The National Defense Cadet Corps (NDCC) is similar to the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) except that it is fully funded by schools that choose to pursue a JROTC unit without financial assistance from the Department of Defense. The school incurs all costs to include instructor salaries, uniforms, and daily operational expenses. As of 2012, there were three US Army NDCC units across the United States. The US Navy began its program in April 2011. The US Marine Corps and the US Air Force also operate NDCC programs.