Cadets run Baker's J.R.O.T.C. entirely with only minimal guidance from Lieutenant Colonel Ramirez and Chief Nunley.
The U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (J.R.O.T.C.) is one of the most extensive character development and citizenship programs for youth worldwide. The National Defense Act of 1916 established organized J.R.O.T.C. programs at public and private educational institutions. In 1964, Congress expanded the program to all military services and changed from active duty to shared support from the services and schools. As congressionally mandated by Title 10 United States Code, Section 2031, each military service must have a J.R.O.T.C. program to "instil in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment." The J.R.O.T.C. mission, "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens," is the guidepost for the program's success. The Defense Act of 1916 was a sweeping revision to the Army's organization reflected the country's anxieties about maintaining neutrality from World War I, overall military preparedness, and border skirmishes in southwestern states with Pancho Villa. The law was a compromise that reflected disagreements nationally, within government, and inside the War Department about how best to accomplish these objectives. On the one hand, it increased the Regular Army's size, continued to build what would become the U.S. Army Reserve (initially established in 1908), and expanded and integrated the National Guard as a more responsive reserve force. On the other hand, the law placed limitations on the War Department General Staff (only nineteen were on duty when the United States entered World War I). It also cemented the War Department bureau chiefs' independence from the Secretary of War and the Chief of Staff. They did not fully undo this situation until the early 1960s. In short, the law reflected the best possible reforms given the country's mood. It both contributed to and restricted America's ability to mobilize to enter World War I in April 1917.