Additional training opportunities are available to contracted cadets. These training opportunities generally occur over the summer and allow cadets hands on experience in the Active Duty Army world. Read about some of the more common training opportunities and what the Cadets had to say about their experiences.
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Airborne School
Interested in jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft? This three week course will teach you everything you need to know to be able to jump out of a plane and land on the ground ready to continue the mission. After spending two weeks learning a proper Parachute Landing Fall (PLF) and jumping from towers of various heights, the last week is spent completing five live jumps from a C-130 or C-17 with increasing amounts of gear. Upon completion of these five jumps and graduation, cadets earn the right to wear Army Parachutist Badge. Availability of this course varies from year to year and slots are assigned based on merit.
Click to read about CDT Norton’s experience at Airborne School.
Air Assault School
This tough, 10-day course teaches cadets to successfully “slide down a rope” out of a hovering helicopter for insertion into areas normal vehicles might have difficulty reaching. Cadets attending this course will complete an obstacle course, improve their leadership skills, complete ruck marches and learn how to properly sling load various types of equipment for Air Assault missions. Upon completion of the course, cadets earn the right to wear the Army Air Assault Badge. Much like Airborne School, the number of slots for this course varies each year and slots are assigned based on merit.
Click to read about CDT Hineline’s experience at the US Army Air Assault School.
Basic Military Mountaineer Course
Combines both the summer and winter courses of instruction into one combined course that covers components of each phase depending on the time of year. Most often Cadets attend the summer course. The purpose of the BMMC is to train individuals in the skills required to conduct mountain combat operations during any climatic conditions and are awarded a skill identifier upon graduation. The following are general subject areas taught during this course of instruction: mountain navigation skills, individual mountain skills, small unit mountain skills, mountain medical skills, and summer specific practical exercises.
Combat Diver Qualification Course
The grueling seven-week Combat Diver Qualification Course, or CDQC, at the Special Forces Underwater Operations School in Key West, Fla., is neither for the weak of heart, or the idle of mind. It is as intense mentally as it is physically, with an attrition rate that truly begins before each class cycle does.
Here are some of Cadet Stewart’s thoughts on his experience:
I went to the Combat Dive Qualification Course in Key West, Florida. On the weekends we were able to go out and catch lobster, go snorkeling, or enjoy the food on the island.
The hardest part for me, was the one-man confidence test, where you are tested to stay calm in simulated rough seas. Overall, the course was separated into 6 parts: pool week, intro to open circuit diving, advanced open circuit diving, intro to closed circuit diving, advanced open circuit diving, and the field training exercise week. Personally, my biggest takeaway was the absolutely necessary attention to detail, as your equipment is your lifeline underwater. As this is a special forces school, being around all of the green berets really helped show their part of the Army you don’t get to see as often, and really enjoy the camaraderie between them all.
Jungle Warfare School
Welcome to the jungle! The Jungle Operations Training Course (JOTC) is a 20 day school offered out of the East Range Training Complex in Hawaii. Over the course of these 20 days, students are taught how to fight and win in a tropical environment. Week one consists of physical tests as well as training in mobility techniques, survival and tracking. During week two students are tested on knots, systems and a written test, and learn jungle battle drills and tactics, and also conduct a survival exercise. Finally, during week three students apply what they have learned and conduct squad level jungle operations and complete a rigorous physical event called the Green Mile.
Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT)
What better way to learn what it is to be a Second Lieutenant than to follow along in the footsteps of one for a few weeks? This is exactly the concept behind the CTLT program, where cadets are assigned to Active Duty Second Lieutenants in a program designed to provide hands on training to cadets in the environment they will soon find themselves in. These slots are limited to MS III’s upon successful completion of LDAC and slots are available in both the United States and overseas locations. Click on the links below to read about some of our more recent cadets’ experiences at CTLT.
Read about Badger Battalion cadets’ experiences at CTLT below:
Project GO!
Project GO (Global Officer) is an initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office which is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Project GO provides fully funded scholarships to students commissioning through Air Force, Army, and Naval ROTC to study critical languages domestically and abroad.
The goal of Project GO is to develop future military officers within all of the U.S. Armed Forces who possess the necessary linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills required for effective leadership in the 21st century operational environment. Project GO is open to U.S. citizens from all branches of ROTC.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of 22 universities nationwide that offers scholarships and learning opportunities with Project GO. Through Project GO at UW-Madison, students will gain critical foreign language proficiency and cultural skills necessary for their careers in a global environment. Students can fulfill language requirements during the summer without interrupting already busy ROTC schedules during the academic year.
https://rotcprojectgo.wisc.edu/
Here are some of Cadet Bobolz’s thoughts on her experience:
Project GO was a fantastic experience that I encourage all cadets to look into. The program I took part in was run though University of Mississippi and allowed us to study abroad in Taiwan with Tamkang University. It was an 8 weeklong course where we slept in the dorms, had classes Monday-Friday’s 10-5, and had weekends to explore the rest of the country. The courses were language intensive, and my Chinese improved immensely. We had small class sizes that allowed for lots of language practice and bonding amongst students. The program also allowed us to meet Taiwanese students who talked to us for conversation classes in addition to culture classes where we learned more about Taiwan’s history and culture.