The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and United States military bases across the world. The program was originally created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 and later expanded under the 1964 ROTC Vitalization Act.

According to Title 10, Section 2031^[1] of the United States Code, the purpose of Junior is "to instill in students in [the United States] secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment."^[2] Additional objectives are established by the service departments of the Department of Defense. Under 542.4^[3] of Title 32 (National Defense) of the Code of Federal Regulations, the Department of the Army has declared those objectives for each cadet to be:

• Developing citizenship and patriotism
• Developing self-reliance and responsiveness to all authority
• Improving the ability to communicate well both orally and in writing
• Developing an appreciation of the importance of physical fitness
• Increasing a respect for the role of the U.S. Armed Forces in support of national objectives
• Developing a knowledge of team building skills and basic military skills
• Taking 3–4 years of the course grants cadets the ability to rank higher if they pursue a military career