<p>This is an age-old question and since this is a Naval Academy and not a ROTC forum, I am compelled to present the side of USNA.</p>
<p>I firmly believe that if USNA did not provide a service GAO would have shut it down years ago. What service does it provide? There are many. Some are concrete and some are esoteric. I have been relegated to my lap top but if you want evidence of the concrete, go to the Monterrey website and google theses. Seems like ever semester, a student will take on some comparative study between the two programs. The overall consensus seems to be that USNA is the most cost effective officer procurement source which the Navy operates. How can this be when an USNA Ensign is exponentially more expensive than a ROTC one? When examining both quality of service (promotion rates and/or fitrep grades) combined with length of service, USNA comes out ahead. Simple fact is that USNA fitreps are better and hence their promotion rates are better. USNA grads are more likely to make USNA a career. Increased promotability allows for a longer career beyond mandatory retirement had they not been promoted.</p>
<p>Why causes the above conclusions to be valid? This is where the reasoning becomes much more esoteric. First off, why do USNA grads have longer careers? Did the simple fact that they decided early and applied to the Naval Academy more likely set them on a career track from the very beginning? Did the fact that they were embedded in the Navy 24/7 from the very beginning cause them to be more open to a career? Did the fact that, unlike their ROTC counterparts, they interacted daily with many career officer role models influence their outlook? Did all these factors and many more give them a greater level of confidence when they hit the fleet and hence more open to the thought that yes this would be a career in which they could succeed? In reality, it is probably a combination of all the above.</p>
<p>Why do Academy officers promote better? While many don’t realize this and by the time they do, it is too late, it is, in my opinion, the most important of all. First impressions are paramount. An Academy grad is prepared to make that good impression. Also, many times when initial job assignments are divvied out, more is ask of the Academy grad and hence a greater chance to excel. The first six months can set the tone for the first tour. The first tour will set the tone for subsequent tours. Bottom line, if one, as an Ensign, doesn’t hit the deckplates on fire and running, in six months he could be in a position never to catch up.</p>
<p>Zack, while I am not as familiar with the USMC, I have two questions to pose. Only 10% of initial USMC 2nd LT procurement is USNA. By the time they reach General, historically between a third and half of them are USNA grads. So a USNA grad has a 3 to 5 times better chance of unlimited promotion than those from other procurement sources. Why is this? Also, the Corps has recently drastically increased the numbers of 2LTs coming from the Academy, by far the most expensive procurement source. Why is this?</p>