Fixing the Reserve Officer Training Corps' Recruiting Problems

The organization charged with producing three quarters of the Army's officer corps has failed to meet requirements for thirteen years running. In 1989, the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) produced over 8,000 new lieutenants, today it can't produce half of that figure. Many reasons have been given for this failure, to include everything from a declining national propensity to inadequate budgets. Whatever the reason, the impact on the Army is clear, and that is a shortage of leadership. If the Army is to meet the challenges of the new millennium, which includes an asymmetric threat, digitization and information overload it must have the required number of officers within its ranks. Until now, the Army has allowed the National Guard and Reserves to pay the bill, while keeping the ranks of the Active Army full. However, with the increased deployment of reserve forces to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo, that bill will be coming due again, and this time only big Army can pay it. If not, the country could pay the ultimate cost in lives of our leaderless soldiers.

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