The course is divided into the Basic Course, the first two years of instruction, and the Advanced Course, the final two years of instruction. Each subsequent military science year builds on the previous year's instruction in cadet military skills and leadership development all the way through to program completion and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant. Through ROTC programs, the Army commissions seventy percent of its newly accessed lieutenants at two hundred and seventy-seven colleges. At least one half of these new lieutenants are commissioned on Active Duty. Some desire to receive commissions in the Army National Guard or the Army Reserve.
All officers are committed to eight years of service following commissioning.
Cadets who compete for and receive active duty are normally obligated to serve three or four years on active duty. The remainder of their eight year commitment may be served in the Individual Ready Reserve or, if they choose, on Reserve status in either an Army National Guard or U. S. Army Reserve unit. Both scholarship and non-scholarship cadets, not accessed on to active duty, will, upon commissioning, complete their military service obligation in the Reserve Component. Army Reserve or National Guard unit duty requires officers to attend monthly weekend training assemblies and an annual two-week annual training period. It is the basis of the Citizen Soldier concept, which draws its heritage from the earliest days of our great nation and remains the primary foundation of our national defense.