I am a midshipman at a ROTC unit and have a year to go until I am supposed to commission. I remember being told a while back that due to budget cuts, there is a chance the Navy might decide they don't need some of us and let us go (no commission, no flight school). Now with more budget cuts, I am curious to see how this chance is increased. Can anyone offer insight? If this happens, is there another way to get a commission in the Navy?
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Budget Cuts and NROTC Commissions
- Thread starter nycam12
- Start date
Consider this first, if the Navy just invested $100K in getting you a degree and the says "thank for your interest in national defense but we don't need you". Do you think there will be avenues open to folks whom the Navy has not already invested in?
You still may be able to apply for OCS but if the Navy is telling ROTC grads to go home, the odds of OCS taking folks in is slim.
Never say never, but it is not probable
I'm a rising 1/C MIDN as well and I know there hasnt been any word like that coming from our command. I have been told that depending on designator we could be placed on IRR anywhere from 2-12 months, but unless you screw up during your IRR time or during training, we will commission into active status. Of course, word changes like the wind lately around my unit, but that was what we were told in March.
Oh, and that while we are on IRR, we willl be Ensigns, but handled differently by the Navy as compared to an AD Ensign. Our XO told us we will have to take a "different oath" to enter active duty right before our report date 2-12 months later, so maybe the later oath of office was confused for a boot from the Navy at your unit...?
Our XO was pretty clear--he said that being put on the IRR is pretty likely, which isn't ideal but we would still commission and go AD after a few months. However, he also said that the Navy could let us go entirely, so we would not go active. It didn't sound like it was likely, but still a concern given the additional budget cuts this year.
We had a few Ensigns who recently commissioned originally get orders to IRR for several months, then a month before graduation, they get orders to report to Pensacola within three weeks. I've also been told the NSS was super high a few months ago, and now they're hurting for pilots. Who knows what the needs of the Navy will be in a few months when our designations come out, or even in a year when we graduate! No telling.