In several military services, cadets, flight cadets, officer cadets, and gentleman/lady cadets may refer to recruits and students that are undergoing military training to become
commissioned officers. The specific rank structure and responsibilities of cadets can vary among different military organisations.
Australia In Australia, a cadet is an officer in training. The official rank is Officer Cadet (OCDT for members of the
Australian Regular Army and OFFCDT for members of the
Royal Australian Air Force), but OCDTs in the Royal Military College–Duntroon are referred to as
staff cadet (Scdt) for historical reasons.
Austria-Hungary In
Austria-Hungary, the cadets of the
Austro-Hungarian Army (1867–1918) wore the
Feldwebel rank insignia on the gorget patch. The characteristic of the cadet ranks was the so-called distinction-galloon on the sleeve ends. It was similar to the feldwebel-galloon, however, from gold colour instead of emperor-yellow. The particular rank was added as well.
Bangladesh The recruits of the
Bangladesh Army,
Bangladesh Navy, and
Bangladesh Air Force are called Gentleman Cadets. Students of
Cadet Colleges and Military Collegiate School Khulna. There are twelve Cadet Colleges in Bangladesh, nine for men and three for women. The first cadet college was
Faujdarhat Cadet College, established in 1958.
Canada An officer-in-training with the
Canadian Armed Forces is known as an "
officer cadet" or a "naval cadet". Officer/naval cadets in the Canadian Armed Forces are
subordinate officers who are undergoing training to become commissioned officers. Officer cadets may be post-secondary students of the
Royal Military College of Canada or the
Royal Military College Saint-Jean under the Regular Officer Training Plan. Civilians and non-commissioned members of the Canadian Forces who are undergoing training and commissioning programs, like the "University Training Plan for Non-Commissioned Members" or the "Commissioning from the Ranks Plan", are also appointed as officer cadets.
Finland of the National Defence University carried in the van of the column and the parade uniform style peculiar to the cadets. The
National Defence University educates all officers of the
Finnish Defence Forces and the
Finnish Border Guard. All students attending the bachelor's degree programare military servicemen in the rank of cadet. The prerequisites for beng accepted in the program are: • Finnish citizenship • Passing the conscription with NCO or reserve officer training • Psychological and physical suitability for officer profession • Health in the sense of service suitability class "A". • Reliability and honesty • Not more than 26 years of age at the beginning of studies • Possession of
driver's licence of class B The studies take three years. The first one and half years of studies take place in the National Defence University main campus on the island of
Santahamina,
Helsinki. The spring of the second year and most of third year take place in the service academies:
Army, Naval and Air Force Academies, in the
Border and Coast Guard Academy, or in the branch-specific schools of the Army Academy, according to the service and branch of each cadet. The cadets are servicemen and under military discipline, forming a battalion-level unit called "Cadet School". For the purposes of internal organisation of the Cadet School, they may hold cadet NCO ranks, but with regard to the rest of the Finnish military, all cadets rank as second lieutenants, with the seniority of their promotion to second lieutenant. This is reasonable considering that all cadets are already reserve officers when they begin their studies. However, despite the status of students as officers, the internal discipline of the Cadet School is quite strict. Especially in the beginning of their first year, the cadets are under especially strenuous discipline administered both by the university faculty and senior cadets and marked by the obligatory participation in the traditional intiation rituals. The cadets sign a service commitment that oblige them to accept a promotion to lieutenant and an appointment to a position in the Finnish Defence Forces or the Border Guard. The service commitment is three years. Those trained as military pilots commit for 13 and half years. An officer resigning the military or being dismissed will be required to reimburse the state for the cost of their education, unless they resign for medical reasons.
Germany In Germany, the rank
cadet () only exists in the
German Navy for officers in training. In the Army and the
Luftwaffe, officers in training usually have the rank of a
Fahnenjunker or
ensign (German:
Fähnrich) before they are promoted into the rank of a
lieutenant.
India Cadet is also used as a rank for those enrolled in
military academies of India, such as the
National Defence Academy,
Indian Military Academy,
Indian Naval Academy, Air Force Academy,
Indian Coast Guard Academy,
Officers Training Academy or
Armed Forces Medical College (India). These cadets are commissioned as officers in the respective service upon graduation and commit to serve. The term
Gentleman Cadet is used to refer to
Indian Military Academy trainees.
Indonesia In the
service academies of Indonesia which includes (Military, Naval, and Air Force) also with the
Police Academy, cadets are called
Taruna for military academy and police academy cadets,
Kadet for naval academy cadets, and
Karbol for air force academy cadets in
Indonesian. For recruits or trainee who are training to be soldiers or police personnel in the enlisted ranks, the term is called
Siswa which means "student". However,
siswa may also refer to students who are studying in military high schools and other training institutions.
Ireland In Ireland, a
cadet is a pupil of the military
college, which carries out officer training for the
Air Corps,
Army and
Naval Service. Training takes two years and the cadets are split into senior and junior grades and classes.
Netherlands in the Netherlands The
Koninklijke Militaire Academie is the
service academy for the
Dutch Army, the
Dutch Air Force, and the
Royal Marechaussee. Located in
Breda, the
Netherlands, the academy has trained future officers since 1828. All students serve as cadet or holding an upper cadet rank (i.e.
cadet-sergeant). Students of the Dutch
Royal Naval College, the
service academy for the
Royal Netherlands Navy, including the
Netherlands Marine Corps do not serve as
cadet, but as
adelborst, the Dutch term for
midshipman, or holding an upper
adelborst rank (i.e.
sergeant-adelborst). Both cadets and adelborsts are addressed as "
jonker" (derived from "
jonge heer" ("young lord") ).
Norway In Norway, a cadet is an officer in training at one of the three Norwegian War Academies ("Krigsskole"). Each service branch (Army, Navy, and Air Force) is responsible for its war academy. The cadets hold the rank of 2nd Lieutenant during training, and graduate as a 1st Lieutenant.
Pakistan during a language lab In Pakistan, a cadet is an officer in training at one of the three Military Academies of Pakistan, namely the
Pakistan Military Academy,
Pakistan Air Force Academy, and the
Pakistan Naval Academy. Typically, male cadets are called 'Gentlemen Cadets' and female cadets are called 'Lady Cadets'. Cadets, based on their grades, physical fitness, and other achievements may be promoted to different ranks in the cadet system, the most senior rank is 'Academy Senior under Officer'. Cadets given these ranks are awarded certain privileges, for example, the ability to choose a unit of their preference upon passing out. Furthermore, it is one of these cadets who wins the coveted
Sword of Honor. Some of these senior cadets are also selected for Foreign Academy training at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,
Royal Military College, Duntroon and other allied military academies.
Philippines during commencement exercises. In the Philippines, the term
cadet is used in mostly military attached organizations, but it is more distinctive in the
service academies of the Philippines, [e.g., the
Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the
Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA),
Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA),
Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP) and Aerospace Cadets of the Philippines (ACP). Graduates of these service academies are automatically given officer commissions in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. Graduates of PMMA are given reserve officer status in the Philippine Navy and mostly go to private shipping firms. Service academy cadets are thought to be between the NCO and officer ranks, and NCO consider cadets as rank higher to them. Punishments for the cadets depends on their violations. If a cadet violates the rules and regulations of Philippine Military Training and the rules of the school itself, the cadet will get punished by either doing push-ups, pumping, or squat. Officer candidates are referred to RESCOM, AFPOCS and PCGOBETC students who had baccalaureate degree, foreign service academies and reserve officer pools undergoing 4 months to 1 year of rigorous military training. On the other hand, cadets are referred to students of military schools undergoing 4 years of military training while completing their college degree.
Turkey In Turkey, a cadet is a pupil of the military college, which carries out officer training for the Air Forces, Army, Naval Forces and coast guard and gendarmerie. Training takes two years and the cadets are split into senior and junior grades and classes. Military colleges and schools were gathered under one roof within the
National Defense University in 2016.
United Kingdom practice manoeuvering a rope swing Officers in training at one of the UK's officer training schools, these are
Britannia Royal Naval College for the
Royal Navy,
Commando Training Centre Royal Marines for the
Royal Marines,
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for the
British Army and
Royal Air Force College Cranwell for the
Royal Air Force, as well as students who are part of the
Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme, have the rank of
Officer Cadet.
United States of the
University of Alaska Anchorage In the United States,
cadet refers to a full-time college student who is concurrently in training to become a commissioned officer of the armed forces. Students at the
United States Military Academy, the
United States Air Force Academy, and the
United States Coast Guard Academy respectively hold the rank of Cadet, United States Army; Cadet, United States Air Force; and Cadet, United States Coast Guard, while students in the
Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (AROTC) and the
Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) respectively hold the rank of Cadet, United States Army Reserve; and Cadet, United States Air Force Reserve. In contrast, students at the
United States Naval Academy,
United States Merchant Marine Academy, and those enrolled in the
Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at civilian colleges and universities are referred to as "midshipman" (plural: "midshipmen") vice cadet and hold Midshipman rank in the United States Navy and United States Naval Reserve, respectively. ==Civilian organisations==