What is JROTC?

JROTC stands for Junior reserve officer training corps. The program is a federal sponsored by the United States Armed forces. It was founded by the national defense act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.This program is mostly based in high schools but there are some middle school that have the program. JROTC was first established to let student understand what goes on in the military, but later it changed to teaching student to be citizens. Cadets wear the uniform and participate in other activities that the regular officers would do.

formation of a battalion

In a typical formation there are five companies each having two platoons. The overall commander is called the Battalion Commander. The Battalion Commander is responsible for the company commanders of the Battalion. Next is the Command Sergeant Major which commands the 1st Sergeants. After is the Executive officer that helps keep the Battalion in check. The Battalion also has others called the Staff (check below for more information). Then there are the company commanders and there 1st Sergeants. In each company there are platoon sergeants and platoon leaders that command a platoon. In the platoon there are squads that are commanded by squad leader and there team leaders.

RANKS

In JROTC there are 16 ranks that can be achieved by a cadet. Every Cadet starts at cadet then progresses to private then so forth. As the ranks get bigger they get more complex so you know that they are a higher rank. there are two different categories in the ranking. there is the Non-commissioned Officers and regular Officers. Officers are in charge of the Battalion. While NCOs are in charge of the company itself.

jrotc uniform

Wearing the uniform is an honor and should always be worn correctly. While wearing the uniform cadets are expected to behave appropriately. There are several guidelines that have to be followed to make sure that the uniform is being worn correctly. failure to wear the uniform will increase the chance that the cadet will be taken out of the program.

Closer Look

The make up of the whole Battalion. There are many parts of a Battalion that make it functional. The people in charge are directly responsible for those that they are in charge of and can get into a lot of trouble if they lose a cadet.

• Battalion: More than one company. Led by a Colonel or a Lieutenant Colonel
• Company: Made up of two platoons. usually lead by a Captain.
• Platoon: Made up of more than one Squad lead by the platoon sergeant or platoon leader.
• Squad: The lowest division in a Battalion
• Staff: Keeps the Battalion running. They take care of all the things that happen behind the scenes. The Staff are ranked by numbers and each Staff member has a different purpose. The Ranks are: S1, S2, S3, and the S4.