| The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) has been the United States Army's principal source of officers for both its active and reserve components since the 1950's. It is a formal relationship between the federal government and the independent and diversified system of American higher education. It was originally conceived to produce immediately employable officers for the reserves.;The study's results indicate the following: first, there are numerous competing interests over ROTC policy among actors within and outside the Army. Second, external and domestic influences affect ROTC policymaking. Third, students enroll in ROTC for several reasons including: the expectation of enhanced civilian employment and income opportunities; the influence of friends and families; opportunities to develop personal leadership and organizational skills, and patriotism. Finally, a redefinition of the citizen-soldier indicates that this individual remains the Army's backbone.;The purpose of this study is to determine whether ROTC remains a viable officer procurement program for the Army. The study investigates ROTC using the framework of the external and domestic influences on the structural and strategic categories of ROTC policy. The three organizing hypotheses of the study include: the greater the number of actors in the formulation and execution of ROTC policy and programs, the more likely there are to be conflicts among them; structural and domestic considerations may affect ROTC policy as much or more than strategic and external considerations, and ROTC and subsequent military service may be attractive for a variety of reasons, not all of which can be considered patriotic. Major ROTC policy issues addressed include: the quality of ROTC instructors and instruction; federal support to institutions hosting ROTC; cost-effectiveness of ROTC, and the incentives motivating students to join. The methodology employed includes: the use of existing studies and documents about ROTC; personal notes collected while a ROTC instructor; interviews with students, parents, instructors, college administrators, and senior Army ROTC decision-makers; the incorporation of survey results, and the relation of ROTC to the Army's mission and trends in strategy, tactics and technology. Finally, ROTC and the primary officer procurement programs of selected other countries are compared. |
