The Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) is offered between the Army National Guard or the Army Reserves and Army ROTC. SMP Cadets are enlisted Soldiers who serve in the National Guard or the Army Reserve and attend ROTC classes during the school year. SMP Cadets typically join ROTC between their sophomore and junior year unless they receive a 4-year Minuteman scholarship to start their freshman year. After graduation, SMP Cadets receive their commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard, the Army Reserve, or Regular Army (active duty).
The Experience
Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers who have completed Basic Combat Training may skip some, if not all, ROTC Basic Course classes (freshman and sophomore courses, Military Science I & II) depending on their contracting path (scholarship or non-scholarship), major, and timeline to graduation. Some SMP Cadets enroll directly into ROTC Advanced Course during their junior year of college as a Military Science III.
During the school week, SMP Cadets participate in ROTC physical fitness, class, lab, and one Field Training eXercise (FTX) each semester. Students can expect to spend approximately six to seven hours per week on the ROTC program with increased duties and coordination during your junior and senior years (one two-hour class, one two-hour lab, three hours of physical fitness).
During drill or battle assembly weekends, SMP Cadets shadow platoon leaders or executive officers and function as assistant Lieutenants at their assigned National Guard or Army Reserve unit. SMP Cadets wear ROTC rank and execute the duties of a new Second Lieutenant in a supervised, on-the-job-training environment.
After the completion of Military Science III, SMP Cadets will attend the ROTC Advanced Camp at Fort Knox, Kentucky in lieu of annual training. After Advanced Camp, SMP Cadets return for their senior year and take on a mentorship role within the Badger Battalion as a Military Science IV. To commission, all ROTC Cadets are required to take one military history course.
Who Qualifies?
To qualify for the SMP you must be a member of the Army National Guard or Army Reserve and be eligible to contract with ROTC at one of our universities or colleges. Traditional ROTC scholarship Cadets are ineligible to be a SMP Cadet unless approved for a scholarship conversion. However, ROTC scholarship Cadets can elect to serve after college in either reserve component.
Most SMP Cadets have attended both Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), but it is not required to join ROTC. AIT is the phase of active duty training all Soldiers must complete to become military occupational specialty (MOS) qualified and receive Montgomery GI Bill benefits. If you are interested in becoming an officer after enlisting, contact our Scholarship & Enrollment Officer as soon as possible but not later than the end of May prior to the start of your junior year.