Reserve Officer Training Unit

Military unit within the Malaysian Armed Forces

The Reserve Officer Training Unit (Abbr. : ROTU, – PALAPES) is a military programme that trains undergraduate students to be reserve officers for the Malaysian Armed Forces. Those who complete the training will be commissioned as officers in the Malaysian Armed Forces Reserve, either as Second lieutenants in the Territorial Army Regiment and the Royal Malaysian Air Force Volunteer Reserve , or as Acting Sub lieutenants in the Royal Malaysian Navy Volunteer Reserve .

During the Indonesia–Malaysia conflict in 1965, 30 University of Malaya students who were also alumni of the Royal Military College volunteered to enlist for military training at Siputih Training Camp in Batu Gajah, Perak, during their semester break. On 3 April 1965, the staff and lecturers of the University of Malaya formed the 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion Due to the lack of a military installation nearby at the time, the staff and 30 students conducted military training in a small room at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. When the University of Malaya's reserve army expanded in 1969, the university constructed a five row wooden structure at KM 8, Jalan Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, to serve as the reserve army's headquarters and training centre. This area was later dubbed "Damansara Camp". The wooden structure was built on University of Malaya's land by the Malaysian Public Works Department as part of an agreement between University of Malaya and the Ministry of Defense. As part of the agreement, the University of Malaya must share the building with the Malaysian Army. With this, the headquarters of the 1st University of Malaya Reserve Army Battalion will be shared with the 11th Infantry Division. On 26 February 1979, the Chief of the Army convened a meeting with all public university vice chancellors and the Director of MARA Institute of Technology, and directed the universities to establish ROTU at their respective institutions. The National University of Malaysia was the first university to establish ROTU on 1 July 1979, while Professor Mohd Ghazali was appointed as the first commandant and given the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel. To introduce undergraduate students to military field. Students are trained to be disciplined and patriotic. Providing manpower resources from higher education institutions that have been trained in the military field for the Malaysian Armed Forces, whether regular or reserves.

The ROTU structures differ between universities and institutions. However, each university and institution has a commandant, who is an honorary position given to the vice chancellor of the university or the chief executive officer of the institution, and a deputy commandant, who is the highest position for a staff in charge. The Deputy Commandant is assisted by the Head Instructor, an regular officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel for universities with larger ROTU and Major or Lieutenant Commander for universities with smaller ROTU. There is an adjutant and a regimental sergeant major below the Head Instructor. All of them are supported by regular officers and other ranks for a variety of tasks. ROTU is accessible to full time first year bachelor's degree students. The minimum physical requirements for males under the MK LAT CPL/SIMP 500/3/5/6 are for height, for weight, and BMI does not exceed 26.9, while females are for height, for weight, and BMI does not exceed 26.9. They must also not be colorblind. First year students interested in joining ROTU must submit their names and wait for selection.

Students compete for ROTU slots because of the benefits that come with being selected as a cadet and being commissioned as a military reserve officer.

This varies depending on the university or institution. Cadets are typically provided with a free three year residence; for example, University of Putra Malaysia places all cadets at Kolej Sultan Alaeddin Suleiman Shah, or KOSASS.

Graduates from universities or institutions who have completed their ROTU programmes can continue to serve as reserve military officers by attending reserve units near their home. For them to remain qualified as reserve military officers, they must complete at least 70% of the total annual training. Those who have been inactive for a long time can reactivate their membership by reporting to the nearest reserve camp, but they must go through the process of retaking the fitness test and providing documentation. Graduates who have completed their ROTU programmes can also apply to work as full time military officers in the Malaysian Armed Forces by enrolling in the Kursus Pegawai Kadet Graduan Aside from the military experience gained at ROTU, there are no advantages for ROTU applicants over regular undergraduate graduates for Kursus Pegawai Kadet Graduan. As a result, they are free to join any military branch, even if it is not the same as their ROTU. The Kursus Pegawai Kadet Graduan lasts 9 months.

The ranks of ROTU cadets are dependent on their rank in the Malaysian Army Academy, KD Sultan Idris I and Malaysian Air Force Academy. The Army and Air Force ROTU rankings are comparable, but the Navy ROTU is quite different.