Army Cadet Force

Army Cadet Force
Army Cadet Force Crest
Active	1860 - Present
Role	Volunteer Youth Organisation
Size	Officers and CFAVs: 8,500 (2010) Cadets: 47,721 (2010) Detachments: 1,700 (2009/2010)
Motto	To Inspire To Achieve
Commanders
General Secretary	Brigadier Mike Wharmby OBE
Patron	Queen Elizabeth II
Colonel in Chief	Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

The Army Cadet Force (ACF) is a British youth organisation that offers training and experience around a military training theme including adventurous training, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9 months years of age. It is a separate organisation from the Combined Cadet Force which provides similar training within pricipally independent schools.

Although sponsored by the Ministry of Defence the ACF is not a branch of the British Armed Forces, and as such cadets are not subject to military 'call up'. Some cadets do, however, go on to enlist in the armed forces in later life, and many of the organisation's leaders have been cadets or have a military background.

The Army Cadet Force Association (ACFA)is a registered charity that acts in an advisory role to the Ministry of Defence and other Government bodies on matters connected with the ACF. The Army Cadet Force is also a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS), as an organisation with a voluntary and community youth focus.

History

In 1859 local Militia units (Predecessors of the Territorial Army), were organised into a nationwide Volunteer Reserve Force. The first unit of the ACF to be formed was the Robin Hood Rifles formed by Octavia Hill on Castle Green in Nottingham in 1859. These new Volunteer units formed Cadet Companies and eight public schools formed independent cadet units (fore-runners of the Combined Cadet Force). The late Victorian period was when the time of social change began to take hold in Britain and a Mr Adam Gray who was considered to be a pioneer in Social Work founded Independent Cadet Corps units.

In 1908 when the Territorial Army was formed both the Volunteer and Independent Cadet Companies came under the control of the Territorial Forces Association, whilst the Public School units were part of the Officer Training Corps. In 1914 all independent Cadet units were taken under control by the War Office and the name Army Cadet Force was born.

In 1923 as a result of Defence cutbacks all Governmental and Military support for the ACF was withdrawn. This led to the forming of the British National Cadet Association (BNCA) by notable figures such as Lord Allenby who were keen to maintain the ACF and lobby for Government funding, this was partially successful in during the 1930s. From 1939 the Cadet Forces supported the Home Guard at a time when the threat of Invasion was very real, because of this in 1942 the ACF was re-formed. Following a Government review of the Armed Forces in 1957 the ACF assumed its role of a national youth organisation sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Prior to the 1982 females were unable to join the ACF, although they were able to join an attached unit (if there was one at that location) of the Girls Venture Corps which had been formed in the early years of the Second World War

Ranks

Ranks in the ACF follow the pattern of those in the British Army.

Cadet ranks

As well as learning new skills by working through the APC syllabus, experienced cadets can be awarded a rank. As the Army allows its soldiers to take on responsibility and leadership as NCOs, so too does the ACF give a greater role to some cadets.

Insignia The word 'Cadet' or letters 'ACF' must be displayed in combination with the badge	No insignia
Rank	Cadet	Cadet Lance Corporal	Cadet Corporal	Cadet Sergeant	Cadet Staff/Colour Sergeant	Cadet Company Sergeant Major	Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major	Cadet Under Officer

The titles of some ranks may vary as cadet detachments are affiliated to Army regiments and adopt their terminology.

There is usually only one Cadet RSM per county. In many counties there is the opportunity for appointment to Cadet Under Officer(CUO), an appointment rather than a rank allowing the holder to stay in the officers' mess.

Although promotion is based on merit rather than progression through the APC syllabus, the following criteria must be met before a cadet is eligible for promotion:

• Cadet Lance Corporal - Passed APC 1 Star
• Cadet Corporal - Passed APC 2 Star
• Cadet Sergeant/Staff Sergeant - Passed APC 3 Star
• Cadet Sergeant Major - Passed APC 4 Star

In exceptional circumstances, a cadet not meeting these criteria can be promoted with the agreement of the ACF Cadet Commandant.

Cadet NCOs wear reduced size khaki chevrons on their brassard. NCOs from detachments affiliated to those regiments that do not wear khaki chevrons may wear the pattern worn by that regiment. Cadet sergeants major wear the same crown badge as worn by WO2s of the Army.

CFAV Ranks

The adults who are employed to help run the ACF are collectively known as Cadet Force Adult Volunteers(CFAVs). CFAVs wear the badges of rank as worn by Army NCOs with the addition of the letters ACF under the badge.

Insignia The letters ACF must be displayed in combination with the badge	No insignia
Rank	Civilian Assistant	Probationary Instructor (PI)	Sergeant Instructor (SI)	Staff Sergeant Instructor (SSI)	Sergeant Major Instructor (SMI)	Regimental Sergeant Major Instructor (RSMI)

Cadet Force Adult Volunteers

Adults may join the ACF to instruct through two different routes - as an Adult Instructor (AI) or as a Commissioned Officer.

Adult Instructors

Prospective Adult Instructors begin as a Civilian Assistant (CA) before passing a medical and an enhanced disclosure. After completing the Adult Induction Course, which takes place over 4 weekends at county level, they then become a Probationary Instructor (PI). As a PI, adults then go on to complete the Initial Training Course (ITC) held at brigade level and run by a Cadet Training Team (CTT). On successful completion of this course they will be appointed to the rank of Sergeant Instructor (SI). Progressive training takes place for Adult Instructors, as with cadets, an Adult Instructor may take part in a variety of different courses. A further mandatory course at Frimley Park is the Adult Leadership and Management Course. This new course is a replacement for the old Adult Instructors' Course which became the Skill at Arms Instructors' Course. On successful completion of this course an AI is eligible for promotion to the rank of Staff Sergeant Instructor (SSI). The King George VI Memorial Leadership (KGVI) Course is the final course for AIs and the further ranks of Sergeant Major Instructor (SMI) and Regimental Sergeant Major Instructor (RSMI) are possible. Adult Instructors will be expected to work in a team with their superiors and senior cadets they are responsible for, to deliver effective training to the cadets.

Officers

The other route a CFAV in the ACF may take is that of becoming a commissioned officer. The CFAV will apply and partake in the same selection process as above, however once a Potential Instructor, the individual may apply or be nominated to become a commissioned officer. To do so, as of 2006, the individual must then attend a Cadet Forces Commissioning Board (CFCB), similar to an Army Officer Selection Board though less physically demanding. The applicant will be assessed on their literacy, problem solving, and leadership ability. Successful applicants will then be appointed to a TA Group B Commission in Her Majesty's Land Forces, making them a non-deployable Officer. Commissioned Officers in the ACF will hold senior leadership roles with more responsibility and commitment attached than roles occupied by Adult Instructors, for example detachment commander^{[citation needed]}.

Staff Costs

The Cadet Force is one of the few voluntary organisations that pays its adult voluntary staff for their time. These staff can receive up to 28 day pay per year, they also receive subsistence and travel expenses for attendance on evenings, weekends and annual camps. In 2009/10 pay bill for ACF part time staff was £14,632,160 and their expenses totalled £368,349 The cost of full time staff was is estimated at around a further £6,250,000 of public funds.

Organisation

Most British counties have centralised cadet forces that make up the ACF as a national whole. The counties are generally split into companies, each of which includes several detachments, the name given to a unit of cadets that parade in a particular town or village. Battalions are usually affiliated with a certain Regiment or Corps within the British Army, and wear their insignia including cap badge, colour of beret and stable belt subject to individual County/Area regulations. Detachments are usually called by the name of the town in which they are based.

Locations

Main article: List of ACF Units

• Interactive map of ACF locations (External Link)

Activities

Army Proficiency Certificate

The Army Proficiency Certificate (APC) is the training syllabus of the ACF and is divided into five levels each covering the core subjects but in more detail as they progress.

• Basic/Recruit (introductory training)
• 1 Star (cadets learn the rudiments of each subject)
• 2 Star (cadets learn each subject in more depth)
• 3 Star (cadets master each subject)
• 4 Star (complete two progressive subjects or courses)
• Master Cadet (cadets must successfully complete the Master Cadet Course held at CTC Frimley following a recommendation from their Cadet Commandant)

Core Subjects

• Drill and Turnout
• Military Knowledge
• Fieldcraft
• Skill at Arms
• Shooting
• Map and Compass
• Expedition Training
• First Aid
• Physical Training
• Cadet in the Community

Drill & Turnout

A time-honoured tradition of the military parade, cadets are taught drill. Drill has evolved over a long period of time and is now accepted as the foundation of military discipline. It has particular value for cadets; teaching them proper posture, to develop their lungs and muscles and improve their confidence. Closely linked with a cadet's drill is his or her turnout - each cadet is issued with a uniform and shown how to care for it and appear smart, with pressed creases and polished boots.

Each year, drill is used for Remembrance Day parades, and at annual camps large parades take place, with a colour party^{[citation needed]}, in which cadets with rifles march with and guard the standard-bearer.

Fieldcraft

Cadet Fieldcraft

In fieldcraft lessons, cadets learn infantry skills such as patrolling, section battle drills, ambush drills, harbour drills, and how to survive in the field. Field exercises take place once every few months, and at annual camp.

Out on exercise, cadets wear Disruptive Pattern Material camouflage clothing, dulled boots, camouflage cream to eliminate the face's natural shine, a bush hat and foliage to break up the shape of the head and shoulders, webbing to carry rifle magazines, water bottles and emergency rations, commonly one of either the 58 pattern webbing or the newer PLCE system and a bergen to carry a sleeping bag and basha (improvised shelter) building materials. Cadets are issued with 24-hour ration packs and hexamine cookers (known as Rat-Packs and Hexi cookers to cadets) as used by the infantry.

As part of a platoon, cadets set up harbour areas (operations bases), post sentries, and send out patrols to carry out reconnaissance, lay ambushes, and assault enemy positions. Cadets become familiar with a vast range of hand signals for silent communication, and various patrol formations for crossing different types of terrain, such as the arrowhead formation for crossing open country.

Skill at Arms

A cadet with the L98A1 rifle

After basic lessons on weapon handling, the principles of marksmanship and particularly safety, cadets are first^{[citation needed]} taught to fire the Rifle No 8 .22 calibre rifle on a 25 m rifle range. The L98 Cadet Rifle (General Purpose) 5.56 mm Rifle. is a version of the British Army's L85A2 adapted to fire only on a semi-automatic setting. In order to become proficient on the weapon and pass the one-star Skill at Arms (SAA) test, cadets must show they can handle the weapon safely, perform stoppage drills, and field strip the weapon for daily cleaning. Once this has been done, cadets can fire the weapon using blank rounds in field exercises and with live rounds on a range possibly gaining marksman qualification badges based on their accuracy.

Senior Cadets who have passed two-star Skill at Arms are introduced to the L86A2 Light Support Weapon which, unlike the GP, can fire in fully automatic mode. With its longer barrel and bipod, the L86A2 has a greater range and muzzle velocity, and with its SUSAT (Sight Unit Small Arms Trilux - the optical sight on top of the weapon), it allows for greater accuracy.

There is also a deactivated version of the GP Rifle, the L103A1 DP (Drill Purpose), this is generally used for teaching cadets the basics of the weapon they are handling and for rifle drill.

Cadets who perform exceptionally in rifle shooting can achieve a range of proficiency badges and go on to earn county colours for representing the county at CADSAM, the Cadet Annual District Skill At Arms Meeting shooting competition^{[citation needed]}.

Cadets also have the opportunity to fire the L81 A2 Cadet Target Rifle in competition at Brigade (CTRM), National (Interservices Cadet Rifle Meeting) and International level. Many cadets go on to become part of the national team representing the UK in international competitions^{[citation needed]}.

Navigation

Cadets learn how to navigate using a map and compass. Cadets learn to use Ordnance Survey maps plot and find six-figure grid references, calculate distances between points, and to recognise various conventional signs.

The two-star map and compass course then introduces cadets to the Silva (4/6400) and Suunto (M-5N) lightweight protractor compasses^{[citation needed]}. Cadets learn to use and plot grid and magnetic bearings in degrees only^{[citation needed]} (whereas the Army uses mils) to understand the three different types of north, to account for deviation of the grid-magnetic angle, to understand contour lines and more advanced conventional signs and the preparation of route cards.

First Aid

As part of the training syllabus Cadets are taught First Aid to recognised standards and are awarded relevant certificates.

The syllabus is broadly based around the St John Ambulance Activity First Aid syllabus, working at the following levels.

• Basic & One Star cadets carry out syllabus based training covering incident management, making an emergency call etc.

• Two Star Cadets are required to complete the St John Ambulance Youth Activity First Aid certificate Course

• Three Star Cadets have to complete the first day of the St John Ambulance Activity First Aid Certificate Course

• Four Star Cadets may choose to complete the full Activity First Aid Course as one of their progressive subjects.

In addition to this many of the counties within the ACF are delivering the British Heart Foundations "Heartstart" course to their cadets, offering them quick access to Emergency Life Support. This is often offered at the Basic level, exposing almost all of the cadets to First Aid.

Cadet and the Community

These community projects enrich local knowledge and encourage good citizenship, usually a cadet can contribute to his/her community by charity collection, public parades, assisting local services and helping at public events. This involvement within the community is important for improving confidence and social skills.

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

Main article: The Duke of Edinburgh's Award

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a voluntary, non-competitive programme of practical, cultural and adventurous activities for young people aged 14–25. A young person can undertake a DofE programme at three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each have differing criteria for entry and the level of commitment necessary to gain each award. Cadets who meet the age criteria can become DofE participants and work towards their own DofE Award.

Cadets are often encouraged to achieve the Bronze, Silver and Gold awards as they progress through their cadet careers. Lots of cadet force activities can count towards each level of a participants' DofE programme and very often gets them recognition for developing skills and giving to their communities.

The DofE is widely recognised by employers as it helps demonstrate that young people who hold a Duke of Edinburgh's are keen to take on new challenges, have a higher level of self confidence than their counterparts and have leadership qualities with the added experience of teamwork.

Leadership Training

Leadership training is an important part of the ACF training programme, with training available at higher levels too. Most areas run NCO courses, designed to help newly promoted NCOs to perform their duties well, or to train those eligible for promotion. There are also a number of courses run centrally by the ACF. This includes the Junior Cadet Instructors Cadre (run locally at a county level) and the Senior Cadet Instructors Course which is run at a Brigade level by Cadet Training Teams.

Master Cadet Course

The Master Cadet Course was introduced in 1989 to advance to the leadership, instructional and administrative abilities of post 4-star cadets. It is held at Cadet Training Centre Frimley Park in Surrey. Passing the course makes the candidate eligible to be appointed as a Master Cadet.

The following criteria must be met to be eligible for the course:

• Aged 16 1/2 years old or older
• Hold the rank of sergeant or above
• Have passed fieldcraft as a progressive subject at 4-star level
• Have passed the Senior Cadet Instructors' Cadre

Cadet Leadership Courses

The Aim of the Cadet Leadership Courses (CLC) is:

'To develop cadets' initiative and self-reliance and to exercise them in the problems of practical leadership.'

The course is open to members of all the Cadet Forces (SCC, ACF, ATC and CCF) providing they are over 16 and have passed their APC 3 star or equivalent.

Each Course has 120 places and is focused on leadership training and assessment, which is developed through a variety of activities including:

• Minor Tactics
• Watermanship Training
• Command Tasks
• Sport
• Skill-at-Arms
• Endurance Training

The Courses take place at both the Cadet Training Center, Frimley Park, or at Nesscliffe Training Barracks, Shropshire, England.

Uniform

All cadets and CFAVs are issued Combat Soldier 95 (CS95) DPM clothing as issued to the British Army. As a minimum, they are generally issued with the following:

• Headress (depends on regimental affiliation) - Beret, Tam o' Shanter, Glengarry or Caubeen
• Two Shirts
• Two pairs of trousers
• Windproof Smock
• Working Belt
• Brassard

Some counties may charge a small deposit for uniform that is refundable on its return. All cadets and CFAVs must have "ACF" visible at all times on their uniform. Cadets are given "ACF" badges for their brassards while adults usually wear rank slides with "ACF" embroidered on them. Boots must be purchased^{[citation needed]} by the cadet or their parents.

The ACF has its own stable belt which can be worn by cadets and instructors, but they can also wear the stable belt of their affiliated regiment/corps. Stable belts can be worn by cadets of any rank but many counties impose local requirements such as star level or rank. They may be issued at the expense of the detachment or company but are usually a private purchase item.

External links

• Army Cadet Force Official page
• [1] Army Cadets and DofE In Action Together
• Discussion forums