Facilities and Cadet Training

UVM Army ROTC is located at the University of Vermont East Campus in the Adams Building across the street from the Davis Center.  Our program has the unique opportunity to take advantage of world-class training facilities located in the Green Mountain State such as Camp Johnson and Ethan Allen Firing Range.

• Ethan Allen Firing Range is an Army National Guard Base locted 25 minutes east of UVM in Jericho, VT.  Ethan Allen Firing Range is the home of the Army Mountain Warfare School.  It includes ranges, an excellent land navigation course, barracks, and 11,000+ acres of training area.

• Camp Johnson is the location of the Vermont Army National Guard Headquarters and is located 15 minutes north of UVM in Colchester, VT immediately next to Saint Michael's College.  Camp Johnson provides a small training area, a one-mile outdoor running track and indoor training facilities.

Army ROTC Cadets take part in numerous training activites in order to prepare them for their responsibilities as an Army Officer.

Physical Training

The Green Mountain Battalion conducts physical training, or PT three days a week during the school year.  At UVM, PT runs from 0630 to 0730 on Monday's Wednesdays, and Fridays holidays excluded.  Cadets from UVM, Champlain College and Saint Michael's College attend PT at UVM.  Cadets at SUNY Plattsburgh attend PT on Monday's Wednesdays, and Fridays from 0800-0850 at SUNY Plattsburgh.  Cadets at remote schools such as Castleton, Johnson State, or Middlebury conduct individual or group PT on their individual campuses.  In season varsity athletes are excused from PT.

PT is designed to help Cadets meet and maintain the level of physical fitness required to meet the demands of combat.   Improved physical fitness contributes to better overall mental and emotional well-being as well as a better attitude and self-confidence.  Each PT session typically involves muscular endurance and strength exercises as well as cardiovascular fitness exercises.

Physical fitness is measured with the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).  All Cadets are required to attend PT at either UVM or SUNY Plattsburgh when the Battalion takes the APFT.  The APFT consists of 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minutes of sit-ups, and a timed 2-mile run.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swim Requirements


All MS III Cadets must pass the Combat Water Survival Test prior to receiving a commission.  The CWST consists of three events, a 15-meter swim, a 3-meter drop and an equipment removal.  Cadets must swim 15 meters while wearing the Army Combat Uniform, sneakers and load-bearing equipment  while carrying a rifle.  For the 3-meter drop, Cadets must drop from a diving board while blindfolded and carrying a rifle, then remove the blindfold and swim to the side of the pool without losing the rifle.  Finally Cadets must enter the water with load-bearing equipment and a rifle, discard both and swim to the side of the pool.

Additionally, Cadets must take the swimming diagnostic Test which involves swimming for 10 continuous minutes using any combination of four strokes (backstroke, crawl, sidestroke, and breaststroke) and then tread water for 5 continuous minutes.

Leadership Labs

UVM Army ROTC Cadets participate in two Leadership Labs each semester.  These labs take place on Saturdays and typically last eight to nine hours.  These labs provide practical experience in leadership, military drill and command in order to develop and strengthen the traits of initiative, self-confidence and discipline.  The labs stress the practical application of lessons and skills learned in the classroom.  Training activities during labs include basic rifle marksmanship, land navigation, individual and squad tactics, and the Field Leaders Reaction Course.  Leadership labs are held at Ethan Allen Firing Range, Camp Johnson, or at UVM or SUNY Plattsburgh facilities.

Field Training Exercises



Each semester UVM Army ROTC Cadets participate in a Field Training Exercise or FTX.  The FTXs are weekend training events that generally run from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon and generally iniclude more vigorous training than the Leadership Labs.  The training is similar but the duration and intensity are increased.  Here Cadets learn how to perform under stress and practice the skills they will need at the Leadership Development Assessment Course (LDAC).  The FTXs are usually held at Ethan Allen Firing Range to take advantage of the larger training facilities.

During the Spring Semester, UVM ROTC occasionally conducts a joint FTX with another New England school in order to better prepare the Cadets for conditions at LDAC where they will have to work with Cadets from across the country.

Due to the good relationship with the Vermont Army National Guard, UVM Army ROTC can occasionally get helecopters to transport Cadets to Ethan Allen Firing Range for the FTXs.