I'm considering applying to the US Naval Academy and I'm specifically interested in a future with the United States Marine Corps. How does the academy prepare midshipmen for a Marine Corps commission?
Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, regardless of their desired service selection, first undergo a universal training designed to instill leadership, moral, and operational competencies applicable to both the Navy and Marine Corps. This includes a wide array of military, academic, physical, and moral-ethical training across the four-year program.
During the summer following sophomore year, there is a program called “Professional Training for Midshipmen” (PROTRAMID). In PROTRAMID, midshipmen experience a week at both a Navy and Marine Corps base to better understand the life and responsibilities within these two branches. The Marine Corps week could include a physical fitness test, a day at the rifle and pistol ranges, and even tactical exercises.
In their senior year at Annapolis, midshipmen must choose their future service assignment between the Navy and Marine Corps. Those who select the Marine Corps will then attend a four-week program known as "Leatherneck" at the Marines' base in Quantico, Virginia. This course is Marine-oriented and competitive. It's designed to evaluate and train midshipmen for potential service as officers in the United States Marine Corps.
Upon graduation from the Academy and the successful completion of the Leatherneck program, midshipmen are commissioned as Second Lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps. Before reporting to their first assignment, these newly minted Marine officers are required to attend a six-month Basic School (TBS) in Quantico. Here, they further develop leadership skills, learn small-unit tactics, and receive more specialized Marine Corps training.
So, in summary, the U.S. Naval Academy incorporates several Marine-Corps specific elements into its curriculum and training, seamlessly interwoven into its overarching goal to cultivate Navy and Marine Corps officers of exemplary character and competence.
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