WORLD’S BEST PRACTICES OF MILITARY TRAINING IN UNIVERSITIES: ROTC

Abstract

The progress of modern armed forces (AF) increases demand for skilled and qualified army personnel, and especially commissioned officers. Although military academies are the core of higher military education, the role of civil educational organizations increases. In Russia, military training in civil universities is currently proposed by recently created Military Training Centers (MTC), which gradually substitute military departments. Graduates of MTC pass through more intense training and are obligated to serve in AF for three years. The closest analog of MTC in foreign countries with strong AF is Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in USA and some other countries. The article analyzed current state of ROTС and its contribution to U.S. military personnel. More than one thousand U.S. colleges and universities offer ROTC programs. ROTC is one of the most important sources of commission for U.S. AF, which accounts for approximately one third of new commissioned officers. ROTC’s share is the largest in Army and Air Force. Both scholarship and non-scholarship ROTC programs exist and contribute to AF, although Air Force is more popular for non-scholarship programs. ROTC students are obligated to serve 3 to 5 years depending on a program; a branch-to-serve program in Army ROTC allows the choice of a more preferred branch in exchange for additional years of serve. Unlike MTC, ROTC system proposes a more intense military training, is more large-scale and flexible, allowing alternative careers and life-courses for students. Due to high independence of colleges and universities, ROTCs became an alternative channel of social mobility in the military. A combination of collaborative and competitive relations between higher education system and the Department of Defense provides favorable conditions for commissioned officers development