Assessment of Reserve Officer Training Corps' Program of Instruction for Future Officers

This study analyzes the current Reserve Officer Training Corps' (ROTC) Program of Instruction (POI) found in Cadet Command Regulation 145-3 and determines if the POI has anticipated the leadership training needs of ROTC cadets for the future. In order to determine what leadership attribute requirements the Army feels will be necessary for newly commissioned lieutenants, this study used military sources that discussed the nature of leadership in the Army of the future. The publication entitled Army Vision 2010 provided a broad insight into the Army's transformation from the Legacy Force to the Objective Force and the skills needed for future military officers. The briefing entitled Tomorrow's Lieutenant and the work entitled ROTC Future Study provided a narrower focus on necessary leadership attributes anticipated for newly commissioned lieutenants in the near future. In addition, this study utilized the leadership experience at the United States Military Academy (USMA) as a comparison group. The research showed that the POI of ROTC as written does not fully support the needs of neither the Army of today nor the Army of the future. The POI needs the addition of a comprehensive written plan for teaching leadership to ROTC cadets. Also, the research indicated a need for a sharing of approaches between USMA and ROTC to develop a better quality leadership POI for use by all ROTC precommissioning institutions.