship board. If the prospect boards well the AROTC program's Professor of Military Science may submit them for selection of a scholarship. Numerous factors will influence this decision.
Typically the summer between the academic junior and senior years of school, Cadets attend Advance Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Here, each cadet would be evaluated on leadership skills. The course was set up for a month of training with other peers and evaluated by Army Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers. Advance Camp is the United States Army's largest training event.
[24]
U.S. Naval ROTC
[
edit
]
The Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program was founded in 1926 and the U.S. Marine Corps joined the program in 1932. The naval NROTC program is offered at over 150 colleges nationwide.
U.S. Air Force ROTC
[
edit
]
The first Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (then Air ROTC) units were established between 1920 and 1923 at the
University of California, Berkeley
, the
Georgia Institute of Technology
, the
University of Illinois
, the
University of Washington
, the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and
Texas A&M University
. After
World War II
, the Air Force established ROTC units at 77 colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Non-U.S. ROTC programs
[
edit
]
Other national armed forces in countries with strong historical ties to the United States have ROTC programs.
Other countries have also institutionalized reservist training programs.
Reserve Officer Training in Russia
began in the 1920s. Brazil has had the CPOR and the NPOR since 1928, the difference being that officers trained by the CPOR choose their area of specialization, while officers trained by the NPOR learn from their local army base.
[30]
Student Army Training Corps (SATC)
[
edit
]
During World War I, the United States created the Student Army Training Corps in an effort to encourage young men to simultaneously receive a college education and train for the military.
[31]
Students were authorized to participate beginning in the summer of 1917,
[31]
and training camps were held in the summer of 1918.
[32]
Enrollment in the SATC was voluntary, and 525 universities
[33]
enrolled 200,000 total students on October 1, 1918, the first day SATC units were authorized to formally organize on college campuses.
[34]
Students who joined the SATC received the rank of
private
in the army,
[34]
and some advanced to leadership roles including
sergeant
.
[35]
When the
Armistice of November 11, 1918
ended the war, the Army's need for more soldiers and officers ended.
[36]
The SATC was disbanded in December 1918, and its members were honorably discharged from the military.
[36]
Notable members
[
edit
]
Individuals who served in the Student Army Training Corps included:
- Frederick Van Ness Bradley
, U.S. Representative
[37]
- Wilburn Cartwright
, U.S. Representative
[38]
- Deane Davis
, governor of Vermont
[39]
- William O. Douglas
, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
[40]
- Harold Earthman
, U.S. Representative
[41]
- Kenneth Keating
, U.S. Senator and ambassador
[42]
- F. Ray Keyser Sr.
, Associate Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
[43]
- Carl Mays
, Major League Baseball pitcher
[44]
- Claude Pepper
, U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative
[45]
- J. Ernest Wharton
, U.S. Representative
[46]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
10 U.S.C.
§ 2101
- ^
"Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program: Organization, Administration, and Training"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2013-10-16
. Retrieved
2013-07-08
.
- ^
"Directives Division"
(PDF)
. DTIC.mil. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 30 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 October
2017
.
- ^
"Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps ? Marine Corps"
.
www.nrotc.navy.mil
.
Archived
from the original on 7 November 2017
. Retrieved
8 May
2018
.
- ^
"Does the Coast Guard offer an ROTC program at colleges?"
.
gocoastguard.com
.
Archived
from the original on 5 December 2017
. Retrieved
8 May
2018
.
- ^
"Table B-30. Active Component Commissioned Officer Gains, FY17: by Source of Commission, Service, and Gender"
.
cna.org
. Retrieved
2020-05-24
.
- ^
Holden, COL. Russell J. (2013).
Norwich University Cadet Handbook
. Northfield, VT: Office of the Commandant, Norwich University. pp. ii.
- ^
Lord, Gary (1995).
"Images of Its Past"
.
Norwich University
. Harmony House.
ISBN
9781564690234
.
Archived
from the original on 2010-11-03
. Retrieved
2012-12-27
.
- ^
Edith D. Cockins,
Ralph Davenport Mershon
, Volume 1, 1956, p. 35.
- ^
Edith D. Cockins (1956)
Ralph Davenport Mershon
, v 1, p 30,
Ohio State University Press
- ^
Eugene Register-Guard,
College Heads are Called to Meeting at War Department
, Systematic Method of Training Officers for United States Army to be Discussed by Educators], October 12, 1916
- ^
Jerold E. Brown,
Historical Dictionary of the United States Army
, 2001, page 40
- ^
a
b
"The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps: A Hundred Years Old and Still Going Strong ? The Campaign for the National Museum of the United States Army"
. Retrieved
2021-04-24
.
- ^
"An Interview with John Hinde"
(PDF)
.
- ^
"Connie Patton"
. September 28, 2016.
- ^
"The Fight Against Compulsory ROTC"
.
Free Speech Movement Archives
. 2006.
Archived
from the original on 2006-12-17
. Retrieved
2006-11-20
.
- ^
Mazur, Diane H. (2010-10-24).
"The Myth of the ROTC Ban"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 2017-07-01.
- ^
Army Junior ROTC Program Overview
- ^
"Advocates for ROTC"
. advocatesforrotc.org. 2006.
Archived
from the original on 2007-02-01
. Retrieved
2006-11-23
.
- ^
a
b
"AR 145-1 (Reserve Officer Training Corps)"
(PDF)
.
Army Regulation
. United States Army. 1996
. Retrieved
2006-11-16
.
- ^
"10 USC 2111a"
.
United States Code
. Legal Information Institute
. Retrieved
2006-11-16
.
- ^
"Army Regulation 145?1 Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Program: Organization, Administration, and Training"
(PDF)
.
U.S. Army
. p. 6. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2017-08-01
. Retrieved
2017-08-01
.
- ^
"U.S. Code Title 32 CFR 110.4 - Responsibilities"
.
U.S. Federal Government
. Cornell University Law School.
Archived
from the original on 2017-08-01
. Retrieved
2017-08-01
.
- ^
"Error - U.S. Army Cadet Command"
.
www.CadetCommand.Army.mil
.
Archived
from the original on 28 May 2014
. Retrieved
4 October
2017
.
- ^
"GMA's Speech - National ROTC Alumni Assoc"
.
ops.gov.ph
. Archived from
the original
on 27 September 2006
. Retrieved
4 October
2017
.
- ^
Lee, Jisoo.
"Blue Suits and Blue Berets?"
. Archived from
the original
on 21 February 2014
. Retrieved
24 July
2013
.
- ^
Sang-ho, Song (1 July 2011).
"Korea, U.S. ROTC cadets cement alliance"
.
The Korea Herald
.
Archived
from the original on 5 January 2013
. Retrieved
24 July
2008
.
- ^
"ROTC courses won't be reduced at NTU"
. The China Post. 2009-04-21.
Archived
from the original on 2015-04-03
. Retrieved
2012-09-10
.
- ^
Brian Hsu (November 2000).
"First ROTC officers to go into service by month's end"
. Taipei Times.
Archived
from the original on 2014-04-20
. Retrieved
2012-09-10
.
- ^
"CPOR e NPOR - Servico Militar - Exercito Brasileiro"
.
www.EB.mil.br
.
Archived
from the original on 5 October 2017
. Retrieved
4 October
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"University to be Training Center for Future Officers of U.S. Army"
.
Cleveland County Enterprise
. Norman, OK. August 15, 1917. p. 6 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"To Train College Men"
.
The Barre Daily Times
. Barre, VT. July 8, 1918. p. 1 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Johnson, Leith (August 1, 2017).
"Historical Row: Welseyan and World War I"
.
Wesleyan University Magazine
. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University.
- ^
a
b
Jenison, Marguerite Edith (1923).
Illinois in the World War
. Vol. V: The War-Time Organization of Illinois. Springfield, IL: Illinois State Historical Library. p. 113 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
"
"With the Colors": Western New Yorkers Serving with Our Fighting Forces"
.
Democrat and Chronicle
. Rochester, NY. October 24, 1918. p. 9 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
U.S. Secretary of War (1920).
Annual Reports of the Secretary of War
. Vol. 1, Part 3. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 2745 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
"Biography, Frederick Van Ness Bradley"
.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives
. Retrieved
March 27,
2022
.
- ^
Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives.
"Biography, Wilburn Cartwright"
.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Washington, DC: U.S. House of Representatives
. Retrieved
March 27,
2022
.
- ^
American Archive of Public Broadcasting (November 25, 1978).
"Legendary: Interview with Former Governor Deane Davis on His Early Years, Part 1 of 2"
.
American Archive.org
. Boston, MA: WGBH (FM).
- ^
Lane, Charles (February 14, 2003).
"On Further Review, It's Hard to Bury Douglas's Arlington Claim"
.
The Washington Post
. Washington, DC.
- ^
"Biography, Harold Henderson Earthman"
.
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Historian of the U.S. House of Representatives
. Retrieved
March 27,
2022
.
- ^
Barnes, Joseph W. (October 1979).
"Rochester's Congressmen: Part II 1869-1979"
(PDF)
.
Rochester History
. Rochester, NY: Rochester Public Library. p. 19.
- ^
A History of Chelsea, Vermont, 1784?1984
. Chelsea, VT: Chelsea Historical Society, Inc. 1984. p. 268.
- ^
Wood, Allan (2000).
Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox
. Writers Club Press: San Jose, CA. pp. 345?346.
ISBN
978-0-595-14826-4
.
- ^
Kabat, Ric A. (October 1, 1993). "From Camp Hill to Harvard Yard: The Early Years of Claude D. Pepper".
The Florida Historical Quarterly
. Cocoa, FL:
Florida Historical Society
. pp. 153?179.
JSTOR
30148692
.
- ^
"New York Abstracts of World War I Military Service, 1917-1919, Entry for J. Ernest Wharton"
.
Ancestry.com
. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC
. Retrieved
January 5,
2020
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Deborah D. Avant (2005)
The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security
,
Cambridge University Press
.
- David Axe (2007)
Army 101: Inside ROTC in a Time of War
.
- Charles Johnson (2002)
African Americans and ROTC: Military, Naval, and Aeroscience Programs at Historically Black Colleges 1916 ? 1973
.
- Betty J. Morden (1990)
Women's Army Corps
, p 287.
- Jennifer M. Silva, "ROTC", chapter 35 of
Gender and Higher Education
by Barbara J. Bank.
- Harlow G Unger (2007)
Encyclopedia of American Education
, p 938.
- David Atkinson (2012) Ultimate ROTC Guidebook, The: Tips, Tricks, and Tactics for Excelling in Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
External links
[
edit
]
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