Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps

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Army JROTC Insignia

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools across the United States. The program was originally created as part of the 1916 National Defense Act and was later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.^[1]

According to Title 10, Section 2031 of the United States Code, it's purpose is "to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment." ^[2] The Army has stated that although JROTC is "not a recruiting program" it will inform "about the opportunities available in the military" and "may help motivate young Americans toward military service" [1]. An Army policy memorandum suggests that JROTC is not precluded from "facilitating the recrutiment of young men and women into the U.S. Army", directing instructors to "actively assist cadets who want to enlist in the military [and] emphasize service in the U.S. Army; facilitate recruiter access to cadets in JROTC program and to the entire student body...[and] work closely with high school guidance counselors to sell the Army story." ^[3] Former US Defense Secretary William Cohen has referred to JROTC as "one of the best recruitment programs we could have".[2]

1 Overview
2 Controversy
3 Selected JROTC units
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Overview

All five branches of the US Armed Forces sponsor JROTC programs. Unlike college and university ROTC programs, Navy and Marine Corps JROTC programs are separate entities. The Coast Guard operates only one JROTC program at the MAST Academy in Miami, Florida.

Marine Corps JROTC Insignia

In public schools, JROTC is usually an elective course with membership limited to US citizens and legal foreign nationals, those who will graduate with their 9th grade corhort, and have not experienced an out of school suspension during the preceding 6 month period. Boarding schools or (pre-college) military schools may offer JROTC programs, with some requiring participation as a condition for acceptance to the school. Often, students will participate for one year receive credit in lieu of a physical education class. Students who excel in the first year of JROTC can apply for a second year. Most schools offer three to four years of JROTC training.

JROTC is partly funded by the United States Department of Defense in the Operation and Maintenance account of the defense budget [3]. Financial support from the Federal Government includes reimbursement for instructor salaries (see below), cadet uniforms, equipment and textbooks for use in military science classes.

In 1992, Congress expanded the total number of JROTC units to a maximum of 3550; The statutory limitation on the number of units was struck from the law in 2001 [4]. Schools who doesn't receive JROTC designation has the option of hosting a National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) program. NDCC units differ from JROTC in that they receive little or no financial support from the Armed Forces; uniforms, equipment, other materials and instructor salaries must normally be furnished by the school hosting an NDCC program. Except for the funding aspects, JROTC and NDCC programs are virtually identical.

In the Army JROTC program (for example), the cadet unit at each school is directed by at least one retired commissioned officer (in the grade of Second Lieutenant through Colonel) or a warrant officer (WO1 through CW5) and at least one retired noncommissioned officer (in the grade of Sergeant First Class through Sergeant Major). In certain situations there may be additional instructors. Retired general or flag officers are generally not permitted to work as JROTC instructors, nor are retired Reserve and National Guard personnel. However, a new provison from the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Section 540), signed by the President into law in October 2006, permits Retired Reserve officers and noncommissioned officers to be hired as instructors. Although active duty instructors may be assigned, in reality, most JROTC instructors are retired from active duty in the branch of the Armed Forces sponsoring the unit concerned. Junior ROTC units may also be found in military schools. The Armed Forces use a unique reimbursement procedure to assist schools in hiring JROTC instructors: schools contract with retired military personnel (who have been approved by the respective service) for JROTC instructor positions. The instructor continues to receive their normal retired pay, but in addition, the school normally agrees to pay the difference between the instructor's retired pay and what the instructor would receive if they were on active duty. The service concerned then reimburses the school for approximately one-half of the amount paid by the school to the instructor. The Navy requires that JROTC instructors are employees of the school and are required by the sponsoring service to have the same status as other school faculty members.^[4]

The curriculum stresses military discipline and character education. Cadets typically wear their uniforms once or twice a week, usually standing for inspection, with the exception being those cadets who attend a JROTC-based military academy. Many cadets participate in extracurricular activities such as a drill team, color guard, marksmanship team, rocketry team, or orienteering. During the school year, there are regional competitions between JROTC units, with testing in all areas of military, naval and aerospace science. Some units organize special visits to US military bases during school breaks. There are also many summertime "leadership academies" for cadets hosted by various military installations.

New York Military Academy Army JROTC cadets at Annual Formal Inspection in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York.

Many units also host an annual military ball where cadets put on their best dress uniforms (see related article mess dress) and gather together for a formal dinner. Usually awards are presented, speeches are given, and in many respects the occasion is like a second "prom" for juniors and seniors; sophomores and freshman are also allowed to attend the Military Ball. Female cadets are generally not required to wear the dress uniform for military ball, but some do so voluntarily.

Sometimes units also have a separate awards ceremony, which is attended by the instructors, guests, and parents. Fraternal organizations, such as the American Legion, often give out awards for military excellence, academics, and citizenship, in addition to the standard awards given by the JROTC program.

The year may be finished with a change of command ceremony, where the new unit commander, executive officer, and other unit officers are named and take command from the current officers. Mid-level officers are also named. Some units choose the next year's NCO and junior officer corps based on officer and NCO candidate schools, usually held immediately following the end of the school year.

Successful completion of the program (usually 2-4 years of classes) can lead to advanced rank upon enlistment in the Armed Forces. For example, upon completion of 4 years of Air Force JROTC, it is possible for cadets, at their senior aerospace science instructor's discretion, to enlist in the Air Force at the rank of Airman First Class (E-3). Many JROTC instructors, however, encourage their cadets to apply to one or more of the United States military academies and/or college ROTC programs. The hope is to inspire cadets to go on to college, and if they desire military service, to do so by becoming a commissioned officer. JROTC participation incurs no obligation to join the military.

Units are set up according to the layout of their parent service. Army and Marine Corps JROTC units follow the battalion structure. Air Force JROTC units are composed structurally based on size (wing if more than 251 cadets, group if more than 101, squadron if more than 51). Navy JROTC also typically follows the company (100-149 cadets), battalion (150-299 cadets), or regiment (300+ cadets) structure depending on the size of the unit.

Navy JROTC Insignia

As of June 2006, there are:

1555 Army JROTC units^[1]
794 Air Force JROTC units^[5]
619 Navy JROTC units^[6]
260 Marine Corps JROTC units^[7]
1 Coast Guard JROTC unit

[edit] Controversy

Controversy has erupted in the recent years about JROTC and militarism in schools. The American Friends Service Committee, an organization actively opposing JROTC nationwide, says that JROTC is a subtle way of military recruiting and a public relations tool for the military, draining resources from other educational programs and undermining efforts to demonstrate that violence and weapons have no place in schools [5]. They have found JROTC to cost local school districts substantially more than the cost estimates the military provides, and more costly on a per-pupil basis than academic, non-military instruction. [6] The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors says JROTC promotes violence, drains resources from constructive programs, teaches authoritarianism and passivity, and violates local control of education [7].

In a controversial decision, the San Francisco School Board voted in November 2006 to eliminate JROTC altogether in the entire city within two years [8], stating that "armed forces should have no place in public schools, and the military's discriminatory stance on gays makes the presence of JROTC unacceptable." [9]