Posted on Mar 21, 2018
Which should I choose, Army ROTC or Air Force ROTC?
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I am currently a college student at a community college and just finished my freshman year. I’ve been accepted to Rutgers University with a 3.2 GPA in college and am a criminal Justice major. My Pt is good and can almost max out both by myself. Wondering if it’s better for me to go AFROTC and compete for an EA spot. I would want to eventually become a security forces officer if I went this route. If I join the AROTC then I want to know my chances of getting active duty. Would want infantry, artillary, armor, or mp.. both ROTC programs would be for a 3 year for myself. Which should I choose so I can become a future officer. Thank you
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ROTC
ROTC
Posted 6 y ago
Responses: 17
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https://www.thebalance.com/united-states-marine-corps-platoon-leaders-course-3332801
Most, I've found, generally dont hear much about this, I'm not saying youdnwant it, I just merely thought you might care to know of it, I'm not sure if it'd be offered near Rutgers, however, I'm quite certain you could see if any school nearby has it, in case you wanted to look at it....
Most, I've found, generally dont hear much about this, I'm not saying youdnwant it, I just merely thought you might care to know of it, I'm not sure if it'd be offered near Rutgers, however, I'm quite certain you could see if any school nearby has it, in case you wanted to look at it....
US Marine Corps Platoon Leader Course: What You Need to Know
The Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Course (PLC) is an alternative for NROTC or OCS for college students who wish to become commissioned officers.
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https://www.navy.com/careers/special-operations/swcc.html#ft-key-responsibilities
I also thought this might ne of interest....
I also thought this might ne of interest....
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These are the Coast Guard's special operations forces
After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, it was pretty clear everybody in the government had to get into the anti-terrorism game. From the formation of the Department of Homeland Security out ofa host of separate law enforcement and policeagencies, to a more robust role for Joint Special Operations Command in the hunt for terrorist leaders, the American government mobilized to make sure another al Qaeda attack would never happen again on U.S....
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https://www.military.com/military-fitness/coast-guard-special-training/u-s-coast-guard-deployable-specialized-forces
I thought I'd show you some other options you might possibly not have considered.....
I thought I'd show you some other options you might possibly not have considered.....
Coast Guard Specialized Forces Overview
These six units, under a single command, create an organized quick reaction force that can be deployed to handle natural disasters, environmental catastrophes, terrorism and other threats to the United States and the world.
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This obviously depends on you. Do you want to win your country's wars by placing your boots on a piece of ground and daring an adversary to knock you off of it? Do you want to bring hell, fire, and destruction on anyone who tries? If so, the Army is for you.
Or do you want to be a wuss? I kid, I kid. But seriously, the Air Force has a very different role than the Army. Which do you think you'd enjoy the most?
Or do you want to be a wuss? I kid, I kid. But seriously, the Air Force has a very different role than the Army. Which do you think you'd enjoy the most?
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Andrew-I'm a Navy man myself, so bear that in mind when considering my advice.
The first question to answer is whether or not you can achieve your goal along this route, or will need to choose another. Frankly, I don't know if one can begin ROTC in their second year and complete the program through to commission in three years...perhaps so, perhaps not; I'd ask an ROTC liaison officer.
It sounds to me like your heart is pulling you towards combat arms. Consider that while the Air Force (and the Navy by the way) has several routes to what you're seeking (TACP, Air Liaison, etc), you may find more specific options in the Army with greater available positions.
Recruiters (even for officer programs) tend to focus on what you "can" do...more than what you will "probably" do. I don't fault them for it; their job is to "sell" the contract.
The reality is that from start to finish, you're going to be competing with everyone else who has the same desire. Let's use some round numbers. Let's assume somewhere around 5,000 new officers enter the Air Force the year you graduate. Now, let's be very conservative, and state that about 1,000 will come from the Academy, and 1,000 will come from OCS, so 3,000 will be your immediate peers. TACP has about 1,000 personnel currently, so another conservative estimate would be around two dozen junior officers in that community. That's about .6% or less...and I'm approximating. Factor in all the other potential careers in the Air Force involving combat arms other than flying, and the odds are greater, but again...the Army's size and wide range of options undoubtedly offers more options.
But even that's not the "whole story". Whether you go Air Force or Army (or Navy...still plugging that), you'll compete throughout your ROTC years for assignment. Obviously you'll need to excel at the skills those fields demand. You'll need to be physically exceptional, mentally and emotionally flexible, and have a deep-seated desire to attain your goals. Even then, there's an old saying, "The needs of the Service"...really good at math, excel at physics? You may get selected for an occupation very different from what you "want".
Let's assume you graduate, get your "bars", and select for an occupation you do want...then, you have to go EARN it (because no...you didn't at selection).
There's a very famous phrase stated in almost every form of military training ever devised, "Look to your right...now look to your left...both of those people won't be here in the end". It's campy, but the truth is that attrition is high for competitive selections. What happens if you "drop" from a competitive program? Well, if voluntarily, you could end up out of the service. If involuntary...perhaps you'll end up in a field you don't really "want". The key here is that there's "risks", just the same as rewards, and you should "choose wisely" where to invest yourself.
Finally, if you want to do the "cool" things, there's usually a whole bunch of time and "stuff" in-between. No one graduates and goes into Special Operations; they will start somewhere else, excel there, move on to the next level, and so on, until they get their shot. There will be training, training and more training...all important, and all an opportunity to get closer to your dreams, or have to re-calculate.
Take the time to get to know everything about the options you're interested in, make lists, charts, whatever it takes...then spend a lot of time asking yourself not just what appeals to you, but what you have a burning desire to accomplish; trust me, you'll need that too ;)
Best Wishes and Good Luck
The first question to answer is whether or not you can achieve your goal along this route, or will need to choose another. Frankly, I don't know if one can begin ROTC in their second year and complete the program through to commission in three years...perhaps so, perhaps not; I'd ask an ROTC liaison officer.
It sounds to me like your heart is pulling you towards combat arms. Consider that while the Air Force (and the Navy by the way) has several routes to what you're seeking (TACP, Air Liaison, etc), you may find more specific options in the Army with greater available positions.
Recruiters (even for officer programs) tend to focus on what you "can" do...more than what you will "probably" do. I don't fault them for it; their job is to "sell" the contract.
The reality is that from start to finish, you're going to be competing with everyone else who has the same desire. Let's use some round numbers. Let's assume somewhere around 5,000 new officers enter the Air Force the year you graduate. Now, let's be very conservative, and state that about 1,000 will come from the Academy, and 1,000 will come from OCS, so 3,000 will be your immediate peers. TACP has about 1,000 personnel currently, so another conservative estimate would be around two dozen junior officers in that community. That's about .6% or less...and I'm approximating. Factor in all the other potential careers in the Air Force involving combat arms other than flying, and the odds are greater, but again...the Army's size and wide range of options undoubtedly offers more options.
But even that's not the "whole story". Whether you go Air Force or Army (or Navy...still plugging that), you'll compete throughout your ROTC years for assignment. Obviously you'll need to excel at the skills those fields demand. You'll need to be physically exceptional, mentally and emotionally flexible, and have a deep-seated desire to attain your goals. Even then, there's an old saying, "The needs of the Service"...really good at math, excel at physics? You may get selected for an occupation very different from what you "want".
Let's assume you graduate, get your "bars", and select for an occupation you do want...then, you have to go EARN it (because no...you didn't at selection).
There's a very famous phrase stated in almost every form of military training ever devised, "Look to your right...now look to your left...both of those people won't be here in the end". It's campy, but the truth is that attrition is high for competitive selections. What happens if you "drop" from a competitive program? Well, if voluntarily, you could end up out of the service. If involuntary...perhaps you'll end up in a field you don't really "want". The key here is that there's "risks", just the same as rewards, and you should "choose wisely" where to invest yourself.
Finally, if you want to do the "cool" things, there's usually a whole bunch of time and "stuff" in-between. No one graduates and goes into Special Operations; they will start somewhere else, excel there, move on to the next level, and so on, until they get their shot. There will be training, training and more training...all important, and all an opportunity to get closer to your dreams, or have to re-calculate.
Take the time to get to know everything about the options you're interested in, make lists, charts, whatever it takes...then spend a lot of time asking yourself not just what appeals to you, but what you have a burning desire to accomplish; trust me, you'll need that too ;)
Best Wishes and Good Luck
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Totally depends on what path you want to take in your career. Have you visited any programs?
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