An upcoming Association of the U.S. Army webinar will focus on the history and impact of the Junior ROTC program.

The event, part of AUSA’s Noon Report series, will feature Arthur Coumbe, author of Soldiers in the Schoolhouse: A Military History of the Junior ROTC. The webinar begins at noon Eastern on Nov. 19.

It is free, but registration is required here.

The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps offers military training to over half a million cadets in high schools across America. During the webinar, Coumbe will discuss the evolution of this popular but controversial program, highlighting its successes, its challenges and its needs for the future.

Coumbe is a former associate professor of history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He is now a researcher and historian for the Office of Economic and Manpower Analysis, an Army think tank based at West Point. Previously, he was a historian for U.S. Army Cadet Command, the organization responsible for overseeing the Army’s ROTC program.

Coumbe has more than 30 years of experience in teaching, research and academic administration. He has presented over 20 papers at academic conferences and authored numerous articles and books, all focused on military history and the military officer corps. His primary areas of academic interest and research include ROTC, the U.S. Military Academy, officer management, military manpower, professional military education and officer accessions.

A retired Army colonel, Coumbe served for 30 years as a military intelligence officer and is a 1973 graduate of West Point. He has a doctorate in history from Duke University.