The UNC system and the U.S. Army created a formal relationship today aimed at lending academic expertise to the unit that trains special operations soldiers.
The relationship between the university system and the United States Army Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg, will make it easier for military personnel to better their specialized training by tapping into instruction at UNC campuses.
USASOC is the unit that trains Green Berets, Army Rangers and the like for behind-enemy-lines combat.
The relationship is a formal offshoot of smaller links campuses have historically had with military installations across North Carolina. Under the new relationship, UNC campuses will provide training in all manner of disciplines, from language and culture to medicine and technology.
"This is an enormous opportunity for the university," said UNC President Erskine Bowles. it's a whole new market for us."
For the military, the relationship will bring a higher level of skill to training in many disciplines - like a UNC-CH medical school program in the works to train combat medics.
And the UNC system will, in part, be able to expand its online programs by making them more accessible to soldiers, officials said.
Read more in Friday's News & Observer.
