Special Programs

In addition to the on-campus training you receive as an ROTC Cadet, you will be afforded opportunities for advanced training during the summer months as you progress through the program. Some of the training courses listed below are mandatory for completion of our program; others are limited in scope and only offered to select Cadets.

Basic Camp

The Cadet Summer Training Basic Camp is the premier leadership program of its kind in the United States. An intense four-week introduction to Army life and leadership training of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps, the aim of the course is to motivate and qualify Cadets for entry into the Senior ROTC program.

Basic Camp is designed for college students, typically between their sophomore and junior years. Upon successful completion of the course, graduates can take part in ROTC at their college as a third-year student in the four-year program.

While attending Basic Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky, Cadets gain an experience that runs the gamut of Army life and the responsibilities of being an officer. The course instills confidence and decision-making abilities to become a leader, in the Army and in life.

The four weeks of Basic Camp are mentally grueling and physically taxing. But the reward of graduation and meeting ROTC standards is the opportunity to enroll in the world's greatest leadership program and to receive college tuition assistance.

Graduation from Basic Camp has been the first step in many successful officers' careers. Graduates have gone on to lead America's sons and daughters in fighting to preserve American democracy and freedoms or in civilian life in the boardrooms and offices of American business.

Learn More About Basic Camp

Advanced Camp

The Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp is also held annually at Fort Knox, Kentucky. The U.S. Army's largest training exercise, Advanced Camp is the U.S. Army Cadet Command's capstone training event.

The purpose of the course is to train U.S. Army ROTC Cadets to Army standards, to develop their leadership skills, and to evaluate their officer potential. Most Army Cadets attend Advanced Camp between their junior and senior undergraduate years after having contracted to join the Army. Successful completion of Advanced Camp is a prerequisite to becoming an Army officer through ROTC.

The 35-day course starts with individual training and leads to collective training, building from simple to complex tasks. This building-block approach permits integration of previously-learned skills into follow-on training. This logical, common-sense training sequence is maintained for each training cycle. Every day at Advanced Camp is a day of training. Below are some highlights:

Land Navigation

Land Navigation training must be mastered early in the training cycle for the Cadets to be fully successful in the tactical training which follows. The Land Navigation evaluation consists of three events: a written examination, a daytime practical test, and a nighttime practical test. Land Navigation is an essential skill for Cadets, Soldiers, and Officers alike. Prior to Land Navigation, Cadets will learn field craft while living and sleeping in the woods. They will set up field-expedient shelters using ponchos and whatever else is available. They will learn how to maintain noise, light and litter discipline.

Confidence Training

This includes rappel training, the Slide For Life, Log Walk/Rope Drop, and confidence and obstacle courses. Confidence Training is designed to challenge the Cadets' physical courage, build confidence in personal abilities, and help them overcome fear. At the rappelling site, each Cadet executes one 70-foot rappel and several 37-foot rappels. Cadets demonstrate confidence in their ability to overcome fear of heights by executing the Confidence/Obstacle Course, Log Walk/Rope Drop and Slide For Life.

Field Leader's Reaction Course

FLRC is designed to develop and evaluate leadership, and to build teamwork early in the training cycle. Course administration is accomplished using the established cadet organization and chain of command. Cadet leadership potential is assessed by cadre certified as observer, controller, trainers or OCTs. Cadets are provided the opportunity to get early feedback on their leadership strengths, weaknesses, styles and techniques.

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear (CBRN)

CBRN teaches Cadets how to confidently protect themselves from chemical and biological contamination using their assigned U.S. Army protective mask and chemically protective clothing, decontaminate themselves and individual equipment using chemical decontaminating kits, and how to react to chemical or biological hazard or attack. This culminates with Cadets' controlled exposure to live tear gas in a CBRN chamber.

Basic Rifle Marksmanship

Familiarizes Cadets with the operation and employment of infantry squad weapons and call for fire grid missions. The Cadets train in the fundamentals of operation and engaging of targets and emplacement of crew-served weapons such as the M-249, M203, and M136.

First Aid

Cadets develop confidence in their ability to react properly to battlefield wounds. Through hands-on training and evaluation, Cadets learn critical first aid skills such as evaluation of a casualty, airway management, CPR, chest wounds, bleeding control and shock treatment.

Tactics Training

During the initial phase of tactics instruction, Cadets acquire essential battlefield skills, including movement formations, techniques, and procedures crucial for progressing to squad-level tactical training. Small unit tactical exercises serve as a platform for leadership assessment, exposing Cadets to stress akin to combat scenarios.

The tactical training regimen introduces novel skills, offers chances for performance-driven reinforcement, and elevates the complexity of training scenarios. Cadets develop the requisite skills for navigating tactical environments. This incremental approach maximizes learning opportunities for Cadets while enabling cadre to evaluate their leadership capabilities.

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Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT)

More than 1,300 Cadets are afforded the chance to cultivate leadership skills within a training setting by shadowing and learning from platoon leaders through the Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT) program. Additionally, over 400 Cadets participate in supporting the Cadet Summer Training program, where they bolster their leadership abilities during the Field Training Exercise (FTX) phase, acting as both trainers and members of the opposing force (OPFOR).

The CTLT program offers two avenues for leadership development as a CTLT Platoon Leader. The first, the CTLT Platoon Leader Program, encompasses positions designated by active Army, Army Reserve, and National Guard units across both domestic (CONUS) and international (OCONUS) locations. Non-SMP MSL III cadets are assigned to this program by their Professor of Military Science (PMS) and are required to successfully complete Advanced Camp before undertaking their designated role. Application is not necessary for CTLT Platoon Leader positions. Cadets are assigned for either a three-week period with CONUS units or a four-week period with OCONUS units. Positions are distributed to each Brigade through the Cadet Command Information Management System (CCIMM), with Brigades further allocating positions to battalions. Upon completion of the Platoon Leader assignment, Cadets receive an Officer Evaluation Report.

Prerequisites

MSL III cadets only. There is no application for CTLT Platoon Leader positions. Cadets must contact their professor of military science or training officer at the beginning of their junior year to coordinate a CTLT Platoon Leader position for the summer following their junior year. Once assigned, cadets must sign a CTLT Acceptance Statement and carry it to Advanced Camp. This is the best way to try out a branch before selecting your branch assignment in the fall of your senior year.

Cadet Advanced Individual Training (CAIT)

Provides Cadets an opportunity to attend one of sixteen various military schools or variety of specialized training courses. Approximately 1,500 Cadets complete CAIT annually. Training slots vary in availability and are very competitive.

Examples of CAIT opportunities include training at Army Schools and special courses for Airborne, Air Assault, Basic Mountaineering, Mountain Planner, Sapper, Master Fitness, Jungle Operations and Cold Weather Operations Course, Cadet Field Training at USMA, Sandhurst Competition, SF Combat Diver Qualification Course.

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Cadet Internships

Provide additional training opportunities for Cadets in specialized areas, technical fields, and research. The Department of Defense, universities, various government and civilian agencies offer internships to more than 400 Army ROTC Cadets annually.

Examples of available internships include U.S. Army Cyber (ARCYBER), MIT Lincoln Lab Internship (MITLL), National Security Agency (NSA), Nuclear Science & Engineering Research Center (NSERC), JAG Corps (JAG), and the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) as well as opportunities at West Point and the FBI.

Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP)

Army ROTC Nurse Cadets have an opportunity for a unique summer nursing experience. The paid, four-week Nurse Summer Training Program assigns Cadets to one of 20 Army hospitals throughout the U.S. and Germany.

The program introduces you to the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) and to the roles and responsibilities of an Army Nurse Corps Officer. Under the supervision of an experienced Army Nurse Corps Officer, you will obtain hands-on experience. Your one-on-one clinical experience will allow you to hone your clinical skills, develop your problem-solving techniques and become comfortable with developing your professional skills as a member of the U.S. Army Healthcare Team.