ROTC

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Russian is the most geographically widespread language in Eurasia

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ROTC and The Language Flagship

The Russian Flagship is a federally-sponsored initiative that provides opportunities for undergraduate students of any major to reach a professional level of competence in Russian by graduation, experience study abroad and professional internships, and earn prestigious Flagship certification. With increased investment by the U.S. Department of Defense in critical language skills, there is especially high demand for commissioned military officers with high levels of linguistic proficiency and in-depth cultural understanding of critical languages, cultures, and regions. We encourage all incoming UGA Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets to explore the opportunities presented by the Russian Flagship Program, which include an elevated level of funding and extra benefits upon commissioning.

Overview

To address strategic language and cultural needs for future U.S. military officers, The Language Flagship is committed to increasing the number of ROTC students achieving professional-level proficiency (ILR Level 3) in languages critical to national security. The UGA Russian Flagship Program works closely with the ROTC detachments on campus to increase the number of UGA ROTC cadets achieving a Superior level of proficiency in Russian by graduation. Close communication between program leadership and supervising officers allows us to help ROTC students balance both programs’ requirements to attain superior Russian skills while preparing them to become commissioned officers. ROTC students in the UGA Russian Flagship Program are highly motivated and foresee Russian language skills and cross-cultural competence as a defining component of their career paths both within and outside of the military. Through rigorous study and cultural immersion, these students graduate to become the next generation of global professionals and leaders of character of service to the nation. ROTC cadets in any branch can qualify for higher pay based on proficiency upon commissioning; Air Force ROTC cadets can additionally benefit from the Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP), which includes benefits for assignment, deployment, critical partnership missions, and e-mentoring.

ROTC Flagship Scholarships

ROTC cadets participating in a Flagship program are eligible for additional benefits through the ROTC Flagship Initiative, sponsored by the National Security Education Program at the U.S. Department of Defense. Additional benefits for ROTC cadets studying Russian in The Language Flagship include academic year scholarships and an elevated amount of funding from The Language Flagship covering the full cost of approved intensive domestic and study abroad programs in Russian. Any ROTC student participating in Flagship is eligible for support through Project Global Officer (Project GO), a special language initiative for ROTC students aimed at improving the language skills, regional expertise, and intercultural communication skills of future military officers. Project GO scholarships can be used to study Russian at intensive programs domestically and abroad.

Army Cadet Command, in partnership with the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), offers scholarships to Army ROTC students who enroll in an eligible Language Flagship program with the goal of Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 3 proficiency upon completion of the program. The Army will provide dedicated scholarships to ROTC students participating in The Language Flagship programs. These scholarships will provide support during the school year. DLNSEO will provide funding for the Flagship Overseas Capstone year, as well as cover attendance to Flagship approved summer intensive language programs to qualified ROTC students. Army ROTC students who wish to participate in The Language Flagship must apply through their university’s established process. The Army Foreign Language Flagship Scholarship applications will be centrally processed by Army Cadet Command and interviewed and boarded by Professors of Military Science under the current guidelines.

Air Force ROTC cadets may be eligible for the AFROTC Language Flagship scholarship, with the goal of Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Level 3 proficiency upon completion. AFROTC awards a yearly $18,000 tuition-and-fees scholarship for up to four years and DLNSEO may provide funding for a fifth-year Capstone program overseas as well as intensive summer language programs to eligible AFROTC cadets. AFROTC Flagship Scholarship cadets must meet their program's language proficiency requirements to attend summer and Capstone programs. To be eligible for the AFROTC Language Flagship scholarship, AFROTC cadets must enroll in a Language Flagship program, pursue their AFROTC-contracted major in the language, AND meet and maintain all AFROTC cadet criteria as per AFROTC Instruction 36-2011, Cadet Operations. Those interested should contact us for information on applying to the UGA Russian Flagship Program and contact UGA’s AFROTC Detachment for information on AFROTC eligibility and the AFROTC Language Flagship scholarship.