Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently broke ground for a new ROTC complex at the university’s Daytona Beach Campus. The facility will serve Embry-Riddle’s U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy ROTC programs, furthering the university’s tradition of educating top-tier military officers. Strong demand for Embry-Riddle’s highly regarded ROTC programs — which rank among the best in the country — prompted the decision to develop the new complex. The programs currently count nearly 800 cadets and midshipmen at the Daytona Beach Campus.
The new 28,000-square-foot, two-story building will house leadership-focused education spaces, including technologically advanced classrooms and a 100-seat auditorium. The facility will also include a computer lab, mission-specific simulators, program support offices and student collaboration spaces, as well as a dedicated outdoor plaza for drill training and ceremonies.
“Embry-Riddle’s ROTC programs have a longstanding tradition of preparing some of the finest and most dedicated officers for our nation’s military,” said Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D. “This facility is not only a commitment to these students who go on to serve our nation but also shows our dedication to helping them reach their academic, military and leadership goals.”
Embry-Riddle’s ROTC programs at the Daytona Beach Campus consistently rank among the largest and most successful across the country. Through them, more than 750 graduates have been commissioned as officers in the Air Force, Space Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps over the past five years.
The second-largest Air Force program in the nation, Detachment 157 currently comprises about 500 cadets and has commissioned more than 313 officers over the past five fiscal years. Since 2022, it has ranked among the top 10% of all 145 detachments nationwide. The detachment leads all ROTC programs in the number of cadets selected as Air Force pilots and for the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program, which produces combat pilots for NATO countries. It is also the top producer of Space Force officers.
With more than 150 cadets, the Army ROTC Eagle Battalion is one of the largest programs in the nation. For four of the past five years, it has been recognized with the General Douglas A. MacArthur Award, given to the top eight Army ROTC programs. The battalion has commissioned 246 officers over the past five years and also produces the most Army aviators outside West Point.
For four consecutive years, an Eagle Battalion team has finished at the top of the annual Sandhurst International Military Skills Competition, a two-day event in which teams of cadets compete in demanding challenges testing a range of skills and physical endurance.
Embry-Riddle’s Navy ROTC program counts more than 100 midshipmen and has commissioned 198 officers over the past five years, with about 30 naval and 10 Marine officers commissioned yearly. In recent years, all submarine officers have passed nuclear technical interviews, and the program has achieved a 100% graduation rate for Marine Corps Officer Candidate School.
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