Basic Training in ROTC

armyman736

5-Year Member
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If you enroll in the AROTC program in a college, do you you have some kind of basic training training that you do in the summer before you start freshmen year in college?
 
No. Your basic training is your 4 years in the program.
 
That's only for USMA, or the other service academies, otherwise known as Beast.
 
ROTC Basic Training

Generally speaking the 4 years of ROTC is the basic training for that program. However, if you don't join ROTC until your junior year OR if you attend a MJC (Military Junior College) get your commission through the Early ECP (Commissioning Program) then yes you will need some sort of basic training.

ROTC offers LTC (Leaders Training Course) in the summer before your junior year (or before starting the ECP). LTC is a 4 week leadership prep course to give you the prerequisites needed to skip the first two years of military science. http://www.nmmi.edu/rotc/LeadersTrainingCourse.htm

The other option is to attend basic training through either your state National Guard or through the Army Reserve. MJC Cadets gain the most benefits from this program as SMP Cadets (Simultaneous Membership Program).

www.nmmi.edu/rotc

Hope this helps open more options for you!

JASON E. GARCIA
Major, U.S. Army
Recruiting Operations Officer
Army ROTC Department (ECP)
New Mexico Military Institute
93' HSG, 95' JCG

Office: (575)624-8292
Fax: (575)625-2225
Admissions: 1-800-421-5376
 
Stop...you do not need to go to basic training. If you want to be an Officer, go do ROTC or SA. If you want to be an enlisted soldier go to basic and AIT.

You will have plenty of people tell you that basic training will make you a better Officer. I say BS. What will make you a better Officer is for you to learn how to be an Officer. You can do the SMP program and attend Basic, you can go the OCS route and go to Basic, but I would tell you that basic is not something you should go out of your way to do if you don't have to. It will do very little to prepare you to become an Officer.

Can you tell that's a hot button with me...Let the rebuttal begin!
 
I don't think that response should be seen as a hot button at all.

All you stated was the facts.


Becoming a strong leader is not about Basic. I look at Basic like hs to undergrad college or undergrad to grad, grad to pH.D.

What exactly is their goal?

HS, to prepare you for college...thinking foundation

College to start making you utilize the foundation to start thinking.

Grad to start thinking outside of the box from that foundation

pH.D to start utilizing that outside of the box foundation.

Those levels exist in the military.

HS...enlisted
College...SR NCO and young officers
Grad... mid level officers (O4-5)
pH.D. O6+

Doing push ups in the rain in 40 degree temps will not make you a better officer. The best officer figures out how to do it more efficiently.
 
The best officer figures out how to do it more efficiently.

Pima is totally correct. The military is looking for precisely the same type of individual for its officer corps as the middle-school quarterback depicted in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHeCGg4jhGQ

The trick for the ROTC scholarship boards, however, is to demonstrate on a few sheets of paper that you are that middle-school kid and have the smarts, initiative, athletic ability, leadership, and ability to play within the rules (while using them to your favor), coupled with an ounce of creativity to get the job done!

I also share clarksonarmy's view that prior enlisted does not make a better officer. Sure, it gives a perspective to the junior grade, but any good lieutenant will learn the lay of the land soon enough. Those who don't "get it" are weeded out at some point.
 
Sure, it gives a perspective to the junior grade, but any good lieutenant will learn the lay of the land soon enough.

Here we part. Enlisted members have lived that life and they have unique perspectives when it comes to the enlisted life. An O2 at 22 doesn't get how stressful life is for a 19 yo with 3 dependents. You can't teach that through any course, only life experience can make you "get it". Enlisted members get that.

The backbone for any branch is not the officer corp, it is the enlisted. What they bring to the table matters. Just like what officers. Both are needed to be successful.

BCT does not make anyone a better officer. That is where I personally stand. Pulling out the ruler to get your ribbons on in military reqs or getting the highest score for physical ability has little to nothing to do with anything when bullets are flying in combat. Being able to think and lead has more impact.

Basic does not give you that when it comes to leading...that is why the SAs, ROTC and OTS/C exist. Basic is about following not leading.
 
So plebe summer, swab summer, bct usafa, beast usma is worthless. So why is it part of the academies program?
 
No, basic training is not required for traditional ROTC methods. However, for the financial benefits many students need to pay for college come from attending basic training and AIT. The students all Military Junior Colleges deal with are young, generally straight out of HS, and WANT the basic training experience before becoming an officer. Is it required, no...but some form of basic credit is needed for a student to jump right into a college junior level course at an MJC as a college freshman. That is why they created "Basic Camp" now called LTC (Leaders Training Course). In the situation of MJC enrollement basic in some form is REQUIRED.

The idea is to give the student the best possible set of options to pay for school, get an education, while pursuing their goal of becoming an officer.

It has nothing to do with making a person a better officer just by attending BCT/AIT. There are many more variables to consider.
 
Agolson, you are mixing oranges with apples.

BCT at an SA is different than basic for enlisted.

Let's try to keep the line clear.

BCT at an SA doesn't have the same purpose for basic as an enlisted.

NMMI, you make valid points. However, ROTC was not created to pay for college. It was created to groom more officers for every branch. The fiscal aspect is secondary.

I love your last line..."It has nothing to do with making a person a better officer just by attending BCT/AIT. There are many more variables to consider."
 
Agolson, you are mixing oranges with apples.

BCT at an SA is different than basic for enlisted.

Let's try to keep the line clear.

BCT at an SA doesn't have the same purpose for basic as an enlisted.

NMMI, you make valid points. However, ROTC was not created to pay for college. It was created to groom more officers for every branch. The fiscal aspect is secondary.

I love your last line..."It has nothing to do with making a person a better officer just by attending BCT/AIT. There are many more variables to consider."

I assumed he was asking if ROTC had a similar summer indoc period as the SA. I was also assuming that majority of the respondents were saying it was not necessary. Just wanted to know why?
 
I assumed he was asking if ROTC had a similar summer indoc period as the SA. I was also assuming that majority of the respondents were saying it was not necessary. Just wanted to know why?

Not referring to SA/ROTC summer indoc period...
but enlisting as Enlisted, going through Enlisted Basic training in SMP (and maybe AIT),
then going through the ROTC training program.

Some argue that this 'route' makes you a better officer, many disagree.

IMHO;
Coming at this from an old ex-NCO point of view...
I have seen both very good and very bad officers produced by ROTC/USMA/OCS/Green to Gold...
No specific route seemed to produce superior officers from my (very out of date) point of view.
 
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I was also assuming that majority of the respondents were saying it was not necessary. Just wanted to know why?

What do they learn in Basic training for enlisted? Do they learn how to lead, or follow?

Officers and NCOs are leaders that order soldiers/airmen/sailors.

Basic is a month or two. ROTC is yrs.

IMHO;
Coming at this from an old ex-NCO point of view...
I have seen both very good and very bad officers produced by ROTC/USMA/OCS/Green to Gold...
No specific route seemed to produce superior officers from my (very out of date) point of view.

I agree, but education matters when they live in the real world, even military. If you can't get the goal of the mission, than you hurt the organization. If you don't have the educational foundation to create the mission, every member will be hurt be when the mission is implemented.
 
I assumed he was asking if ROTC had a similar summer indoc period as the SA. I was also assuming that majority of the respondents were saying it was not necessary. Just wanted to know why?

I went through the system during the glorious days of Ronald Reagan. Sure, at Norwich, prior-enlisted rooks had an edge over their peers AT NORWICH (even in the following years as an upperclassman). But when I showed up at IOBC in Ft. Benning, Georgia, with a mixed class of USMA grads, SMC grads, and ROTC grads, there was absolutely no difference among the OBC Lieutenants (some good, some bad -- but no trend pointing to commissioning source or prior-enlisted experience). This was even more pronounced when we reported to our units. In fact, most officers were ROTC, and there was absolutely no difference in terms of the quality of leadership. For example, my Corps Commander (LTG Colin Powell) -- an ROTC graduate from City College of New York -- did just as fine a job as my Division Commander (MG George Joulwan) -- a USMA graduate. This was equally the case all the way down to the lowliest "butter bar" in my company. Although I do not know General Casey (current Army Chief of Staff) personally, so I can't evaluate the efficacy of his leadership skills, I do know that he is an ROTC graduate from Georgetown. General Casey, I'm sure, is just as capable as General Petraeus (a USMA grad). Perhaps I am wrong, but I don't think any of these folks were prior-enlisted.

Maybe I just had an unusual experience in the military.

Pima, I did not mean to discount, in any way, the vital role that enlisted play in our military. I was just responding to the argument that prior-enlisted makes you a better officer. Not so. But thank heavens for the NCOs!! When I reported to my unit with shiny new butter bars, I was the youngest individual in my platoon (even younger than all of the "mosquito wings" in our unit). My platoon sergeant saved my butt on many, many occasions!
 
I was shocked by that post because it didn't seem like you from a forum perspective.

The clarification makes sense now.

I am also glad you stated that as someone who was AD, because it is important that our future officers understand: My platoon sergeant saved my butt on many, many occasions!

Heck the maintainer saved Bullet's life also for something so simple as finding his wedding ring in the cockpit :eek:

I do agree the best NCO does not equate to being the best Officer. That is like saying the best enlisted member at Basic will make Chief NCO. The amount of things that go into the equation to get there is INSANE!
 
Iwasnt really asking if I would go to BCT. I was wondering if there was some sort of summer training program that I would go through.
 
If you enroll in the AROTC program in a college, do you you have some kind of basic training training that you do in the summer before you start freshmen year in college?

No, not before freshmen year in college,
My DS (as an example) was told he will need to show up for college
this fall a week early for AROTC orientation. (every school is different)

Freshman and Sophomores can compete for slots at Airborne, Mountain Warfare, Air Assault schools, etc...
that they can(but are not required) during the summer.

Between Junior and Senior yrs all contracted cadets are required to attend 'Warrior Forge' -
Leader Development & Assessment Course. (LDAC) @ Fort Lewis, Washington
 
No, not before freshmen year in college,
My DS (as an example) was told he will need to show up for college
this fall a week early for AROTC orientation. (every school is different)

Freshman and Sophomores can compete for slots at Airborne, Mountain Warfare, Air Assault schools, etc...
that they can(but are not required) during the summer.

Between Junior and Senior yrs all contracted cadets are required to attend 'Warrior Forge' -
Leader Development & Assessment Course. (LDAC) @ Fort Lewis, Washington

What is a DS?
 
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