Hardcore Game

[perardua]

I have no idea what JROTC entails, but as a former Air Cadet, it's best described as being similar to a Scout group but supported by the military.
For example, as an Air Cadet I learnt about principles of flight, had the opportunity to fly light aircraft and gliders provided by the RAF at Air Experience Flights and Volunteer Gliding Schools, undertook leadership and instructional courses run by the Army and RAF to teach other cadets, learnt fieldcraft, did lots of sports, shot with Lee Enfields rechambered to .22 and the 5.56mm L98A1 (a bolt action version of the L85, lacking flash suppressor and with a different set of iron sights), and basically just played soldiers from the age of 13 to 18.

The websites for the three main cadet groups are here:
http://www.armycadets.com/home/
http://www.raf.mod.uk/aircadets/
http://seacadets.ms-sc.org/

The different services give different levels of support to the cadet organisations, but all recognise that they are an excellent recruiting tool and help to raise awareness of the military among young people, as well as present it in a positive light.

[pmulcahy11b]

Thanks, Peradua, for the links. It is about the same as JROTC, except that JROTC is more an optional extracurricular course in at the high school level in the US. We used to train some JROTC cadets in the National Guard, and occasionally the regular college-level ROTC cadets will train JROTC cadets. So they also get a lot of support from the military. I think the US military also supports JROTC because they're more likely to go on to military, police, or public service careers than the average high school student. It also helps that that a JROTC graduate will enter the military with an extra stripe on his collar, or enter regular ROTC as a sophomore instead of a freshman cadet.

[perardua]

Ah, it is very similar then. No career boosts for former cadets in the UK forces though.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

The difference between the British Commonwealth countries 'cadets' and the ROTC though is that the cadet unit is closer in ideas and concept to the JROTC program in the US.
There is no onus on the military to recognize the cadet training although it is seen by the military as a field for potential recruits.
From what I understand of it, the ROTC program is specifically to train college students for commisioning into the military as junior officers and there is no similar program in most Commonwealth countries.

[perardua]

The closest equivalent to ROTC as opposed to JROTC would be the Officer Training Corps, University Air Squadrons and University Royal Naval Units. These can provide reserve commissions, but there is no requirement to serve in the military (unless at university on a forces bursary). In fact, in broad outline and goals, they are near identical to the ROTC programme as far as I can tell. However, someone gaining a commission though OTC, UAS or URNU would still have to go through the full regular commissioning course at the relevant service academy if they became a regular officer.

[pmulcahy11b]

Boy, that's hardcore -- having to go to Sandhurst on top of an officer training program...that's like going to West Point on top of going ROTC...

When you get a commission through ROTC, only the top 20% of graduates get Regular Army commissions -- the rest get Reserve commissions. The Army can basically keep you on Active Duty as long as they're happy with you (to a minimum of two years), though after six years of combined Regular Army and Reserve Duty, you're considered to have completed your commitment. If you get a Regular Army commission you're obligated for six years. West Point, Annapolis, and Air Force Academy commissions are all Regular Army or other military commissions. OCS commissions are similar to ROTC commissions.

If an officer is not picked up at any point in his career for retention as an officer, he theoretically has the option of enlisting in the military as at a rank from E-5 to E-7 (depending upon his previous rank level). I've only met one soldier who ever did that -- one of my friends in the Army, Sergeant Gerry Rubenzer, who enlisted as a scout after deciding that being an ICBM missile launch officer in the Air Force was not for him. (He told me he didn't like the politics of being an officer, and he left the Air Force as a 1st lieutenant.) That could be an interesting T2K background for a player.

[pmulcahy11b]

I know you can't answer me right now, Law -- but I apologize for the thread-jack. Maybe if this discussion I started goes much further, it could be split off into a different thread?