Making Citizen Soldiers: ROTC and the Ideology of American Military Service

by Michael S. Neiberg

This book examines the Reserve Officers Training Corps program as a distinctively American expression of the social, cultural, and political meanings of military service. Since 1950, ROTC has produced nearly two out of three American active duty officers, yet there has been no comprehensive scholarly look at civilian officer education programs in nearly forty years. While most modern military systems educate and train junior officers at insular academies like West Point, only the United States has relied heavily on the active cooperation of its civilian colleges. Michael Neiberg argues that the creation of officer education programs on civilian campuses emanates from a traditional American belief (which he traces to the colonial period) in the active participation of civilians in military affairs. Although this ideology changed shape through the twentieth century, it never disappeared. During the Cold War military buildup, ROTC came to fill two it provided the military with large numbers of well-educated officers, and it provided the nation with a military comprised of citizen-soldiers. Even during the Vietnam era, officers, university administrators, and most students understood ROTC's dual role. The Vietnam War thus led to reform, not abandonment, of ROTC. Mining diverse sources, including military and university archives, Making Citizen-Soldiers provides an in-depth look at an important, but often overlooked, connection between the civilian and military spheres.

Hardcover

First published February 24, 2000

About the author

Michael S. Neiberg is the Stimson Chair of the Department of National Security and Strategy at the US Army War College. He has also taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neiberg highlights changing trends in support for ROTC from the programs inception in 1915 to the late 1970’s post Vietnam. His exploration of issues surrounding academic accreditation, university governance, and faculty concerns brings nuance to ROTC’s history and breaks down an understanding that focuses solely on student activism and opinion. Though certainly not the most entertaining read, Neiberg’s use of embedded university reports and military/academic remarks on ROTC helps to push his narrative along smoothly.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neiberg's most interesting claims are that 1960s campus opposition to ROTC reflected primarily concerns about the quality of instruction and academic status, and that faculties generally supported the concept of ROTC. Second, he claims that federal legislation and social activism had minimal impact on 1970s integration of women and African Americans. Rather, integration was a utilitarian response to declining enrollments. The book reads like a competent MA thesis, but it's modestly informative for those interested in officer training and recruiting.