Growth in AROTC shows at Norwich

[goaliedad]

NORTHFIELD, Vt. (AP) -- Burgeoning ranks of Army ROTC students are filling college classrooms around the nation this fall as the Army seeks to beef up its officer corps with its generous scholarship program that pays the college tuition of students who are commissioned as 2nd lieutenants when they graduate.

At the hillside campus of Norwich University, the nation's oldest private military college, more than three times as many Army ROTC students are enrolled this year over last. Most of the nation's 273 colleges and universities with ROTC programs report similar increases as the Army grows its officer corps.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/09/20/us/AP-US-ROTC-Spike.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=rotc&st=cse

 

[PositiveThinking]

I read this article in our paper this morning. It made me wonder in regards to our son's applications to both USNA and NROTC, is it really harder to get a NROTC scholarship than get into USNA (around 1200 admitted to USNA vs 800 NROTC scholarships annually)? Maybe I'm reading it wrong.

 

[goaliedad]

While I know that the Army is in a "Growth" State and that they are short of Company Grade officers.....this part of the article really caught my attention:



Is there really a need for such an increase on our Brigade staffs....or is this just a way to keep certain company Grades around longer? I know that the Corps has done a similar thing and its sole purpose was to keep good officers around until we stood up a couple of new regiments in a few years. But we were talking like one extra major and maybe a 3-4 Captains.

Right now, with our focus in Iraq and Afghanistan going towards training the Iraqi and Afghan military/police, I would say that more officers of that range are probably involved with fewer enlisted necessary (except for some NCOs). We are trying to lead not only our military forces, but those of 2 other nations until their leadership is up to the level necessary for self-governance.

When we are finished putting these countries back together we will probably have a glut of officers and promotions will become difficult. However, I suspect that many of our officer candidates join today with the desire to serve in the current situation. So when we bring our troops home, many of them will be ready to move onto something else anyway. Plus, I imagine by that time the economy will have improved and the private sector money will be calling...

 

[178Nayr]

The actual growth in the BCT is a result of the transformation that the Army underwent. The brigade staff increased and company level staff increased. The battalion staff remained the same - two majors, and these are the guys that have the challenge with the push/pull from above and below. Still a work in progress no doubt.