What is Army ROTC?
LEADERSHIP THAT LASTS A LIFETIME
Army ROTC is an elective curriculum you take along with your required college classes. It gives you the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive environment. Along with great leadership training, Army ROTC can pay for your college tuition. Because Army ROTC is an elective, you can participate your freshman and sophomore years without any obligation to join the Army. You will have a normal college student experience like everyone else on campus, but when you graduate, you will be commissioned as an Officer in the Army. At that point, you will have a wide range of interest areas you can specialize in called branches.
The Basics
- Cadets are broken down by Military Science (MS) level
- MS levels are generally aligned with academic years
- MS I = Freshmen
- MS II = Sophomore
- MS III = Junior
- MS IV = Senior
- Cadets are given increasing responsibilities as they progress through the MS levels
The Cadet Career
- MS I
- Primary focus on learning about the Army, customs, ranks, teamwork, leadership & personal development, etc.
- MS II
- Primary focus is on learning basic Army skills and tactical leadership
- First leadership responsibilities (Team Leader)
- Basic Camp
- 29 Day Course at Ft Knox, KY
- Helps prepare CDTs for ROTC
- Teaches basic soldier skills
- MS III
- Primary focus is honing basic Army and team leadership skills
- Company-level leadership position (Commander, First Sergeant, XO, Platoon Leader, etc)
- Prepare for Cadet Leader Course (CLC)
- Advanced Camp
- A 37 day course at Ft Knox, Kentucky
- All cadets from across the US must attend
- Normally the summer between MSIII and MSIV year
- Accessions
- Process that the Army uses to decide where each Cadet will serve (Active, National Guard, Reserves)
- Cadets selected for Active Duty will also compete for their branch (Infantry, Armor, etc.)
- Results in September and November of MS IV year
- MS IV
- Lead the Battalion, Leadership in a Complex World
- Prepare to be commissioned Officers in United States Army
What is Southern Strike Cadet?
- Physically, mentally, emotionally fit
- Possesses strong moral character
- Campus and community leader
- Does the right thing even when no one is looking
- A model student: Academically on track
- Ambassador of our military and nation
- Lives by the Army Values: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity and Personal Courage
- Treats people with respect and dignity
- Always a team player
- Leads by example
- Strive for Excellence
Misconceptions about ROTC/US Army
- You have to be 6 ft tall and 180lbs of pure muscle to join
- There are limited opportunities for females
- All Soldiers becomes infantrymen and kill people
- You have to be athletic
- You have to be obedient because you will have no voice
- Joining the ROTC means committing yourself to servitude for life
- If you commission, you have to become a full time Officer
- Your knowledge and experience will be limited to military
- You will deploy so much you can’t have a normal family
- You will not be able to pursue higher education
What US Army Officer Corps has to offer
- Be part of the premier government organization with highest rating for trust and confidence by the American people
- Enhance your fitness: Physically, mentally, emotionally
- Provide you with equal opportunity regardless of gender, race or ethnicity
- Provide best medical/dental coverage in the nation
- Provide fully-funded training, internships, fellowships and education that translates into a civilian profession
- Provide a career opportunity in almost all fields and locations around the world
- Become globally aware and engaged
- Provide one of the best retirement plan in the nation
- Provide multiple “perks” for you and your dependents (PX, home loans, BAH, BAS, Quality of Life enhancing services, support community)
- Provide educational benefits for you and your dependents
- Develop you into a world-class leader and a manager recognized by all
Career Fields in the US Army
- Almost every career field you can think of, exist in the US Army
- Almost 50 Branches, or Area of Concentration (AOC) for Officers (including basic and non-accession, functional area branches)
- Many functional areas and special operations branches are available by selection after successful basic branch service
- You can be part of more than one AOC throughout your career – Army will give you necessary civilian and military training for the transition
Fully-funded College Experience
- Cultural Understanding Leadership Program to include: Guyana, Chile, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Egypt, Korea, etc
- Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT) – to any post to include Fort Bragg, Hawaii, Fort Bliss, Fort Stewart, Fort Lewis, Korea, Fort Carson
- Additional Skills Identifier (ASI) Producing Specialized Schools: Airborne, Air Assault, Jungle Warfare, Pathfinder, Ranger, Sapper, etc
- Summer Work Program: West Point Cadet Field Training Cadre, Nurse Internship Program, National Security Agency Internship Program, National Forensic Science Technology Center’s
- Internship Program, National Ground Intelligence Center Internship Program (NGICIP) etc
Statistics
- 53% of our Cadets are Liberal Arts, Criminal Justice, Art and International Relations
- 22% of cadets are Finance, Psychology, Business Admin
- 15% of cadets are Physical Sciences and Biology
- 8% of cadets are Engineers
- 2% of cadets are in Nursing
- Southern Strike sent 45 MS III’s to Advance Camp and 20 MS II’s to Basic Camp at Fort Knox, KY for the summer of 2018.
- 25% of our Cadets are females.
- 33% of our Cadets have 3.0 + GPA.
- 27% of our Cadets scored higher than an 270 (out of possible 300) on the APFT.
- 25% of our Cadets are prior service or SMP Cadets.
- 50% of our Cadets are of minority descent.
Career Fields in the US Army
- Academy Professor (FA 47)
- Adjutant General Corps – Human Resources
- Air Defense Artillery – Defend against enemy missiles and aircrafts
- Analysis (ORSA) (FA49)
- Armor – Tanks & Bradleys
- Army Acquisition Corps (FA 51)
- Army Dental Corps
- Army Medical Specialist Corps
- Army Nurse Corps
- Aviation – rotary and fixed wingsBehavioral Science
- Behavioral Science
- Chaplain Corps – 140 faith groups endorse chaplains in the Chaplain Corps
- Chemical Corps – defense against Chemical, Biological, Radiological Nuclear weapons
- Civil Affairs – Bridges the Army and Civilian Worlds; apply regional, cultural, language expertise to support US operation & interests
- Electronic Warfare Branch (EW) (FA29)
- Engineer – Construction, geospatial, bridge, power, rescue, Sapper etc
- Field Artillery – long range weapons “big guns”
- Finance Corps – Budget: purchasing & acquiring services and supplies
- Force Management (FA50)
- Foreign Area Officer (FA48)
- Infantry – Main land combat force of US Army
- Information Network Engineering Functional Area (FA26)
- Information Operations (FA 30)
- Judge Advocate General Corps
- Logistics – Combines the areas of Quarter master, Ordnance, and Transportation providing advanced expertise
- Medical Corps
- Medical Department FA: Health Services, Laboratory Sciences, Preventive Medicine Sciences
- Medical Service Corps
- Military Information Support Operation – A master of influence; leverage a variety of concerted media and emerging tech to change behaviors and perceptions in critical global locations
- Military Intelligence – Gather, analyze, disseminate intelligence of the battlefield
- Military Police – Law & order, internment resettlement, area security, Police Intelligence etc
- Operations Research/Systems
- Ordinance Corps – Material Maintenance, Munitions & Material , Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD)
- Psychological Operations
- Public Affairs (FA 46)
- Quarter Master Corps – Supply Distribution, Field, Water, Field Services, Aerial Delivery, Substance and Mortuary Affairs
- Signal Corps – High Tech communication systems
- Simulation Operations (FA57)
- Space Operations (FA40)
- Special Forces – Combine warrior and interpersonal skills to accomplish our nation’s objectives
- Strategic Intelligence (FA 34)
- Strategic Plan and Policy (FA59)
- Transportation Corps – Transport Soldiers, equipment and supplies
- Veterinary Corps
Contracting
- Cadets may complete the first two years of training with no obligations
- All 8 universities give academic credit for ROTC courses
- Cadets must “contract” prior to becoming a MS III
- Contracting can be done at almost any time
- There are many different Contracting options
- Scholarship
- Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GRFD)
- Non-scholarship
- Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP)
- Contracted Cadets must:
- US Citizen
- Maintain a 2.0 GPA (semester and cumulative)
- Maintain a full time student status
- Be medically qualified
- Pass the Army Physical Fitness Test
- Maintain Height and Weight Standards
- Continue in the ROTC Program
- After graduation, serve 4 years Active or 8 years Reserves
- Cadets may have to pay back money or serve in the Army if they disenroll from ROTC after contracting
Scholarships
Scholarships pay for:
- 100% of your Tuition and Fees
OR - Room and Board
AND
Funds for books – $1,200 annually
Stipend of $420 monthly to supplement incidentals
Some universities provide additional financial incentives* - The number and types of scholarships available constantly change
- Some scholarships are awarded during the National Scholarship process
- Some scholarships are “Campus-based”
- Some scholarships are conditional (only for certain year groups, certain majors, only for Reserve Duty, etc)
- Best advice – get yourself ready, you never know when opportunity will knock
- Not everyone will get a scholarship
Color Guard
Cadets present our National Colors at sporting events and local community ceremonies. We will complete 20-30 color guard missions during the school year.
Advanced Courses
Every Army ROTC Cadet who enters into the Advanced Course attends the Cadet Leader Course. It’s a five-week summer course to evaluate and train all Army ROTC Cadets. This course normally takes place between your junior and senior years of college, and is conducted at Fort Knox, Kentucky.