Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps

Last updated
Air Force JROTC emblem AFJunior Reserve Officer Training Corps.png
Air Force JROTC emblem

Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFJROTC) is an elective class offered in many high schools across the United States. It is the junior division of a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program composed of physical training, aerospace science academic classes, and leadership skill creation. Outside of the formal class, there are extra-curricular teams that cadets may participate in to create qualities of leadership and followership. Unlike the collegiate version of ROTC, upon completion of JROTC there is no military service required. This allows the youth of the United States to experience the military without having long-term commitments.

Contents

Mission statement

Developing citizens of character.

History

Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps was founded in 1911 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, by Army Lt. Edgar R. Steevers. [1] He created the program with the idea in mind to create more enlightened and higher quality citizens for the United States of America as well to educate young people about the military and its functions. AFJROTC is found at approximately 800 high schools across the nation as of 2014 and that number continues to grow. [2]

Chain of command and classroom procedures

AFJROTC is unique in its class procedures than typical classes that one takes in high school. AFJROTC is structured to be run predominantly by cadets, with the supervision of the Senior Aerospace Science Instructor (SASI) and Aerospace Science Instructor (ASI). [3] Every Corps of Cadets has a chain of command similar to that in the actual military. At the top of the chain there is the Corps Commander who has his/her staff of leadership. The senior staff of cadets along with the Corps Commander decides what activities the Corps will partake in and/or sponsor. The SASI (Senior Aerospace Science Instructor) and ASI (Aerospace Science Instructor) oversee the activities and helps the corps achieve their unit and Head Quarter Goals. [4] The SASI is a retired Air Force Commissioned Officer, and the ASI is a retired Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer. The size of the Cadet Corps dictates the number of instructors. At a minimum all instructors are required to have a Bachelor's Degree, [5] and a majority of them have their Master's Degree. [6]

Curriculum

Curriculum in Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps is spent instructing cadets about leadership, aerospace science, and how to become enlightened citizens. Leadership instruction is achieved by partial study of the matter, but is predominantly experience based. There are multiple leadership positions that cadets can hold that vary from Corps to Corps, but one similarity between all Corps is the chain of command that each one functions by. Cadets can work their way up the ladder of leadership in order to develop their skills. Instruction in aerospace science consists primarily of the study of aerodynamics, the history of the Air Force, and the protocol of being a cadet in the Air Force JROTC program. [7]

Uniform wear

AFJROTC cadets wear the same uniform as active duty United States Air Force members. The Air Force requires that at least once a week AFJROTC cadets must wear their Dress Blues (Class A or Class B) as well as the ABUs (Formally known as OCPs) and be inspected by their cadet leadership for accuracy. Cadets will also wear their uniform to parades, competitions, and ceremonial affairs. Cadets must learn how to properly adorn medals, ribbons, cords, badges, and other items awarded to cadets through their efforts put forth in the Corps. [8]

Physical training

Physical training in AFJROTC consists of training the individual cadets to the Air Force’s standards of physical fitness for AFJROTC cadets. The training consists of physical examinations once an academic quarter (2 ½ months) to track progress and increase the physical abilities and limitations of the cadets. The fitness tests consist of flexibility testing, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, sprinting exercises, and cardiovascular endurance via a one-mile run. Each quarter of the academic school year, cadets are tested on these qualities and their progress is tracked. [9] Awards may be presented to cadets based on their ability to perform physically.

Extracurricular activities

AFJROTC requires that cadets wear the uniform, participate in academics, and participate in physical fitness. Cadets do not have to participate in extra-curricular activities, however they are encouraged in order to advance in leadership positions and develop esprit de corps. Extra-curricular activities consist of regulation armed drill teams, regulation unarmed drill teams, exhibition armed drill teams, exhibition unarmed drill teams, cyber patriot (instruction on how to defend against cyber hacking), flag detail, color guard, and raider teams (team that competes in various physical events). All of these teams compete against other JROTC units, and these competitions are sponsored by high schools, the JROTC units themselves, and occasionally Air Force collaborations. The AFA (Air Force Association) is the most notable sponsor of AFJROTC events, and is most famous for hosting drill team meets. In addition to teams, there are many field trips and camps that are available to cadets to get involved in their respective corps. [10] Examples of some of these field trips offered to cadets include aerospace museum visits, KC-135 refueling aircraft trips, and week-long military camps at institutes across the nation such as The Citadel, the United States Air Force Academy, VMI, and Norwich University.

Future opportunities

A Certificate of Completion is presented to Cadets who have completed at least three years of the AFJROTC program and have received a grade of 75% or higher each semester enrolled in the program. If a cadet chooses to enlist in a branch of the military, the Certificate of Completion will allow them to enlist as an E-3 in the Air Force, or as an E-2 or E-3 in other branches, however this and other benefits provided by the Certificate of Completion only apply if the Senior Aerospace Instructor (SASI) endorses the cadet. [11]

A cadet who has been enrolled in AFJROTC for 2 or more years and is a graduating senior may be nominated for a J-100 scholarship by their unit instructor. Of the nominated cadets, 100 are awarded a scholarship. The scholarship includes 100% paid tuition at any university with a AFROTC detachment, $10k yearly allowance for on-campus housing, an annual book stipend, and a monthly cadet stipend. If a cadet accepts the scholarship, they are required to pursue an officer commission through AFROTC. [12]

Notes

  1. ↑ "Air Force Junior ROTC Grant." - Air Force Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.afa.org/informationfor/teachers/k12grants/airforcejuniorrotcgrant Archived 2015-02-11 at the Wayback Machine >.
  2. ↑ Grier, Peter. "AFJROTC in a Holding Pattern." Air Force Magazine Jan. 2014: 57-59. Military and Government Collection. Web. 9 Nov. 2014.
  3. ↑ "Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)." Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC). N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <https://kb.defense.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/513/~/junior-reserve-officer-training-corps-(jrotc)>.
  4. ↑ Welcome to AFJROTC Homepage." Welcome to AFJROTC Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <>.
  5. ↑ "Undergraduate degree", Wikipedia, 2024-05-30, retrieved 2024-06-15
  6. ↑ "Master's degree", Wikipedia, 2024-04-22, retrieved 2024-06-15
  7. ↑ "Air Force National JROTC Drill Championships Series Homepage." Air Force National JROTC Drill Championships Series Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://www.thenationals.net/af-nationals.htm>.
  8. ↑ "AFJROTC - Mission, History, Creed." AFJROTC - Mission, History, Creed. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <http://cms.dsusd.k12.ca.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=61225&&PHPSESSID=02e2034e644f158ef0aee427ed10b177 Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine >.
  9. ↑ Welcome to AFJROTC Homepage." Welcome to AFJROTC Homepage. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. <>.
  10. ↑ "Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC)." Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC). N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Nov. 2014. .
  11. ↑ "Benefits". USAF UNIT TX 20061, Langham Creek AFJROTC. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ↑ "J-100 Scholarship Information". Air University (AU). 2023-09-26. Retrieved 2023-12-05.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> Military officer training program in the US

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets</span> Military unit

The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets is a student military organization at Texas A&M University. Established with the university in 1876, it is the oldest student organization on campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combined Cadet Force</span> British military youth organisation, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in schools, sub divided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Army Cadets</span> Military unit

The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a national Canadian youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Under the authority of the National Defence Act, the program is administered by the Canadian Armed Forces and funded through the Department of National Defence. Additionally, the civilian partner of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, the Army Cadet League of Canada, also ensures financial, accommodations and transportation support for RCAC programs and services at a community level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets</span> Military unit

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and receive an intensive military and leadership educational experience similar to that available at the United States service academies. The Corps of Cadets has existed from the founding of the Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1872 to the present-day institution of Virginia Tech, which is designated a senior military college by federal law. As of August 2021, about 1,200 cadets are currently enrolled in the program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. military instructor badges</span>

The U.S. military issues instructor badges to specially training military personnel who are charged with teaching military recruits the skills they need to perform as members of the U.S. Armed Forces or teach continuing education courses for non-commissioned officers and officers in the military. With the exception of the U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard, these badges are considered temporary military decorations and must be surrendered upon completion of one's duty as a military instructor. Because of this, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps award Drill Instructor Ribbons as a permanent decoration to recognize service members who have qualified and performed as military instructors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exhibition drill</span>

Exhibition drill is a variant of drill that involves complex marching sequences which usually deviate from drill used in the course of ordinary parades. Teams performing exhibition drill are often affiliated with military units, but the scope of exhibition drill is not limited to military drill teams. Exhibition drill is often performed by Armed Forces Precision Drill Teams, the drill teams at service academies and ROTC and JROTC units, and civilian drill teams that perform at parades, drill meets, and half-time shows and other public venues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps</span> Commissioning source for US Air Force and Space Force officers

The Air Force Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). A subordinate command of the Air University within the Air Education and Training Command (AETC), AFROTC is aligned under the Jeanne M. Holm Center for Officer Accessions and Citizen Development at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. The Holm Center, formerly known as the Air Force Officer Accession and Training Schools (AFOATS), retains direct responsibility for both AFROTC and OTS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Force Officer Training School</span> US Air Force Officer commissioning program based at Maxwell AFB, AL

Officer Training School (OTS) is a United States Air Force and United States Space Force commissioning program located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Military College</span> Public college in Milledgeville, Georgia, US

Georgia Military College (GMC) is a public military junior college in Milledgeville, Georgia. It is divided into the junior college, a military junior college program, high school, middle school, and elementary school. It was originally known as Middle Georgia Military and Agricultural College, until 1900. While GMC is a state-chartered and funded institution, its governance is not overseen by either the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia or the State Board of the Technical College System of Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army and Navy Academy</span> School in Carlsbad, California, United States

Army and Navy Academy is an elite private college-preparatory military boarding school for boys in Carlsbad, California. Founded in 1910, the academy admits boys in grades 7 through 12.

The Officer Training School is a Republic of Korea Air Force commissioning program held at the Republic of Korea Air Force Education and Training Command, Jinju. It is a part of Basic Military Training Wing. The current Commander, Air Force Education and Training Command is Maj Gen Jaewon Yoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Oklahoma Army ROTC</span>

The University of Oklahoma Army ROTC is the primary officer training and commissioning program at the University of Oklahoma and one of the oldest in the nation, having existed in some form since the First World War. It is known as the "Sooner Battalion" and is notable for having produced thousands of officers for the United States Army, including 19 general officers. It is led by three officers and two noncommissioned officers.

The Canadian Cadet Organizations, marketed under the name of Cadets Canada, are a youth program known as the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The program is sponsored by and funded through support from the civilian Navy League, the Army Cadet League and the Air Cadet League, as well as local community sponsors that include service organizations and parent sponsoring groups supervised by the Leagues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scabbard and Blade</span> U.S. college military honor society

Scabbard and Blade (S&B) was a college military honor society founded at the University of Wisconsin in 1904. Although membership was open to Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen of all military services, the society was modeled after the U.S. Army, calling its chapters companies

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penn State Army ROTC</span> United States military unit

The Penn State Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps is the ROTC department at The Pennsylvania State University. It is the largest branch of the ROTC program at the school, which also has Naval ROTC and Air Force ROTC. The Nittany Lion Battalion (NLB) is one of the 41 participating battalions in the 2nd Reserve Officers' Training Corps Brigade, also known as the Freedom Brigade. The brigade is headquartered at Fort Dix, NJ, and comprises ROTC programs in the North Eastern United States including CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, and VT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airman first class</span> US Air Force military rank

Airman first class (A1C) is the third enlisted rank in the United States Air Force, just above airman and below senior airman. The male form of rank designation also applies to women. The rank of airman first class is considered a junior enlisted rank, with the non-commissioned officers and senior non-commissioned officers above it.

In the United States, the National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) was the forerunner to the current Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program and is essentially identical to it with just one exception: The NDCC is funded internally by the schools that opt for a military training system like JROTC but without any financial assistance from the Department of Defense. Therefore, the schools bear all costs associated with the program, including military instructor salaries, uniforms, training materials, and any other program expenses. As of 2012, there were three remaining US Army NDCC units in the United States. The US Navy began its program in April 2011. The US Marine Corps and the US Air Force also operate NDCC programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> Military unit

The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based officer training programs for training commissioned officers for the United States Army and its reserves components: the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard. There are over 30,000 Army ROTC cadets enrolled in 274 ROTC programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States. These schools are categorized as Military Colleges (MC), Military Junior Colleges (MJC) and Civilian Colleges (CC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps</span> US military program

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military bases across the world. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.