The chief obstacle to ROTC's expansion today is not antimilitary sentiment but a Pentagon that prefers to allocate its resources to surer recruiting prospects, primarily in the South and the Midwest.

After a faculty meeting, Yale University is expected to join the ranks of other elite schools where, after four decades of exile and estrangement dating back to the Vietnam War, the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) is returning to campus.

ROTC cadets on elite campuses across much of the nation still face serious obstacles to their aspiration to serve their country.In the case of Columbia, the blame lies not with Columbia or its students, but with the ROTC program in New York City--which has just four host units located on campuses remote from most students.

Princeton deserves praise for allowing ROTC on campus while other elite schools barred the program. However, its admirable support for ROTC in the past does not mean that advocates should not press for more.

Bringing ROTC to the Ivy Leagues would be a great start, but bridging the military's deepening geographic and cultural divide will require a much greater effort.

Harvard recognizing its Naval ROTC program is a great moment and other universities should follow suit.

If President Obama is serious about restoring ROTC's geographic and cultural balance, he will have to be willing to advocate for--and authorize--the necessary resources.

Our military, including its leadership, should reflect that we as a nation are at war, which is healthy for our Armed Forces and for the civic life of our country.