Army To Fall Short of 1997 Target for JROTC

By Robert C. Johnston

Nearly four years into an ambitious five-year expansion of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, U.S. Department of Defense officials say there is not enough money to meet the Army's growth target for 1997.

And while the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps expect to reach their JROTC expansion goals, schools' reluctance to devote scarce local funds to the effort--as well as protests in dozens of communities--have made their job more difficult.

JROTC, a companion to the collegiate Reserve Officers' Training Corps, is designed to introduce teenagers to the military. Most of the high school programs are offered as elective courses and focus on citizenship, leadership, and military history. Some units have drill teams...