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The Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) Program at Moss Point High School in Moss Point, Mississippi was established in 2003 and is proudly known at the ‘TIGER ELITE’ Unit.  The program is part of NJROTC AREA EIGHT and has been a Distinguished Unit

Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program was formed with the signing of the National Defense Act of 1916 and the establishment of the first unit at Leavenworth High School in Kansas in 1917 under the guidance of the U.S. Army.  It was not until Congress passed the JROTC Vitalization Act of 1964 that the other branches of military service began JROTC units. The first Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) programs began in 1966. Today, there are over 600 NJROTC units in high schools throughout the United States and overseas.  

The Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) was established under Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) to manage funding, personnel and materials for all NJROTC programs.  The program’s office is located in Pensacola, Florida which has established eleven Area Managers who are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the programs in their areas of responsibility via annual inspections. Directly beneath the area managers are the program managers or NJROTC instructors.

NJROTC instructors are retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard officers and enlisted personnel whom are certified by the Navy as Naval Science Instructors.  Each instructor is employed by their respective school district and work for their principal. Each school program has at least two instructors; the senior Naval Science Instructor (SNSI) who is a retired military officer and the Naval Science Instructor (NSI) who is a retired senior enlisted personnel.  The Navy provides textbooks, computers, uniforms and all equipment for extracurricular activities.

The JROTC program’s mission is stated in the National Defense Act of 1916:  The purpose of JROTC is “to instill in students the value of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment.”  Consequently, NSTC has established specific goals for the NJROTC program which include the following:

  • Promote patriotism.
  • Develop informed and responsible citizens.
  • Promote habits or orderliness and precision.
  • Develop a high degree of personal honor, self-reliance, self-discipline, and leadership.
  • Promote an understanding of the basic elements and requirements for national security.
  • Develop respect for and an understanding of the need for constituted authority in a democratic society.
  • Provide incentives to live healthy and drug-free lives.
  • Develop leadership potential.
  • Promote high school completion.
  • Provide information on the military services as a possible career.