Can a person be enlisted in the army reserves and participate in college ROTC at the same time ?

Answer 1

Yes, you can join an Army National Guard or Army Reserve unit and participate in ROTC. It was called the Simultaneous Membership Program in the 1980's, although they may have changed the name since then. A new soldier does their Basic Combat Training during one summer break (or before they begin college), and takes their Advanced Individual Training the following summer break. During the school year, the student takes a full academic load, participates in ROTC as a cadet, and trains with their Guard or Reserve unit one weekend a month for pay. If their unit's monthly drill weekends conflict with football, college social events, exams, and ROTC activities, too bad: the Army comes first. After a soldier has completed both phases of their initial entry training, they are required to go to Annual Training with their unit, usually for two weeks each summer. They are also a "deployable asset" and will be mobilized if their unit is called up. Those who have not completed their initial training will not deploy yet, but they may find themselves suddenly scheduled for training and then join their unit.

The advantages are that a future officer experiences life as an enlisted man or woman for several years and learns about military life from the inside. They also grow up and learn to do useful work before putting on their lieutenant’s bars. I think all future officers should be required to train and serve in the enlisted ranks for at least two years before being commissioned. If a person can’t follow, how the hell can they lead? The practice of giving an officer’s commission to a college or service academy graduate with no enlisted experience results in too many immature second lieutenants that are of little use to their future units and all too often, a danger to their troops. When I was an NCO in a Guard unit in a major college town, I let my SMP troops/cadets know that what they did with our unit was real world experience, and that they had insight unavailable to their follow ROTC cadets that had no enlisted experience.

The downside of this program to my unit was just as a soldier was starting to acquire skill and maturity and really pull their weight, they would move on to the final phase of the SMP. The soldier would take off their PFC or Specialist rank insignia and put on “the dot” marking them as a make-believe leader. The cadets at this phase had no real authority or real respect and did no useful work. They got put in charge of some classes and training exercises and occasionally did well. It would have been better to keep them as ordinary personnel until they graduated, and then send them off to OCS.

Answer 2

Im not sure, I know you can do it with the national guard though, its called the Simultanious Memebership Program. Ask the ROTC people at your school or a Guard Recruiter about it.

Answer 3

Why, what purpose would it serve?