The Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) is a program that offers ROTC students hands-on experience in an Army National Guard unit. When you choose the SMP option, you are both a soldier in the Army National Guard and student in the Army ROTC Program. The summer between your junior and senior years in college, you will attend the Army ROTC National Advanced Leadership Camp as well as participate in your Army National Guard unit’s two-week annual training.
Once you have received your degree and have completed the ROTC program, you will be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army National Guard. You will also receive credit for the time you have already served in the Army National Guard while in college.
Army leadership training equates to proven managerial experience in the civilian job market. As an officer candidate in the Simultaneous Membership Program, you will be assigned to train with a local Army National Guard unit. Most units train one weekend a month, leaving the rest of the month open for classes and study. While a member of a unit, you will learn valuable leadership skills that will benefit you for the rest of your life.
In addition, you will be paid at the grade of Sergeant (E-5) for your Army National Guard training. This means that you will earn more than $200 per month during the school year, as well as active duty pay for annual training and pay for attending the ROTC National Advanced Leadership Camp. In addition, you will earn a monthly allowance as an ROTC Cadet during the academic year. The tax-free allowance is $350 per academic month during your junior year and $400 per academic month in your senior year.
Recent high school graduates can enlist in the Army National Guard and may elect to attend the ROTC Basic Course for the first two years of college, and then enter the SMP in their junior year. The ROTC Basic Course consists of academic instruction during your freshman and sophomore years in college. Army National Guard soldiers attending colleges that sponsor Army ROTC units, and who are at least academic juniors, are eligible to apply for the SMP option. College students who are at least sophomores and qualify academically and physically may also be eligible. They must complete Basic Training, the ROTC Basic Course, or attend the Army ROTC Leaders Training Course during the summer before their junior year.