[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 22 (Thursday, February 15, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1501-S1502]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SHELBY:
  S. 359. A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide 
eligibility for members enlisting in a regular component of the Armed 
Forces to enroll for advanced training in the Senior Reserve Officers' 
Training Program; to increase the maximum age authorized for 
participation in the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps financial 
assistance program; and for other purposes; to the Committee on Armed 
Services.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Senior Reserve 
Officers' Training Corps Eligibility Reform Act of 2001. I believe this 
bill will shore up the military's ability to recruit and retain 
qualified junior officers. This legislation will reform our college 
level Reserve Officer Training Corps Units by expanding eligibility for 
those programs.
  This bill contains two primary provisions which will alter the way in 
which ROTC determines eligibility. First, it will allow active duty 
enlisted personnel, who have been selected for an officer commissioning 
program, to participate in ROTC training. These enlisted personnel are 
already on college campuses and are attached administratively to an 
ROTC unit. Their tuition is paid by their respective service and they 
earn their regular active duty pay while earning their degree. However, 
these enlisted personnel do not normally begin their formal officer 
training until after earning their degree when they attend their 
respective service's officer candidate school. On average, our 
military's officer candidate schools are three months long. This 
legislation would permit these personnel to complete their officer 
training at the ROTC unit which serves the college or university they 
are attending. This would be a more equitable use of an officer 
candidate's time and would decrease the time and cost associated with 
training. Additionally, it will free up positions at officer training 
schools and significantly increase their ability to cope with 
fluctuations in the number of officer recruits.
  Second, this legislation increases the maximum age for participation 
in ROTC scholarship programs from 27 to 35. In other words, if a cadet 
or midshipman can complete their degree and earn their commission, by 
the maximum legal commissioning age of 35, they should be able to earn 
a scholarship which will pay for that education. This provision will 
allow the services to use scholarship money to cover the entire 
commissioning envelope. Our military recruiters will be able to provide 
financial incentives to an older yet valuable age group. I have been 
told that officer trainees in the 27 to 35 age group are more mature 
and focused and are less likely to try to back out of their service 
commitment.
  This legislation is one small initiative in our effort to rebuild the 
morale and readiness of our armed forces. Whether they be infantry 
commanders, pilots, submariners, intelligence analysts or information 
technology specialists, our junior officer ranks are depleted across 
the spectrum. In conjunction with the service academies and officer 
candidate schools, the ROTC scholarship program has been the backbone 
of our military's ability to train and commission high quality junior 
officers. My proposal today would merely expand this established 
program to include regular active duty personnel and an older and more 
seasoned citizenry. Overall, I believe that this bill will help the 
military to commission more junior officers, especially those with 
valuable prior enlisted service. I urge my colleagues to support it.

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