A North Carolina congresswoman urged the United States Army to reconsider a plan that would relocate a historic ROTC program from Duke University. 

Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) sent a letter to U.S. Army Brigadier General Maurice Barnett cautioning against the reclassification of the Bull City Battalion, currently hosted by Duke, as an extension unit under the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

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She said this reclassification would put North Carolina Central University students at a disadvantage of accessing necessary ROTC programs due to the distance to Chapel Hill. 

The U.S. Army announced in June a "strategic rebalance and optimization" of ROTC programs at universities and colleges. The changes affect host unit programs, extension unit programs and crosstown programs. The definitions of each, provided by the U.S. Army, are:

  • Host unit: A Senior ROTC program located at an institution with a formal agreement with the Secretary of the Army. Cadets attend training and classes on their home campus, and the institution is staffed with full-time ROTC personnel.
    • Extension unit: A Senior ROTC program linked to a host institution but located at a separate campus. Cadets take ROTC courses at their own institution with full-time cadre assigned to their campus.
      • Crosstown: An institution that allows students to enroll in ROTC courses hosted at a host or extension unit. Cadets travel for their training rather than having full-time ROTC cadre at their home institution.

        The changes will allegedly improve efficiency by consolidating and restructuring select host and extension units on approximately 900 campuses worldwide, according to the Army's news release. It added that the adjustments reflect a deliberate, phased approach aimed at minimizing disruption to cadets, employees and partner institutions.

        Restructuring at North Carolina programs

        The plan would inactivate (meaning they will no long have an affiliation with Army ROTC) host units at Elizabeth City State University and Saint Augustine's University. 

        It also plans to reclassify host units at Wake Forest University and Duke to extension units, meaning the program will merge support with the closest unit—which for Duke is UNC-Chapel Hill. 

        Foushee said this reclassification of Duke's unit would undercut the efficiency outcomes this plan seeks to strengthen. 

        Her argument is that the proposed shift would dilute program cohesion, reduce recruiting capacity and complicate coordination between Duke and NCCU—two institutions who depended on their close collaboration and proximity. 

        Part of her letter reads:

        For NCCU cadets, the new structure doubles travel time and distance to the host institution, creating clear and logistical and financial burdens. Many cadets come from modest backgrounds and rely on accessible instruction and campus-based support. The loss of local administrative and instructional presence risks diminished participation, higher attrition and a smaller pool of future officers from one of the Army's most effective and diverse commissioning pipelines.Congresswoman Valerie Foushee

        In an interview with WRAL News, Foushee said she's curious what the impetus was for the reclassification and why there is a perceived notion that the Bull City Battalion would be better served on UNC's campus rather than at Duke. 

        "You may be saving money, but are you using the program to its fullest potential?" Foushee said. "We're talking about students who don't always have the means for access and any help you can give them in participating in a program that's important to them. Why would you take away that ability, or that accessibility to save a few dollars down the road? I don't know that I would see that as a value."

        Foushee's letter urges the Cadet Command to reconsider the reclassification or conduct a comprehensive impact review before proceeding. 

        It adds that a completed, sufficient review must evaluate critical outcomes including officer production rates, diversity, recruiting sustainability and cost efficiency to determine whether this plan actually serves the Army's mission and interests. 

        WRAL News reached out to Duke and NCCU for comment.

        Only NCCU has responded so far, saying that their long, productive history of working with Duke has opened doors and created opportunities for students on both campuses for decades, including through their shared Bull City Battalion - Army ROTC program. 

        Their statement continued:

        NCCU shares Congresswoman Valerie Foushee’s concerns about the impact this proposed relocation would have on our cadets. 
        The move would create significant logistical and financial burdens for students and ultimately discourage their participation in the Army’s officer corps. Ensuring accessible, high-quality ROTC training is essential to supporting the pipeline of future military leaders.North Carolina Central University

        WRAL producer Thomas Santaniello contributed to this reporting.