need answers on the army SMP program?

Question

can anyone tell me about the Army SMP program. what is it like, is it as great as it sounds. whats the pros, and cons.

Answer 1

This page is hyperlinked to Army Reserve and Army National Guard classes taught at the Primary Command Course regarding financial/educational benefits and entitlements for Reserve Component Soldiers enrolled in ROTC or contracted as SMP Cadets.
The Simultaneous Membership Program brief addresses the following:

Program Definition
Importance of program to BN
Importance of program to cadets
Educational Benefits
Federal Tuition Assistance
State Tuition Assistance
VA Benefits/Montgomery GI Kicker
Potential Pay, Benefits & Entitlements for SMP Cadets
GRFD Scholarship Application Process
GRFD Non-scholarship Application Process
GRFD Scholarship Conversions
Contracting Process
Accessions Process
Commissioning Process
Identifying On Campus Population
Pending Initiatives
ECP Program
Important References
You may download the brief in .ppt format and access pertinent forms by clicking on this hyperlink.


COL Sheila M. Green
Assistant Chief of Staff, Army Reserve, USACC
Ft. Monroe, VA
[e-mail]
(757) 757-788-4575
FAX: [phone]
DSN: 680

CPT Nancy Davis
Program Manager, Army Reserve, USACC
Ft. Monroe, VA
[e-mail]
[phone]
FAX: [phone]

MAJ David P. Eldridge
Program Manager, National Guard, USACC
Ft. Monroe, VA
[e-mail]
(757) 757-788-4551
FAX: [phone]

http://www.rotc.usaac.army.mil/command/reserve_smpBnE.html

Simultaneous Membership Program
The Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) allows selected enlisted members of the U.S. Army Reserve or National Guard to simultaneously participate in any Army ROTC program. Being an SMP member allows you to not only earn your drill pay, but be paid at the Sergeant (E5) rate, understudy with a unit officer performing officer duties, be eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill benefits (if you've attended basic training), contracting as an Advance Course cadet, and earn the ROTC (tax-free) stipend of up to $400 a month for 10 months a year for two years. The Santa Clara Military Science Department currently has contracted ROTC cadets who are SMP members.
Cadets who participate in the SMP program can earn a federal commission and either serve on active duty, in the U.S. Army Reserve or the National Guard. If a cadet knows that he or she wants to continue an affiliation with the Reserve or National Guard rather than compete for active duty, that cadet may request the Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty (GFRD) option at the time of contracting.

A valuable opportunity exists for college students or college bound high school students in the form of the U.S. Army Reserve or California Army National Guard to gain an insight into the U.S. Army while being a cadet.

There are three ways to enter the SMP program:


1) Basic Training and AIT to SMP.
You have the option of joining the SMP program while in high school and attend Basic Training between your senior year of high school and freshman year of college. If you go on to Advanced Individual Training (AIT), you will have completed your entry level training and also be eligible for Montgomery GI Bill benefits immediately. This makes you eligible for tuition exemption with your first quarter/semester of college and for an enlistment bonus of around $3,000 if you select certain military occupational skills (MOS) training. A similar alternative is the split option where you complete Basic Training as discussed above, attend college for a year and then attend AIT between your freshman and sophomore years of college. When you have completed 60 semester credit hours of college, you can discuss your eligibility to contract in ROTC. (In both options above, you may take ROTC classes but they are not required; your basic training provides you with commissioning credit for the first two years of ROTC.)

2) Potential SMP Program.
In this option, you enlist in the Reserve or National Guard as a potential SMP (09R1O) and attend Basic Training between your freshman and sophomore year. You earn tuition exemption status from the time you complete Basic Training. If you are accepted into the Advanced ROTC program (contracting with ROTC), you become an SMP (09R2O) with all the benefits described above. If you are not accepted to contract, you have the option to leave the U.S. Army Reserve or National Guard with no further obligation or you may elect to attend AIT and fulfill your enlistment contract.

3) Basic Camp to SMP.
This entry procedure into the SMP program is to complete the first two years of ROTC and be eligible to contract or get credit for attending the first two years of ROTC by attending Basic Camp. By attending Basic Camp, you enter the SMP program without attending Basic Training or AIT. You are eligible for tuition exemption when you sign the ROTC contract, enlist in the program and sign the SMP agreement, interview with a Reserve or National Guard unit commander and receive a letter of acceptance into a unit as an SMP.
Individuals cannot be both an enlisted soldier and a commissioned officer at the same time; once commissioned through Army ROTC, you will be discharged from the Army Reserve or National Guard, which ends your enlistment contract. During this time you can compete for active duty or request reserve duty with either the US Army Reserve or National Guard.

http://rotc.scu.edu/rotc_program/smp_prog.htm

SMP (Simultanious Membership Program) which sends you to Basic and AIT and then puts you in a local Guard or Reserve unit while you attend college and ROTC. It has pros and cons (i.e. a paycheck but the risk of being deployed with the unit and pulled out of school).

Answer 2

Before you commit you need to read your contract. The kicker can be based on your unit and your job so be careful. If it is not in your contract, then I would think long and hard before signing anything. You will get drill pay and once you contract with rotc, you will get a monthly stipend from rotc. You contract in your junior year.