About Air Force Junior ROTC

Colonel Johnny R. McGonigal
Director, Air Force Junior ROTC 
Biography 

Welcome to Air Force Junior ROTC. The mission of Air Force Junior ROTC is to "Develop citizens of character dedicated to serving their nation and community." Air Force Junior ROTC is not an USAF accessions program and cadets are never under any obligation to join the military. Air Force Junior ROTC is a Title 10 US Code mandated citizenship training program that is designed to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship, promote community service, instill personal responsibility, character, and self-discipline. The program achieves this through classroom education in air and space fundamentals and hands on learning opportunities in a number of fun and challenging co-curricular activities. 

The Air Force Junior ROTC program is grounded in the Air Force core values of “integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.”  

The program is mandated to sustain 870 Air Force Junior ROTC units in high schools worldwide. There are approximately 90,000 high school cadets in the program and more than 1,600 retired USAF instructors who lead, mentor, guide, and teach our cadets in high schools in the U.S. and around the world. Air Force Junior ROTC enjoys overwhelming school administration and community support because of the huge positive impact on cadets, schools, communities, and our nation. In many communities that have no military bases within many miles, the cadets and instructors of Air Force Junior ROTC are truly “The face of the U.S. Air Force in communities all over the U.S. and the world.” 

Mission 
Develop Citizens of Character Dedicated to Serving Their Nation and Community.

Goals 
Instill values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and sense of accomplishment.

Personnel and Resources 
The Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps staff includes 59 Headquarters positions and more than 1,600 retired Air Force officer and enlisted military instructors.  Congress has mandated 870 Air Force Junior ROTC units, and there are approximately 90,000 cadets enrolled in high schools across the United States and selected Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) in Europe, the Pacific, and Guam.   

Organization 
AFJROTC provides citizenship training and an aerospace science program for high school students.  Secondary school students who enroll in the AFJROTC program are offered a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular activities.  The program explores the historic and scientific aspects of aerospace technology and teaches high school students self-reliance, self-discipline, and other leadership characteristics.  Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics (STEM) concepts are also an important part of this world class program.  The AFJROTC program is open to 9th-12th grade students who are citizens of the United States.  By Title 10 USC, the program is a citizenship program and not chartered as a recruiting program for the military services and those students who participate in AFJROTC do not incur any obligation to the Air Force. 

AFJROTC objectives are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship and life skills; promote community service; instill a sense responsibility, develop character, leadership, and self-discipline through education and instruction in air and space fundamentals and the Air Force’s core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self, and Excellence In All We Do.  

Curriculum 
Curriculum is comprised of Aerospace Science (40%), Leadership Education (40%) and Health and Wellness studies (20%).  Students who successfully complete the classes are granted credit toward graduation.  Aerospace Science includes the heritage of flight, principles of aircraft flight and navigation, human requirements of flight, development of aerospace power, aerospace vehicles, rocketry, space and technology programs, aerospace industry, cultural studies of major world regions and cyber technology. STEM curriculum is introduced to help students better understand science and math related curriculum, improve critical thinking skills, and prepare cadets to be more competitive in the 21st Century. Leadership Education introduces students to military customs and courtesies, character education, citizenship in the United States, first aid, wellness, health and fitness, basic drill and ceremonies, critical thinking, effective communications, management, human relations, and college and career readiness; preparing students for life after high school. AFJROTC units complement the curriculum through cooperation and resources of organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Civil Air Patrol.  

Leadership Development Requirements (LDR) 
To reinforce the curriculum, cadets are encouraged to participate in activities outside the classroom called Leadership Development Requirements (LDRs). Common activities include Unmanned Aircraft Systems, CyberPatriot, StellarXplorers, Rocketry, Academic Bowl, Marksmanship, Drill and Color Guard teams; however, the list of activities varies by unit. Many units focus on more localized activities such as offering tutoring services and conducting skits as part of an Awareness Presentation Team to counter growing high school trends such as drug use and bullying. Through these LDR's, cadets continue to refine their leadership and followership skills while bringing credit to their self, unit, school and community.  

CSAF Flight Academy Scholarship Program 
Through this program, AFJROTC cadets are competitively selected to attend a summer aviation program at an accredited university. This program is approximately 8 weeks long and cadets can earn their Private Pilot's License while receiving college credit. The program began in 2018 and has grown significantly since its inception.  

Instructors 
All AFJROTC instructors are retired Air Force commissioned and non-commissioned officers.  The instructors maintain Air Force standards and are trained through the AFJROTC Junior Instructor Certification Course.  They are full-time faculty members of the participating high school and are employed by the local school board to teach AFJROTC classes.  There are more than 1,600 instructors serving in AFJROTC units around the world.
 
Community Service 
Community service is a major part of the cadet experience and helps instill a sense of civic pride and citizenship.  Each year, AFJROTC cadets do more than 1.6 million hours of community service.  Projects range from working with national organizations like the March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy, the National Red Ribbon Campaign, and Special Olympics, to participating in local community projects such as cleaning and refurbishing cemeteries and building parks.  

Scholarships and Other Benefits 
Cadets who choose to continue their education may receive special consideration for Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) scholarships. Many of these scholarships will pay for two, three, or four years of tuition, books, and fees at numerous universities and colleges and allow cadets to pursue studies in various technical and non-technical majors.  

In addition, cadets electing to enter the military immediately after graduating from high school are eligible to enlist in the services at one to two pay grades higher than other enlistees.  Students completing three years in AFJROTC are eligible to enter the Air Force two pay grades higher than other enlistees, and are automatically enrolled into the Community College of the Air Force, to receive college credit toward their associate college degree.

For More Information 
For more information on the AFJROTC program, contact AFJROTC Headquarters, 60 West Maxwell Boulevard, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6501. Phone: 1-334-953-7513 or visit the website at: http://www.airuniversity.af.mil/Holm-Center/AFJROTC/

The Junior ROTC program began in 1911 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The originator of the program was Army Lieutenant Edgar R. Steevers, assigned the duty of inspector-instructor of the organized military of Wyoming. The National Defense Act of 1916 authorized a junior course for non-college military schools, high schools, and other non-preparatory schools; the Army implemented Junior ROTC in 1916. Public Law 88-647, commonly known as the Reserve Officer Training Corps Vitalization Act of 1964, directed the secretaries of each military service to establish and maintain Junior ROTC units at public and private secondary schools which apply for and are eligible according to the regulations established by each secretary. Such schools must provide a course of military instruction not less than 3 years in length as prescribed by the military department concerned.

With a modest beginning of 20 units in 1966 Air Force Junior ROTC has grown to a mandated 870 high schools throughout the world, including units located in Department of Defense Schools in Europe and the Pacific. Junior ROTC enrollment worldwide includes approximately 90,000 cadets. Only boys were allowed as cadets in 1966, but Public Law 93-165 amended the requirement that a Junior ROTC unit have a minimum number of physically fit male students, thus allowing female students to count toward the minimum students needed for a viable unit. In 1972 the enrollment included 2,170 females making up 9% of the corps. Since then the number of females has increased to 40% of the cadet corps.

The Air Force Junior ROTC program provides citizenship training and an aerospace science program for high school youth. Enrollment in the Air Force Junior ROTC program is open to all young people who are in grades 9-12. Host schools are selected upon the basis of fair and equitable distribution throughout the nation. Retired Air Force commissioned and noncommissioned officers who are full-time faculty members of the participating high school and employed by the local school board teach Air Force Junior ROTC classes.