Military Education and Training

Programs and policies initiated to prepare individuals for service in the United States Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or other armed service branches. Military education and training consists of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs on college campuses; the formal training program (or boot camp) that enlistees undergo in the armed services; military schools at the middle school, high school, and college level; and the four military service academies. The United States government also finances and participates in the education and training of soldiers of foreign allies.

ROTC, Military Schools, and the Universal Military Training and Service Act

The purpose of ROTC programs on college campuses is to recruit and train commissioned officers. ROTC is an elective that consists of skills useful to military service: leadership, planning, ethics, and problem solving. ROTC programs produce 60% of all officers in the armed forces, mostly for the Army. Many students enroll to pay for college because merit-based ROTC scholarships often cover full tuition costs for college. Many ROTC programs were eliminated on college campuses during the Vietnam War.

Military schools are often state-supported. Although there is no requirement of service after graduation, many students do go on to join the military. Military schools at the precollege level are typically associated with severe discipline and often accept students who present discipline problems in less-structured environments.

Most college-level military academies—such as the Citadel in Charleston, North Carolina, or the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia—are not attached to universities. However, the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Tech Corps of cadets are military organizations that function as integral parts of civilian universities.

The Universal Military Training and Service Act was passed in 1951 at the outbreak of the Korean War, in response to the necessity of maintaining a prepared military. The Universal Military Training and Service Act replaced the Selective Service Act of 1948, lowered the draft age from 19 to 18-1/2, and extended the period of required service from 21 to 24 months. After Richard Nixon ended the draft in 1973, the United States came to rely on all-volunteer military and reserve forces that trained several weekends a year to maintain their skills. Since the United States launched the war in Iraq, reserve forces have played an increasingly vital role in military operations.

Military Service Academies

There are four military service academies in the United States: the Military Academy, the Naval Academy, the Air Force Academy, and the Coast Guard Academy. To be accepted into an academy, the potential student must receive an appointment from a member of Congress; the vice president of the United States, congressional delegates from Washington, DC, the Virgin Islands, and Guam; or the governors of Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Prospective students can receive a service-connected nomination as a son or daughter of enlisted personnel. Appointments are also available to children of service members killed in action, and sons and daughters of Medal of Honor winners who qualify do not require a nomination.

Also known as West Point, the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, is distinct as the oldest continuously occupied military post in the country. [Page 466]The U.S. Military Academy was founded in 1802, when President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation providing for its establishment. George Washington selected the site for the fort itself, and Tadeusz Kosciuszko, a Pole serving in the Continental Army, designed the fortifications. Washington chose the site for the monitoring of river traffic on the Hudson River.

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