• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Reserve Officer Training Corps [ ROTC ]

Students who enroll in ROTC don't join the Army. They take an ROTC class for which they receive credit. It's considered a college elective. The ROTC program is divided into phases: The Basic Course studies Army history, organization and structure. The techniques and principles of leadership and management are stressed throughout. The Advanced Course concentrates on tactical operations and military instruction, as well as advanced techniques of management, leadership, and command.

The secret of success is to recruit Scholar, Athlete, Leader (SAL) prospects and inculcate them with the Warrior Ethos. ROTC starts with focused and targeted recruiting to attract specific individuals (scholar, athlete, leader or "SALs"). SALs have proven to perform better in the areas of academics, fitness and leadership. A selection board evaluates candidate's potential for becoming an officer with quality indicators based on the Scholar - Athlete - Leader (SAL) model. A Soldier may be 100% qualified and eligible to contract and commission, but without meeting any of the SAL criteria he or she is not likely to be awarded a scholarship.

The Warrior Ethos is the foundation for the American Soldier's total commitment to victory in peace and war. American Soldiers have absolute faith in themselves and their team. While exemplifying the Army Values, American Soldiers: will always place the mission first; will never accept defeat; will never quit; and will never leave a fallen comrade. All Soldiers, regardless of branch, specialty, function, or battlefield location, are prepared to engage and destroy the enemies of the United States in close combat.

Each year hundreds of students attending colleges nationwide receive ROTC scholarships. ROTC awards them to students studying science, engineering, nursing, business, as well as a variety of other majors. Scholarships are awarded at different monetary levels. At some schools an ROTC scholarship is worth up to $80,000, which goes towards tuition and educational fees. Also, scholarship winners receive an allowance of up to $1,500 a year. ROTC scholarships are not based on financial need. Instead, they're awarded on merit. Merit is exhibited in academic achievement and extracurricular activities, such as sports, student government or part-time work.

The majority of new officer accessions each year are commissioned through ROTC which trains and commissions officers for both the AC and RC. Cadets receive an USAR appointment. They may serve in the AC as an other than Regular Army (OTRA) officer. RC duty is limited to USAR/ARNG officers. Branching is accomplished through a HQDA board based on the needs of the Army and the cadet's qualifications and individual preferences.

All ROTC commissioned officers incur an eight-year service obligation. Scholarship cadets have a four-year active-duty obligation, while nonscholarship cadets have a three-year obligation. The remainder of the eight-year obligation is served in the RC. Scholarship cadets must serve in a TPU all eight years, while nonscholarship cadets must serve at least six years in a TPU. The remaining two years may be spent in the IRR.

Few students seriously consider Army ROTC. Students at four-year colleges are less likely to consider enlistment. The academic reputation of the school directly related to considering enlistment. The higher the reputation, the less likely the student will have considered enlistment. Air Force ROTC is higher for whites, Hispanics and Asian Americans, but Army ROTC is preferred by African-Americans. Students most likely to enroll not only like physical activity, they seek adventurous physical activity. They may have rafted, canoed, rock climbed, or sky dived. They would probably be first in line at a bungee jump. At an amusement park, they would probably seek out the most extreme rides. They would also come to see displays of military equipment.

Army ROTC achieved its overall commission mission of 3,900 officers in fiscal year 2003 for the first time in a number of years and is postured to repeat this success in upcoming years. College ROTC: The Way Ahead, dated 4 April 2001, was instrumental in providing focus and direction to the command by articulating what needed to be improved and how to make the changes necessary to achieve success. The initiatives outlined in The Way Ahead provided new and innovative ideas to the process of commissioning officers for The Army.