by Col. (Retired) North k. Charles
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) remains an exciting, approachable option for college students interested in serving as commissioned officers in the United States Armed Forces. ROTC is still the largest contributor of newly commissioned officers for the Department of Defense.
While the service academies, Officer Candidate School and direct commissions all provide new officers to the services, ROTC programs account for almost half of all new officers each year. ROTC has a long tradition and proud history of serving the nation by educating and training future leaders for all services. As you might imagine, the programs also offer considerable benefits for those who qualify.
History
Captain Alden Partridge is often credited with serving as the inspiration or forefather of today’s ROTC programs. Partridge established the predecessor of Norwich University in 1819 and ensured the educational program there included military training.
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts furthered military training at colleges. The Acts allowed states to receive federal land in exchange for establishing agricultural colleges. To gain acceptance of the Act at the height of the Civil War, legislators added the requirement for land grant colleges to teach military tactics. Interest in military training for college graduates continued with the Citizens’ Military Training Camps, which trained potential officers in 1915 and 1916 in anticipation of the United States’ participation in World War One.
The phrase Reserve Officers’ Training Corps first appeared in the National Defense Act of 1916. The Act envisioned a large pool of trained and educated citizen soldiers, serving as reserve officers until required by national emergency or war. Colleges and universities were able to establish and operate programs of military instruction leading to a commission. Although many land grant colleges had military training prior to the Act, this expanded officer training to other colleges and universities. The Act also increased the amount of resources and quality of instructors available to schools offering ROTC.
ROTC has trained and educated officers for service in peacetime, both world wars, Korea, Vietnam and all recent conflicts. Famous ROTC graduates include General of the Army George C. Marshall, General Colin Powell, General Gordon Sullivan, General John P. Jumper and General Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr. During the nation’s opposition to the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 1970s, some universities scaled back, downgraded or eliminated their ROTC programs. In 1996, the Solomon Amendment empowered the Secretary of Defense to deny federal funding to universities that prohibited ROTC on their campuses. The Solomon Amendment does allow schools to require that ROTC programs conform to the same policies as other academic programs. This provision led to the services withdrawing ROTC programs from a number of schools. The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in 2010 served as a catalyst for the return of ROTC a number of Ivy League universities.
Army, Navy and Air Force ROTC Programs
Today, ROTC programs fall into three general categories: the military colleges, military junior colleges and civilian colleges with ROTC programs. The military colleges recognized in Title X of the United States Code are: the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, Ga.; Norwich University in Northfield, Vt.; Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas; The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.; Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.; and Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. The military junior colleges are Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Mo.; Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pa.; Marion Military Institute in Marion, Ala.; New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, N.M.; and Georgia Military College in Milledgeville, Ga. At these schools, some or all of the students are required to participate in ROTC. At civilian colleges with ROTC programs, students can choose to participate in ROTC, much like they can choose to participate in a degree program.
All three services — the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Air Force — operate their own ROTC programs. Universities and colleges may offer one or more ROTC programs. As you might imagine, the Army, as the largest service, has the most ROTC programs.
The U.S. Army Cadet Command, headquartered at Ft. Knox, Ky., operates the Army ROTC program. Eight ROTC Brigades oversee more than 250 Army ROTC units, which are usually referred to as Army ROTC Battalions. Army ROTC programs are split into the Basic Course and the Advanced Course. During the Basic Course, students complete Military Science I (MS I) and MS II. During the Advanced Course, students complete MS III and MS IV. Between MSIII and MS IV, Army ROTC cadets participate in the Leader Development and Assessment Course at Ft. Knox, Ky.
Naval ROTC trains and educates their midshipmen for service as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy or as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. During the summers, midshipmen in Naval ROTC programs may participate in cruises or Marine Corps training to familiarize them with the service.
Air Force ROTC programs are split into the General Military Course and the Professional Officer Course (POC). During the General Military Course, students complete Aerospace Studies 100 (AS100) and AS200. During the POC, students complete AS300 and AS400. To be selected for the POC, Air Force ROTC cadets participate in a twenty-seven day Field Training at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala.
ROTC Benefits and Obligations
Students enrolled in ROTC programs may be eligible to receive a wide variety of benefits. Among the most popular and well-known are ROTC scholarships. All services offer merit-based, competitive scholarships designed to produce officers that are in demand by their service. Scholarships can be four-year, three-year or two-year and each service manages their own application and selection process. All services also pay some amount of monthly stipend, but have varying requirements for students to receive the money.
Army ROTC non-scholarship students can choose to participate in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). SMP cadets join an Army National Guard or Army Reserve unit and participate in their training.
All ROTC graduates incur service obligations that vary by service. Obligations vary according to what type of commission the officer accepts and the amount of scholarship, if any. Most scholarship recipients have an eight year Military Service Obligation that includes a four-year Active Duty Service Obligation (ADSO). Aviators and other career fields often have much longer service obligations.
ROTC can be a great option for those seeking to serve their nation as a commissioned officer. For the foreseeable future, ROTC will continue to provide the Department of Defense the most officers of any commissioning program. ROTC programs have a proud, rich legacy of providing leaders for the U.S. during peace and war. Each service’s ROTC program has varying format, benefits and obligations. If you’re interested in ROTC, information is available online, through a local recruiter or at the ROTC department of your college or university.
