Headlines from Military World bring us military news of the First UK soldiers to join the US Marines’ Female Engagement Team. The all-female course focuses on interacting with the local female population of Afghanistan. Their interactions are to help foster relationships and to gain the trust and support of the Afghans, while at the same time, patrolling with infantry soldiers.

The British soldiers have fully integrated into their environment; they are already working, living, and eating with 50 female Marines from across Hemland province. The all-female course has cultural important to the operations in Afghanistan. Afghan law prohibits women from speaking to or greeting males outside of their own families.

This law affects, in turn, how military men interact with the local population. The male members of the military are unable to access approximately 51 percent of the Afghan population. The influence of Afghan women in the society often shows in the behavior of their children and husbands. As women have a significant influence on not only their families, but their communities as well, this valuable resource remains largely untapped.

Meanwhile, headlines from Military.com bring military news of the British troops in Afghanistan put under US command. As part of a move to restructure NATO forces in Afghanistan, the United States forces took about 8,000 British troops under its wing. A United States Marine Corps Major General commands NATO forces in Helmand province, which most of the British troops were located in Afghanistan.

The change in command is part of a decision made by NATO to split its Regional Command South. The command oversees a combined force of 50,000 American, British Canadian, and other troops, which consists of two separate commands.

The US Command Regional Command-Southwest will be in charge of the operations in the Nimroz and Helmand provinces while a British commander will be in command of forces in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Zabul, and Daikundi provinces.

The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary sources of commissioned officers for the United States Air Force. The other two are the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) and the Air Force Officer Training School (OTS). The Air Force ROTC is a subordinate command of the Air University, which is the Intellectual and Leadership Center of the Air Force.

The Air Force ROTC is not only the largest but also the oldest source of commissioned officers for the US Air Force. The Air Force ROTC’s stated mission is to produce quality leaders for the US Air Force, and through its core values of integrity, service, and excellence, the Air Force ROTC will fulfill its mission. The Air Force ROTC offers two educational programs to aspiring officers. One is the Air Force Senior ROTC Program, and the other, Air Force Junior ROTC Program.

The Air Force Senior ROTC Program recruits, educates and commissions officer candidates through college campus programs based on requirements given by the Air Force. These units at colleges are called “detachments.”

An active duty US Air Force officer with the rank of colonel or lieutenant colonel typically heads these detachments. The US Air Force officer functions as both the Detachment Commander for USAF purposes and with the nominal title of Professor of Aerospace Studies (PAS) within the institution’s academic community. On the other hand, the Air Force Junior ROTC Program provides citizenship training and an aerospace science program at the high school level.

Air Force ROTC offers more than just military training and more than just a military career in the future. As an officer, trainees train to lead future personnel. Along with the training comes management experience, which can be useful for an Air Force officer or for a manager in a civilian profession. If you think you are up to the challenge of the Air Force ROTC, the rewards of the training will last you a lifetime even if you do not pursue a military career.

Aside from including ROTC training in the college curriculum of military colleges and authorized universities, the United States federal government has also issued authorization for some military academies and high schools to include a Junior ROTC subject in their curriculum.

The purpose of the JROTC, according to Title 10, Section 2031 of the United States Code, is “to instill in students in the United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.”

The United States Army Junior ROTC aims to motivate young people to be better citizens. The program aims to develop leadership potential among high school students, starting them off early.

As a necessity for all military personnel, Junior ROTC training emphasizes physical fitness in its cadets. The physical training helps students to appreciate more deeply the importance of physical fitness in maintaining good health.

Junior ROTC is an important stepping-stone for those who want to proceed to a military career without actually enrolling in a military school, as they may not yet be final in their decision. Although the Junior ROTC was not primarily created as a recruitment tool, it helps those inclined in joining the military have a better and easier chance of pursuing their dreams. In addition, it helps recruiters as they can focus on helping those interested.

The Marine Corps even has some testimonies that fully one-third of those who join the Marine Corps Junior ROTC end up enlisting for the Marines. Some students who have enjoyed their experience during the Junior ROTC either enlist as service members or go on to join the Reserved Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) Program and end up as officers in the service.

Depending on the state and school, the Junior ROTC program is usually an elective course, and students who participate for one year receive credit in lieu of a physical education class. Most schools offer three to four years of Junior ROTC training, and students who excel in the first year can opt to take another year of training. Successful completion of 2 to 4 years of the program can give a graduate the option to enlist with an advanced rank in the Armed Forces.

As the involvement of the United States with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continues, so does the need for more military personnel in different branches of the military – the army, the navy and the air force.

Aside from the need for enlisted personnel, there is also a need for commissioned officers to lead the soldiers. These officers usually come from the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program offered at military colleges around the nation.

The ROTC Program usually gives out four-year scholarships that pay the full tuition for a college degree. However, some college students and enlisted personnel who had signified interest in becoming a commissioned officer may already have earned college units from previous courses.

To finish the ROTC Program through the remainder of a college degree, perhaps in two years, cadets enter the Early Commissioning Program (ECP), which is offered at Military Junior Colleges.

The ECP is a good way for students to earn while they learn. They go on to complete their bachelor’s degree while being commissioned as regular Officers on Active Duty in one of the Reserve Components.

In the United States, there are 5 Military Junior Colleges (MJC):
• Wentworth Military Academy, Lexington, Missouri
• Valley Forge Military Academy, Wayne, Pennsylvania
• Marion Military Institute, Marion, Alabama
• New Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, New Mexico
• Georgia Military College, Milledgeville, Georgia

The number of ECP slots has been increased in response to the rising need for military personnel to be deployed to the Middle East.

For more information on military schools and colleges, click here.

Embarking on a military career is not as easy as it looks. Enlisting in the army is not enough to push you up the ranks of commissioned officers. A vital requirement would be to finish a college degree with elective courses in military training.

A soldier who already had military experience, especially in combat, and has shown potential to become a military leader is often recommended for this kind of promotion. On one hand, college students, or even high school students, who do not have military experience yet, but are interested in building a career with the military, are encouraged to enroll in military courses to augment their normal college curriculum.

All these courses are offered at a Senior Military College, specifically under a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program. The ROTC Program is any enlisted personnel’s or cadet’s one-way ticket to becoming a commissioned officer. As long as an ROTC Program graduate is at the top of the graduating class, he or she is eligible to be commissioned as a ranking officer in the military.

In the United States, there are six major Senior Military Colleges, which include:

* North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Georgia
* Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont
* Texas A & M University in College Station, Texas
* The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina
* Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia

Each of these Senior Military Colleges offers four-year courses of military training, formation and military experience. They have a Corps of Cadets and are specifically recognized under 10 USC 2111(a).