Fixing the Reserve Officer Training Corps' Recruiting Problems

<p>The organization charged with producing three quarters of the Army's officer corps has failed to meet requirements for thirteen years running. In 1989 the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) produced over 8000 new lieutenants today it can't produce half of that figure. Many reasons have been given for this failure to include everything from a declining national propensity to inadequate budgets. Whatever the reason the impact on the Army is clear and that is a shortage of leadership. If the Army is to meet the challenges of the new millennium which includes an asymmetric threat digitization and information overload it must have the required number of officers within its ranks. Until now the Army has allowed the National Guard and Reserves to pay the bill while keeping the ranks of the Active Army full. However with the increased deployment of reserve forces to Iraq Afghanistan and Kosovo that bill will be coming due again and this time only big Army can pay it. If not the country could pay the ultimate cost in lives of our leaderless soldiers.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>