About the Courses
After contracting Cadets can complete for the opportunity to attend various adventure training courses during the summers. These courses are not mandatory (except CST AC), but they provide invaluable experience towards one’s career as an Army Officer.
Course List
AIRBORNE
If jumping out of a perfectly good airplane sounds like fun, then Airborne School may be of interest to you. Earn the wings of a U.S. Army paratrooper at this three-week school located in Fort Benning, Georgia. Airborne School is offered to qualified cadets during the summer of their freshman, sophomore, and junior years.
AIR ASSAULT SCHOOL
Learn how to establish helicopter-landing zones, prepare sling loads for air assault operations, and rappel from a helicopter at this two-week course. Qualified cadets can attend any one of the schools located in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Polk, Louisiana; or Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
CADET SUMMER TRAINING BASIC CAMP (CST BC)
Cadet Summer Training Basic Camp is a four-week course located in Fort Knox, Kentucky. Cadets are taught leadership, teamwork, and problem solving by being placed in rigorous and challenging exercises. Cadets also learn to rappel, fire an M-16, and perform several obstacle courses. This course is generally taken in the summer between your sophomore and junior years when you have completed the first two years of ROTC or do not have prior service experience.
CADET SUMMER TRAINING ADVANCED CAMP (CST AC)
The Cadet Summer Training Advanced Camp, or operation WARRIOR FORGE, is the most important training event for an Army ROTC cadet. The 33-day training event incorporates a wide range of subjects designed to develop and evaluate leadership ability. The challenges are rigorous and demanding, both mentally and physically. WARRIOR FORGE tests intelligence, common sense, ingenuity, and stamina. These challenges provide a new perspective on an individual's ability to perform exacting tasks and to make difficult decisions in demanding situations.
WARRIOR FORGE places each cadet and officer candidate in a variety of leadership positions, many of which simulate stressful combat situations. In each position, cadets will receive evaluations from platoon tactical and counseling (TAC) officers and noncommissioned officers. In addition to proving their leadership ability, cadets and officer candidates must meet established standards in physical fitness, weapons training, communication, and combat patrols and they must demonstrate their proficiency in many other military skills. Cadets and officer candidates must excel at WARRIOR FORGE to be considered competitive for a commission as an Army officer.
More than 5,000 Army ROTC cadets and National Guard officer candidates from throughout the nation will attend WARRIOR FORGE. WARRIOR FORGE will consist of training cycles beginning in June and the last cycle graduating in August.
CADET TROOP LEADER TRAINING (CTLT)
CTLT is a four-week leadership experience conducted at units in the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, South Korea, and Europe. Cadets are placed in charge of a regular Army platoon of approximately 35 Soldiers. The Cadet’s objective is to perform the leadership and management tasks necessary to train the platoon’s Soldiers and maintain its equipment.
While in CTLT, Cadets continue to receive a rate of pay (Cadet Basic Pay) and allowances equivalent to that received at Advanced Camp. Transportation to and from the unit is provided. In addition, Cadets stay in Bachelor Officer Quarters and eat meals in the unit’s dining facility.
The experiences, insights, and firsthand knowledge received will better prepare the Cadet for a future as an Army Officer. To attend CTLT, a Cadet must meet the following criteria:
- Be selected by the Professor of Military Science (PMS)
- Have successfully completed Advanced Camp
This is a great way to research a military branch before selecting the one you would like to be assigned to during the accessions process.
DRILL CADET LEADER TRAINING (DCLT)
Training is conducted in Basic Training and One Station Unit Training for four weeks. Cadets will work closely with drill instructors as they train soldiers in their basic skills.