ROTC Training

Basic Camp

Basic Camp is at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and serves as a training program to satisfy the first two years of ROTC (Military Science I & II). All travel expenses are paid for, and cadets are paid for their time there.

While there, cadets will be provided with instruction in basic leadership and technical skills that will prepare them for their junior and senior years of ROTC. A cadet is required to take this course if they plan to complete the program in only two years unless they have prior enlisted military service.

Cadet Summer Training

Cadet Summer Training is at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and is the pinnacle assessment event in a cadet’s career. Cadets are required to attend either the summer after their Military Science III year (regular track) or after their MSIV year (end of camp commissionee).

While there, cadets will receive training and be assessed on their ability to lead others in platoon level infantry tactics as well as in a garrison environment. Upon successful completion cadets are given an evaluation report based on their performance, which will be used by the U.S. Army in determining a cadet’s national ranking.

All travel expenses are paid for and cadets are paid for their time there. Successful completion is required to complete the ROTC program and earn a commission into the Army.

Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT)

Cadets selected for CTLT are attached to an active-duty Army unit in the United States, Europe or Asia for two to four weeks following completion of Cadet Summer Training. During their training, they are mentored by an active-duty officer assigned to that unit and learn the responsibilities associated with the job of their assigned mentor.

Air Assault School

Air Assault School is available at different Army posts across the country. Your adventure begins with Zero Day: an obstacle course designed to exhaust even the most physically fit, followed by a brisk two-mile run in the summer sun. Then the real fun begins.

Over the next two weeks, you learn to establish helicopter landing zones, execute a night air assault mission, rig and sling load helicopters for cargo missions, and rappel from a UH-60 Blackhawk hovering 100 feet above the ground.

Cap it off with a three-hour, 12-mile road march and you’ll understand why the soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division walk with a distinctive swagger of confidence. They’ve earned it, and so can you.

Airborne School

The U.S. Army Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia, is available to cadets who are enrolled in the program. The three-week course consists of a ground week, tower week and jump week. Each week presents a different type of training that teaches you how to parachute out of airplanes and helicopters.

“Jump School” can be the first step in the journey of a lifetime. Whether running through Fort Benning at daybreak or parachuting from a C-141, Airborne School will be an experience you will never forget. Once you’ve successfully completed your fifth jump, you earn the coveted silver wings of an airborne soldier.

Mountain Warfare School

This school is not for the faint of heart. Mountain Warfare is a two-week school taught at Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, Vermont. The course covers rappelling, rock climbing, mountain survival, land navigation, first aid and knots.

Both a summer and a winter phase are offered. Its mission is to develop and conduct resident mountain warfare training under both summer and winter conditions. The course develops the leadership and technical skills of Army personnel by requiring them to perform mountaineering tasks in a realistic tactical mountain environment. It provides the student with the practical hands-on experience in the application of tactics and techniques needed for mountain operations.

Special Teams

Cadets are encouraged to participate in extracurricular organizations within the Army ROTC program. These teams pay homage to our military traditions, build physical fitness, teamwork and tactical skills. Our special teams attend competitions throughout the school year and support myriad military events across the Dallas-Fort worth area.

Ranger Challenge

The program is a primary source of small-unit tactics development for cadets desiring to improve their fieldcraft and physical fitness.

Ranger Challenge training begins with rigorous tryouts modeled after traditional special unit selection programs. For as long as cadets remain on the team, they can expect to train critical military skills like tactics, fieldcraft and the infamous “ruck march” — a team movement in full uniform conducted with 45-pound packs at paces exceeding 13-minute miles, for up to 12 miles.
Ranger Challenge is a team that offers cadets incredible challenges, development and camaraderie!

Color Guard  

The Comet Battalion Color Guard is the official color guard of The University of Texas at Dallas that presents the American, Texas and University flags at events and ceremonies. They regularly perform at Homecoming events, Texas Rangers baseball games, city memorials and parades, University Commencement ceremonies, private community events, and alumni banquets.

Cannons

The cannon team is a ceremonial team that fires Korean War-era 75mm pack Howitzer Cannons for special events at UT Dallas, local sporting events, city memorials, parades and other special events.