I’m going into Army ROTC. Will I commission into the Army after graduation?

Isabel Moritz — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 10:59:28 -0500

What is the difference between going into active duty, army reserve, and national guard? I’m very new to all of this.

Response by 1LT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2018 12:37 PM

1LT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:37:20 -0500

Basically activity duty is full time. Being a soldier is your full time job. You have a duty station & that area is where you live & work. Guard and Reserves are similar in that you drill, or work one weekend a month & 2-4 weeks out of the summer. The difference is at the guard places you in one state. Your unit can be anywhere within the state but that’s it. The reserves are federal so your unit is most times close to you, but if you were to be activated or a unit further away needed your more than one closer to you, you could be sent anywhere in the country.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2018 12:40 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 12:40:47 -0500

Isabel Moritz you can go into any of the three. The huge difference between AC (Active Component) and RC (Reserves and National Guard) is that AC is full-time as the RC is part-time for most (they do have full-time positions that you can apply for).

Active Component (AC) - full-time at AC bases, you move from one base to another 3-5 years depending on schools and positions that you may apply for; more likely to deploy and more often; go to active courses

Army Reserves - part-time for most, you live in the community and work your normal job and go for a total of 24 days (weekends) and 2-4 weeks of exercises (training) a year; only move if you are AGR or you want to move, but change units when promoted or want/need to for career progression; deployment is less likely and more spread out; most go to reserve courses (shorter and at reserves schools); can go active (AGR) if you apply and get accept

National Guard - part-time for most, you live in the community and work your normal job and go for a total of 24 days (weekends) and 2-4 weeks of exercises (training) a year; only move if you are AGR or you want to move, but change units when promoted or want/need to for career progression; deployment is less likely and more spread out; most go to NG courses (shorter and at NG schools); can go active (AGR) if you apply and get accept; work for the state unless federalized so may be called up by Governor for state emergencies; may get additional benefits from the state; officers tend to take longer to be promoted as only have certain number of slots of more people competing for them than other components (AC and reserves you get promoted and move to other units that can be outside the state)

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 11 at 2018 2:37 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 14:37:54 -0500

If you are just going into ROTC, you are not locked in to any service obligation until you are contracted. Your MSIII (Junior) year is typically when you contract unless you are Green to Gold or have a scholarship that requires you to commit from the jump. Your first two years will teach you basic Soldiering and leadership skills while also allowing you to "get a feel" for the military and determine if it is for you.

A commission requires a that contracted cadet complete both his or her academic coursework required for graduation, and Military Science requirements- to include completion of LDAC (Leadership Development and Assessment Course).

It may have changed since I was a cadet, but determination of AD,RC, or NG (as well as branch choice) was determined by where a cadet fell on the national Order of Merit List (OML). The OML is compiled at the end of your Junior year, and two things will determine your future career: your GPA, and your standing in LDAC.

Your cadre will explain all of this to you in more detail.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 11 at 2018 10:21 PM

LTC Jason Mackay — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 22:21:01 -0500

If you sign the contract and meet all the requirements, yes. The objective of the program is to commission officers.

The Total Army as it is called consists of Active Duty Army; Army Reserve aka the Reserves; and Army Reserve National Guard (ARNG) aka the Guard all make up the Total Army. The Active Component (AC) is Active Duty. the Reserve Component(RC) is the Reserves and the Guard.

The Active Component is full time. 24-7-365. 30 days of leave per year.

The reserve component is 14 days of annual training and one weekend a month unless you are mobilized or are temporary Active Duty for your initial entry training and professional military education (PME) like your Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC).

Did they give you any literature/brochures when you were in the he office?

There is a possibility of requesting a branch transfer to another military branch, but candidly you are more likely to be struck with self aware pancakes falling from the sky.

Response by COL Charles Williams made Jan 11 at 2018 11:24 PM

COL Charles Williams — Thu, 11 Jan 2018 23:24:47 -0500

Isabel Moritz If you successfully complete ROTC, you will commission in the AD, ARNG, or USAR. What you component you get is all based on the Order of Merit (OML) list for each year group. OML ranking is based on your Cumulative academic GPA, Physical Fitness scores, and your performance in ROTC. If you graduate in 2022, your year group will be YG 22. Your component (active, guard, or reserve) will all depend on your OML rank. If your are #1 in nation of all ROTC Cadets in YG 22 you will get your choice. If you are below the top 30-40 percent... preference is harder. You will definitely commission if you successfully pass all the requirements, but your component and branch will be based on your OML rank; 400 of 5000 and you will be in good shape.... 5000 of 5000, you will get what is left over.

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Mar 20 at 2023 2:52 PM

MAJ Ronnie Reams — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 14:52:17 -0400

In my ROTC class, only a very few, less than 6, were commissioned in another branch. USA commissions only went to DMG, as I recall. Rest of us got a reserve commission in the AUS.