Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps : a comparison with other successful youth development programs and an analysis of military recruits who participate in JROTC

Abstract

This study seeks to identify successful youth development programs and the reasons for their success; to describe the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) and its achievements; to compare JROTC with successful youth development programs; and to explore the impact of JROTC on military recruiting. The descriptive analysis and comparison of programs are based on an extensive review of previous research. The effects of JROTC on recruiting were examined through longitudinal data files, covering military enlistments from 1990 through 2001, obtained from the Defense Manpower Data Center. The results show that JROTC is similar to a number of other programs in successfully promoting youth development. Nevertheless, no single program can match JROTC in its size, level of funding, and scope of accomplishments. Further, information on enlistments suggests that JROTC assists military recruiting in several ways: 85,000 graduates of JROTC joined the military in the period studied; the first-term attrition rates of JROTC graduates were consistently lower than those of all recruits; and the positive effects of JROTC were most noticeable among certain demographic groups. Further research is recommended to study added dimensions of youth development, various other effects of JROTC on recruiting, and the economic implications of the program.