USCG HQ, Washington, DC –
WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard is establishing four new Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units for the 2023-2024 school year, bringing the national total from six to ten.
The new units will be located at:
- Saraland High School in Saraland, Ala.
- Aspira Business and Finance High School in Chicago
- Clinton High School in Clinton, Miss.
- Mission Bay High School in San Diego
The addition of the four JROTC units is the largest expansion in the program’s history, and the first time the Coast Guard will establish more than two of these units in a single year.
The Coast Guard established the JROTC program in 1989 at the MAST Academy in Miami. The program currently includes approximately 500 cadets across six high schools in the states of Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.
“Adding these JROTC units in four additional states demonstrates the nation-wide impact of our JROTC program,” said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, director of governmental and public affairs. “Our JROTC program provides a framework for personal and citizenship development, and the character formation we are seeing in these cadets is good for our schools, communities, the Coast Guard, and our nation as a whole.”
To participate in JROTC, students must be in grades 9-12, with some exceptions for eighth graders. They must be citizens, nationals of the United States or those lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Cadets must also maintain physical fitness, academic and personal conduct standards.
“The Coast Guard JROTC develops cadets using the COAST model, an acronym for our 5-fold pillars of Citizenship, Operations, Advancement, Service, and Teamwork,” said Cmdr. Clay Cromer, Coast Guard JROTC program manager. “These pillars guide our program mission of ‘Developing Service-Minded Citizens of Character’ and help our cadets achieve success both in the classroom and in their daily lives.”
The National Defense Authorization Act 2023 provided specific direction for the program’s future – the Coast Guard must establish and maintain at all times a JROTC unit in every Coast Guard District by December 31, 2025. The six JROTC units are currently located in only two of the Coast Guard’s nine Districts, with this year’s expansion adding three for a total of five Districts with active JROTC units.
Source: United States Coast Guard News
