Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps: DOD and DHS Should Update Guidance to Evaluate Instructor Recruitment and Pay
Fast Facts
The military services administer the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. JROTC is a federally funded program of instruction for high school students that aims to teach citizenship, service, and responsibility.
To address difficulties recruiting JROTC instructors, Congress expanded instructor eligibility requirements and modified the pay system.
The military services met most leading practices for recruiting instructors, such as recruiting year-round. But they don't know how well their recruiting efforts are working, and it's too soon to see effects of the new pay scale.
We recommended ways to help ensure success in instructor recruitment.
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps Color Guard at New York Fleet Week, 2024
JROTC cadets march with flags during Fleet Week with water in the background.
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Defense (DOD) identified over $400 million in fiscal year 2025 for the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program. JROTC aims to develop citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility in students. In 2025, there were more than 6,000 JROTC instructors across all 50 states and in DOD schools overseas.
The military services met five out of six leading practices for recruiting JROTC instructors such as monitoring instructor vacancies and recruiting year-round, but did not consistently establish or track metrics. Establishing standardized metrics would better position the military services to evaluate the effectiveness and the success of JROTC recruiting efforts across the entire JROTC program.
Assessment of How Military Services Met Leading Practices for Recruiting Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) Instructors
Neither DOD nor the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are positioned to determine the effectiveness of the new JROTC instructor pay scale on JROTC instructor recruiting and retention without a plan and metrics to evaluate its effectiveness. For example, JROTC instructors GAO spoke to or surveyed had mixed opinions about the new JROTC pay scale, including concerns that the pay scale was lower than the legacy pay scale in their high cost of living areas. Defining metrics to evaluate the new pay scale would provide the military services with improved oversight and visibility about the effectiveness of the new pay scale in supporting JROTC program goals, to include recruiting and retaining JROTC instructors.
Why GAO Did This Study
The military services—Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard—under DOD and DHS are responsible for recruiting and certifying JROTC instructors. Legislation expanded eligibility requirements for JROTC instructors in fiscal year 2023 and modified the JROTC pay system in fiscal year 2024 to help the military services address challenges recruiting JROTC instructors.
The Senate Report 118-58 accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 includes two provisions for GAO to review the JROTC program. This report evaluates the extent to which 1) the military services followed leading practices for recruiting; and 2) the new JROTC instructor pay scale supports recruitment and retention needs, among other issues.
GAO interviewed agency officials and reviewed DOD and military service policy and guidance for the JROTC programs. GAO also conducted a survey of 95 JROTC instructors and received 46 responses for a response rate of 47 percent. The results of this survey are not generalizable. GAO also interviewed JROTC instructors at 28 high schools that were selected based on military service and geographic representation.
Recommendations
GAO is making seven recommendations, including that the military services develop an evaluation plan for JROTC instructor recruiting efforts and that DOD and DHS update guidance to better evaluate the effects of the new JROTC instructor pay scale on recruitment and retention. DOD did not comment. DHS concurred with GAO’s recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | The Secretary of the Army should develop an evaluation plan, including a standardized set of metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of JROTC instructor recruitment. (Recommendation 1) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Air Force | The Secretary of the Air Force should develop an evaluation plan, including a standardized set of metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of JROTC instructor recruitment. (Recommendation 2) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop an evaluation plan, including a standardized set of metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of JROTC instructor recruitment. (Recommendation 3) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should ensure the Commandant of the Marine Corps develops an evaluation plan, including a standardized set of metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of JROTC instructor recruitment. (Recommendation 4) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Commandant of the Coast Guard develops an evaluation plan, including a standardized set of metrics, to evaluate the effectiveness of JROTC instructor recruitment. (Recommendation 5) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense, in collaboration with the Secretaries of the military departments, should update JROTC guidance to include plans and metrics for evaluating how the JROTC instructor pay scale affects instructor recruitment and retention. (Recommendation 6) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Commandant of the Coast Guard updates JROTC guidance to include plans and metrics for evaluating how the JROTC instructor pay scale affects instructor recruitment and retention. (Recommendation 7) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|