Posted on Apr 1, 2016
What is the current impact of "No More Urban Officers" and the potential "uneven" ROTC program on our Army?
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My thanks to PFC Al Sethre for posting this article earlier this week. Frankly, the article and the comments struck a nerve and cord for me. I remember this article from 2012. It is even more relevant now. The greater North Eastern and New England schools have become even more liberal and student participation in programs like ROTC have become harder,
SEE MY FOLLOW-ON COMMENTS
PFC Al Sethre
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/07/no-more-urban-officers-how-an-uneven-rotc-may-change-our-military/260179/
SEE MY FOLLOW-ON COMMENTS
PFC Al Sethre
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/07/no-more-urban-officers-how-an-uneven-rotc-may-change-our-military/260179/
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ROTC
Leadership Development
ROTC Leadership Development
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 12
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I know that as a cadet my opinion is worth its weight in dirt, but as someone contracted in an ROTC program in the northeast that is split between several schools, I don't really see what the issue is here.
Is the argument that the Army is not demographically representative of the American population? This has been an issue that the entire military has faced for a very long time, and is certainly not exclusive to northeastern ROTC programs. I also don't see any causative link between the prevalence of Caucasian enrollment and the need to commute to ROTC programs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is nothing wrong with the Army's demographics, just that this article doesn't really do justice to the issue that it presents.
Do commuter students have a harder time forming meaningful relationships with local cadets? Absolutely. My ROTC program mainly consists of two separate schools, and even though there is only a couple of miles between them geographically, the gap between the social networks of one and the other is extremely evident. Any time you have different backgrounds and experiences from somebody else it is a challenge to develop a professional and personal working relationship with those people. This, once again, is not exclusive to ROTC. In any walk of life like-minded will have an easier time forming relationships than people from different backgrounds, that's just human psychology. I can't imagine that this issue is any better outside of the northeast where distances to and from schools is an order of magnitude larger.
The point is that ROTC in this case is a red herring for a much more fundamental issue in the United States, where members of the military are increasingly insulated from the general populace due to having an all volunteer military. That is an entirely different can of worms which many people have written about, and I feel is a more accurate predictor of the issues our military faces in regards to demographics and composition.
Is the argument that the Army is not demographically representative of the American population? This has been an issue that the entire military has faced for a very long time, and is certainly not exclusive to northeastern ROTC programs. I also don't see any causative link between the prevalence of Caucasian enrollment and the need to commute to ROTC programs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that there is nothing wrong with the Army's demographics, just that this article doesn't really do justice to the issue that it presents.
Do commuter students have a harder time forming meaningful relationships with local cadets? Absolutely. My ROTC program mainly consists of two separate schools, and even though there is only a couple of miles between them geographically, the gap between the social networks of one and the other is extremely evident. Any time you have different backgrounds and experiences from somebody else it is a challenge to develop a professional and personal working relationship with those people. This, once again, is not exclusive to ROTC. In any walk of life like-minded will have an easier time forming relationships than people from different backgrounds, that's just human psychology. I can't imagine that this issue is any better outside of the northeast where distances to and from schools is an order of magnitude larger.
The point is that ROTC in this case is a red herring for a much more fundamental issue in the United States, where members of the military are increasingly insulated from the general populace due to having an all volunteer military. That is an entirely different can of worms which many people have written about, and I feel is a more accurate predictor of the issues our military faces in regards to demographics and composition.
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LTC Thomas Tennant
Like I said, the article was written in 2012. The problem it outline was the program was and is losing ROTC detachments in the inner city universities and colleges. The link as I see it is that fewer universities limits the selection pool of future leaders. Another way to ask the question is are we getting the best, brightest and most diversed future leaders given most of the ROTC cadets are coming from an increasing smaller number of ROTC units? The "commuter" cadets and the challenges they have to overcome are just part of the equation as well as a symptom of the problem as a whole.
Given the nature of military life, there has been always been some insulation from the general populace. However, between 1942 and the early 1980s (BRAC) there used to be a military base or post of some size in every state of the union. Even tiny Vermont had a small post in Winooski near Burlington and at least three ROTC detachments in schools across the state. So it was safe to say the military was defiantly a part of the local community and contributed to the economy of most states. When you factor in the draft and the high numbers of WWII/Korean veterans, you only had two or three degrees of separation from someone in or related to someone in the military.
So no, I do not see this ROTC issue as a "red herring" but a leading indicator as to the future health of the military. I also see is as strategic leadership issue if we have to rebuild our military to Cold War size and formations.
Given the nature of military life, there has been always been some insulation from the general populace. However, between 1942 and the early 1980s (BRAC) there used to be a military base or post of some size in every state of the union. Even tiny Vermont had a small post in Winooski near Burlington and at least three ROTC detachments in schools across the state. So it was safe to say the military was defiantly a part of the local community and contributed to the economy of most states. When you factor in the draft and the high numbers of WWII/Korean veterans, you only had two or three degrees of separation from someone in or related to someone in the military.
So no, I do not see this ROTC issue as a "red herring" but a leading indicator as to the future health of the military. I also see is as strategic leadership issue if we have to rebuild our military to Cold War size and formations.
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There is an easy solution to the location demographic concern. Mandatory service would end all racial, location, income, and gender demographic disparity. Short of that, we need to realize this is a volunteer military and it will attract recruits as the recruit's needs see fit.
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I was an AFROTC graduate from a small university with a smaller ROTC program (12 grads in my class) in the central US. Almost everybody at that university was a commuter. Most ROTC cadets concentrated on the military during their "aerospace education" classes and on drill day. The rest of the time they were like all the other college students. Mandatory uniform wear was for drill only.
As a Pilot Training Instructor I found little difference among the pilot students based on their commissioning source. A lieutenant from Texas A&M, or the Air Force Academy, or the University of Colorado were all equally likely to succeed or fail at becoming a pilot. I suspect the other Services have similar experiences with their incoming lieutenants and basic courses. The military tends to become a great equalizer.
As a Pilot Training Instructor I found little difference among the pilot students based on their commissioning source. A lieutenant from Texas A&M, or the Air Force Academy, or the University of Colorado were all equally likely to succeed or fail at becoming a pilot. I suspect the other Services have similar experiences with their incoming lieutenants and basic courses. The military tends to become a great equalizer.
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