Future military officers get schooled in forensic science

The National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC) provided basic forensic science training to seven Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets during a two-week course in Largo, FL, at no charge to the participants or their units. The program, which ran from July 12-23, prepared the cadets with a better understanding of how the military uses a variety of forensic science disciplines to gather intelligence.

NFSTC ROTC Cadet Armand Kalugdan practices latent fingerprint techniques.

The course, Forensics and Biometrics Internship for ROTC, was originally developed and delivered to 12 cadets in July, 2009. Major Scott Macksam, Assistant Professor Military Science and Leadership, US Army ROTC at USF St. Petersburg, says he’s pleased to see the program repeated this year, noting that it’s a creative internship where cadets can practice thinking outside the box.

“As a result of this training,” says Macksam, ”these cadets will learn to identify what’s going on in a deployed setting. They’ll make better decisions as officers because they’ll have better information.”

This year’s class was offered to sophomore cadets from the University of South Florida, the University of Tampa, Hillsborough Community College and Florida Southern College. Applicants were selected for the program based on their GPA and their desire to attend.

Cadet Shawn Lungki, University of South Florida, practices post-blast investigation techniques at NFSTC’s Forensics and Biometrics Internship for ROTC.

Students participated in classes, labs and practical exercises to gain first-hand knowledge and experience about the capabilities and assets currently being employed by United States military around the world. Topics included crime scene investigation and photography, biological screening, improvised explosive device awareness and post-blast investigation, basic digital exploitation, chemistry, firearms and fingerprinting.

“Today’s soldiers are more versatile,” says Cadet Arman Kalugdan, a University of Tampa student. “They need to act as diplomats and investigators, as well as soldiers.” He also likes the fact that the course provides military training from a scientific perspective.

A relatively new and increasingly important skill set in the military’s war on terrorism is the use of forensic science and biometrics to locate and identify terrorists or other adversaries. As the military continues to integrate forensic science in the war on terrorism, the need for high quality, proven training is becoming essential to the nation’s war efforts.

Another cadet, Shawn Lungki from USF, was impressed that the course was taught by former members of the military. These instructors were able to relate the training to situations the cadets may encounter as military officers in the field, he says, which underscored the relevance of the training.

NFSTC provided the class as a service to assist in the development of the cadets.

“NFSTC is proud to equip our nation’s future military leaders with forensic science knowledge and techniques that can prepare them for their careers as military officers,” says Kevin Lothridge , CEO of NFSTC. “Grooming these cadets for leadership roles in the military and in our communities is an increasingly important challenge.”

 ROTC provides our future military leaders with the skills, knowledge and training to lead the next generation of America’s warfighters. Those who are selected for ROTC represent some of the most motivated and talented college students in the nation.