The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer training programs for training commissioned officers for the United States Army and its reserves components: the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard. There are over 30,000 Army ROTC cadets enrolled in 274 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).
All of these units are commanded by the U.S. Army Cadet Command, whose official mission is summarized by the US Army as being "to select, educate, train, and commission college students to be officers and leaders of character in the Total Army and form partnerships with high schools to conduct JROTC programs to develop citizens of character for a lifetime of commitment and service to the nation."
The modern Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps was created by the National Defense Act of 1916. This program commissioned its first class of lieutenants in 1920. However, the concept behind ROTC had its roots in military training which began taking place in civilian colleges and universities as early as 1819 with the founding of Norwich University, now located in Northfield, Vermont, followed by various state-chartered military schools and finally civilian land grant colleges after the Civil War, which required military training.
ROTC progression
For a cadet who only completes the first two years of ROTC (Basic Course), there is no military obligation, unless the student is a 3–4 year scholarship cadet or has other specific scholarships. If a cadet has accepted a scholarship, service commitments may vary. With some exceptions, in order to progress to the last two years of the program (Advanced Course) the cadet must contract with the United States Army. To do so, the student enlists in the United States Army Reserve Control Group (ROTC) as a cadet and elects to serve on either active duty or in a reserve component (Army National Guard or Army Reserve).
Course of instruction
The following is an outline of a general military science program.
Basic Course
Basic course qualification requirements
A candidate for freshman and sophomore level ROTC training must: Be of good moral character Be a citizen of the United States Be under 35 years of age by December 31 of the year of your graduation Be physically able to participate in the program of instruction Meet other entrance requirements as determined by the departmental chair, current army regulations and university policies A student who does not meet all of the above requirements should consult with the Department of Military Science and Leadership to determine if waivers can be granted.
Military Science I year (MSI) This year serves as the cadets' first introduction to the Army. Topics covered include military courtesy, military history, basic first aid, basic rifle marksmanship, basic hand grenade use, land navigation, rappelling, fundamentals of leadership, map orienteering, field training, military procedures, radio operations, rank structures and drill and ceremony.
Military Science II year (MSII) The second year is an expansion of the topics taught in the first year of the program. Cadets are introduced to tactics, troop leading procedures, basics of operations orders and ethics.
Basic Camp
Basic Camp, formerly Cadet Initial Entry Training (CIET) and Leader's Training Course (LTC) before that, is a four-week (28-day) introduction to Army life and leadership training of the ROTC, held at Fort Knox, Kentucky each summer. The aim of this training is to motivate and qualify cadets for entry into the Senior ROTC program. Basic Camp is a summary version of the first two years of leadership development training that cadets receive at their university for the basic course. This course is designed for college students, either in the summer between freshman and sophomore year or between sophomore and junior year, qualifying these cadets for enrollment in the Military Science III year and Advanced Course.