Reserve Officers' Training Corps

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ROTC links here. For other uses, see ROTC (disambiguation)

A Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.

The U.S. Armed Forces and a number of other national militaries, particularly those countries with strong historical ties to the United States, have ROTC programs. The Republic of the Philippines established its program in 1912, with the creation of the first unit at the University of the Philippines during American colonial rule. ROTC in the Republic of South Korea started in 1963; while Taiwan created its own program in 1997.

Newly graduated and commissioned officers of the Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) Unit Hampton Roads stand at attention as they are applauded during the Spring Commissioning Ceremony

ROTC produces officers in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces except the U.S. Coast Guard: 56 percent of U.S. Army, 11 percent of the U.S. Marine Corps, 20 percent of the U.S. Navy, and 41 percent of the U.S. Air Force, for a combined 39 percent of all active duty officers in the Department of Defense.^[1] The Philippine-based National ROTC Alumni Association (NRAA) estimates that 75 percent of the officer corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines come from ROTC.^[2]

With the exception of the U.S. Coast Guard, each of the U.S. Armed Forces offer competitive, merit-based scholarships to ROTC students, often covering full tuition for college. U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force ROTC students are referred to as cadets, while U.S. Naval ROTC students are known as midshipmen; these terms coincide with their service academy counterparts. The Naval ROTC program commissions both U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps officers. The U.S. Coast Guard sponsors only a JROTC program.

Army ROTC units are organized as brigades and battalions. Air Force ROTC units are detachments with the students organized into wings, groups, squadrons, and flights, like the active Air Force. Naval ROTC units are organized into Naval battalions. If the Marine students are integrated with the Navy students, there are companies; but having the Navy students in departments and divisions like a ship, and the Marines in a separate company is only done when an ROTC unit has sufficient members to warrant an extra division.

[edit] History of U.S. ROTC

The concept of ROTC in the United States began with the Morrill Act of 1862 which established the land-grant colleges. Part of the federal government's requirement for these schools was that they include military tactics as part of their curriculum, forming what became known as ROTC. The college from which ROTC originated is Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. Norwich was founded in 1819 at Norwich, Vermont, as the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy.^[3]

Army ROTC cadets on a field training exercise

Until the 1960s, many major universities required compulsory 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.^[4] In some places ROTC was expelled from campus altogether, although it was always possible to participate in off-campus ROTC.

In recent years, concerted efforts are being made at some Ivy League universities that have previously banned ROTC, including Harvard and Columbia, to return ROTC to campus.^[5] In the 21st century, the debate often focuses around the Congressional don't ask, don't tell law, signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1993, which forbids homosexuals serving in the United States military from disclosing their sexual orientation at the risk of expulsion. Some schools believe this legal mandate would require them to waive or amend their non-discrimination policies. The Supreme Court ruled in March 2006 that they are entitled to hold this opinion, but at the expense of federal funding (see Solomon Amendment).

Under current law, there are three types of ROTC programs administered, each with a different element.^[6]

• 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 high school and junior college education. These schools do not grant baccalaureate degrees but meet all other requirements of military colleges, but currently are only permitted to commission officers into the U.S Army. They may also support a JROTC program.

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. 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.^[7]

[edit] U.S. Army ROTC

U.S. Army ROTC Shoulder Sleeve Insignia

The modern Army ROTC was created by the National Defense Act of 1916 and commissioned its first class of lieutenants in 1920. It was patterned after the British Officers Training Corps, which supplied most of the British officers in World War I.

[edit] Notable Army ROTC graduates

In 1960, General George H. Decker became the first ROTC graduate named chief of staff of the Army (although General of the Army George C. Marshall, chief of staff of the Army during WWII, was a product of the Virginia Military Institute, he technically received a direct commission, since the modern-day ROTC program had not officially been established when he graduated). General Colin Powell was the first ROTC graduate named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was a graduate of the City College of New York.

Chiefs of staff of the Army or Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to come out of Army ROTC include:

• Chiefs of Staff of the Army
  • GA George Marshall (Virginia Military Institute)
  • GEN George Decker (Lafayette College)
  • GEN Fred Weyland (University of California, Berkeley)
  • GEN Gordon Sullivan (Norwich University)
  • GEN Peter Schoomaker (University of Wyoming)
  • GEN George Casey (Georgetown University)

• Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • GEN Colin Powell (City College of New York)
  • GEN Hugh Shelton (North Carolina State University)

Virginia Military Institute holds the record among ROTC schools for the most general and flag officers produced, with 265 as of 2006.^[8] The University of Oregon has produced the highest number of general officers out of the civilian ROTC schools, with a total of 44.^[9] Texas A&M University produces more officers than any other ROTC program, largely because of the university's long history as a military college.^[10]

[edit] U.S. Naval ROTC

The Naval Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NROTC) program was founded in 1926; in 1932, the U.S. Marine Corps joined the program.

[edit] U.S. Air Force ROTC

The first Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (then Air ROTC) units were established between 1920 and 1923 at the University of California at 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, General of the Army Dwight Eisenhower established Air Force ROTC units at 77 colleges and universities throughout the United States.

[edit] U.S. Coast Guard ROTC

There are no current ROTC programs sponsored by the U.S. Coast Guard, but there is a Direct Commissioning program for graduates of maritime academies. The Direct Commission Maritime Academy Graduate Program is available to individuals who hold a degree from a qualifying state or federal Maritime Academy and hold a Third Mate or Third Assistant Engineer license, or a degree major in Marine Environmental Protection or a related field. Maritime Academy Graduates have education and training that enhances the Coast Guard's ability to carry out its operational missions. Individuals selected will serve as a Coast Guard Reserve Officer on full-time active duty. In addition, there is one JROTC program currently in existence.

[edit] See also

• Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
• Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps
• Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps
• United States Service Academies
• Senior Military Colleges
• Military Junior Colleges
• Military Academies
• Gold Bar Recruiter

[edit] External links

• U.S. Army ROTC
• U.S. Air Force ROTC
• U.S. Naval ROTC
• Archive of ROTC news and documents at Advocates for ROTC

[edit] References