Army Cadet Force: An Introduction

The following extract is from the Cadet Pocket Book 2024 Edition. Dedicated to Major John Hobbis Harris (1927-2015) Original author and creator of the Cadet's Pocket Book.

INTRODUCTION

The first Cadet Pocket Book, written by John Harris, was published in 1981 and was designed to help cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) get the most out of their time with the Army Cadets. It has gone on to sell over 100,000 copies and is still extremely popular today.

UPDATE 2023

Since its first release, there have been many revisions as the Cadet Forces have changed to keep up with the modern world but 2020 saw one of the biggest periods of change as a global pandemic stopped face to face training for the first time in over a hundred years. This pause on training brought about a whole array of changes to the Army Cadets, from new systems for booking and running events, right through to a completely new syllabus. This release has been completely re-written by Dave Hazlewood to bring the pocketbook right up to date and continue the good work started by John Harris over 30 years ago.

AIDE MEMOIR

This pocket book provides general information and revision only and is not a substitute for the official training manuals and resource centre training aids. Instructors are encouraged to make full use of the official materials provided and create lesson plans for all training. At the time of publication, after extensive research, all information contained in this publication is accurate to the best of our knowledge and belief.

THE CHARTER OF THE ARMY CADET FORCE

The Army Cadet Force is a national voluntary youth organisation. It is sponsored by the Army and provides challenging military, adventurous and community activities. Its aim is to inspire young people to achieve success in life with a spirit of service to the King, their country and their local community, and to develop in them the qualities of good citizens.

This aim is achieved by:

• Providing progressive cadet training, often of a challenging and exciting nature, to foster confidence, self reliance, initiative, loyalty, and a sense of service to other people.
• Encouraging the development of personal powers of practical leadership and the ability to work successfully as a member of a team.
• Stimulating an interest in the Army, its achievements, skills and values.
• Advising and preparing those considering a career in the Services or with the Reserve Forces. The motto of the Army Cadet Force 'TO INSPIRE TO ACHIEVE'.

CHAPTERS

CHAPTER ONE - GETTING STARTED

CONTENTS:

• Uniformed Youth Organisations
• Becoming An Army Cadet
• The ACF Detachment
• Values & Standards Of The Army Cadets
• Security
• Welfare
• The Cadet Portal
• Becoming An Adult Volunteer
  REFERENCES:
• Army Cadet Force regulations - AC14233
  (Version 3.2.0 - November 2022)
• Army Cadet Syllabus - AC71101
  (Version 1.2 - July 2022)
• Army Cadets Military Knowledge Training Manual - AC72158
  (Version 1 - 2021)
• Army Cadet Resource Centre via Westminster

GETTING STARTED

UNIFORMED YOUTH ORGANISATIONS

There are five national voluntary uniformed youth organisations sponsored by the Ministry Of Defence (MOD) in the UK. Each have their own identity and specialise in skills practiced by their relevant service, but all of them do exceptionally good work in assisting young people to develop confidence and skills such as teamwork, leadership, and discipline.

The Army Cadet Force (ACF) - Army

The Royal Air Force Air Cadets (RAFAC) - Air Force

The Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC) - Navy

The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC) - Navy

The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) - Army, Navy & Air Force

The first four organisations focus on just one of the three Armed Forces, whereas the Combined Cadet Force has elements of all three.

Note: Although sponsored by the MOD, the cadet forces are not part of the Armed Forces. Cadets and instructors are not expected to take part in any military action and cannot be called up for service.

ARMY CADETS IN THE ACF AND THE CCF

The ACF specialises in Army-related training and is open to anyone above the age of 12, local to one of the 1,600 detachments spread out over the UK.

The CCF units can run Army, Navy, and Air Cadet sections and are based in schools. Not all schools run all three options, but pupils can choose which they would like to join from what is available. Army Cadets in the CCF are almost the same as those in the ACF, using the same syllabus and governed by the same authorities. Both carry out military-style training as well as activities such as expeditions and Adventurous Training (AT). Information in this book relates more to the ACF, but most of it applies to the CCF as well.

---

BECOMING AN ARMY CADET

Anyone between the ages of 12 and 18 can become an Army Cadet and join either the ACF or the CCF. If you are lucky enough to have a CCF contingent in your school, you will be able to join directly.

JOINING THE ACF

If you do not have access to a CCF unit in your school, there is likely to be an ACF unit very close to where you live that you can join instead. The joining process is all done online and is extremely easy.

Application Process:

1. Go to www.armycadets.com
2. Click on ‘Join Now’.
3. Enter your postcode and hit return. This will bring up a map of your local area marked with the detachments (venues) closest to where you live, along with parade nights and times.
4. Find the one you would like to join and click ‘Join as a cadet’.
5. Fill in the details for the person wanting to join along with their parent/guardian details.

Once this has been done, an email will be sent to the parent/guardian with the next steps of the joining process. This process is dealt with at a national level before being sent to the relevant county, so it might be a few days before you hear anything back.

For more information or to join, visit the official ACF website.

---

VISIT

Once your application has filtered down to your local area, you will receive an email from the person in charge of the detachment you want to join (called a Detachment Commander or DC). They will explain a bit more about the detachment and invite you in for an evening to meet the staff and cadets and see how a normal cadet night runs. It might feel daunting, but everyone does their best to make all potential new cadets feel welcome and at ease.

TRIAL PERIOD

The first few parade nights are a great time to see how you enjoy it and decide if it is something you want to continue with. Anyone can leave or change detachment at any time, so there is no pressure to commit. Remember, everyone there has been through the same thing.

UNIFORM

Once you have decided to continue as an Army Cadet, you can be measured for your uniform. Measurements can be done at home or at the detachment, and the sizes will be sent off to have your uniform ordered. Availability of certain items can change, so waiting times can vary. Unless the detachment has spares, you will not be issued boots and will need to buy your own.

Note: More information on how to prepare, wear, and look after your uniform is in Chapter Three.

---

TRAINING AND ACTIVITIES

Training is progressive and measured in star levels. It should take around three to six months to pass basic training and then start One Star training. Initially, most of your training and assessments can be done at your detachment, but as you progress, more training will take place at other locations on training weekends.

Note: More information about training and events can be found in Chapter Four. More information about lessons and assessments can be found from Chapter Nine onwards.

BASIC TRAINING

As soon as you start as an Army Cadet, you will take part in lessons at your detachment. You start as a recruit or ‘basic training cadet’ and will take part in lessons and assessments on the following subjects:

• Military Knowledge
• Drill & Turnout
• Fieldcraft & Tactics
• Navigation
• Expedition
• Skill At Arms
• Shooting
• First Aid
• Community Engagement
• Keeping Active
• Adventurous Training
• Communications

---

THE ACF DETACHMENT

As you progress as an Army Cadet, you will get many opportunities to go away on training weekends and other activities. Initially, most of your training will be done at your local detachment.

STAFF

The ACF is a non-profit organisation, and most of the staff are volunteers. Most staff have day jobs and are only part of the Army Cadet Force in their spare time. On training events away from the detachment, volunteers receive a small payment called a volunteer allowance, but most of what they do is unpaid. A lot of time and effort goes into making sure things run smoothly and create opportunities for the cadets, but please be patient if things don't always go to plan.

COSTS

All Army Cadet activities are heavily subsidised by the Ministry Of Defence (MOD), making them cheaper than other organisations. Any money taken after expenses goes back into cadet funds to help pay for extra equipment, stationery, and other items needed by the cadets.

Approximate Costs:

• Enrolment fee: £10 (one-off initial payment).
• Subs: £1 - £2 per night.
• Snacks & drinks: 50p - £1.
• Local events: Free or specific to the activity.
• Weekend training (all inclusive): £15 - £25.
• Annual Camp 1 - 2 weeks (all inclusive): £75 - £150.

WELFARE FUND

A welfare fund is available for cadet parents/guardians who may have difficulty paying for events. Applications can be made via Area or County Headquarters.

GETTING STARTED

NAAFI

There will be a break around the middle of each evening to get snacks and drinks. This is called NAAFI, which stands for Navy, Army, Air Force Institute, and refers to the organisation that has provided catering, retail, and leisure to the Armed Forces for many years.

FORMAT

Evenings will be taken up mainly with training, but can also include social events, sports nights, and other variations. Each night will have similar timings and format though:

• Arrival: Meet up with friends and check uniform is looking good.
• First parade: Normally led by a senior cadet, everyone forms up to pay their subs (if required), have a uniform inspection and receive a briefing on the evening's activities and any other important updates.
• Training period one: Lesson or other activity.
• NAAFI break: Chance to chat to friends and relax.
• Training period two: Another lesson or activity.
• Clear up: Taking time to keep the detachment clean and tidy.
• Final parade: Similar to the first parade, cadets receive feedback on the evening and get details of upcoming parade nights and events.
• Leave: Instructors always wait until all cadets have been collected (or set off on their journeys if they walk home).

POINT OF CONTACT (POC)

As volunteers, staff are not required to give out their personal phone numbers, so communication is generally done via email (staff all have Army-Mail email accounts), closed social media groups, and at detachment. If you have serious issues, you can also contact the detachment's Area Headquarters or the County Headquarters.

HOLIDAYS & DETACHMENT CLOSURES

All detachments are different but quite a few close during school and national holidays, and detachment staff will advise you of that. If staff are sick or held up at work, there may also be the occasion when a parade night is cancelled last minute, so it is always worth checking before leaving home that there are no last-minute updates.

---

VALUES & STANDARDS OF THE ARMY CADETS

The British Army has a set of Values and Standards that form the basis of how soldiers and officers at all levels should behave and act in all situations. The ACF has a similar set of Values and Standards.

VALUES

Values are the beliefs that we need to adopt to help us make the right decisions and do the right thing. Some may not seem natural to you, so it is important to learn what they are and allow them to develop who you are.
Use C DRILS to help remember the six values:

• C: Courage – Have the physical courage to push on and not give up when things are tough or scary, such as a long expedition or using a climbing wall for the first time. Have the moral courage to stand up for what is right, even if you think it will make you unpopular, such as not allowing bad conduct from other cadets.
• D: Discipline – Be self-disciplined with things like looking after your uniform and getting out of bed and ready on time. Stick to the rules and regulations laid down to you when taking part in cadet activities and respond to direction from instructors and officers.
• R: Respect for Others – Treat others as you would like to be treated. Avoid any discrimination against people of different gender, race, religion, etc. Listen to other people's views and keep an open mind.
• I: Integrity – Always be honest and truthful and trust team members. Admitting a mistake is much better than trying to hide it.
• L: Loyalty – Being loyal to the people around you will help build trust and allow you to achieve a lot more. Back team decisions and learn how to work through differences. However, loyalty does not mean accepting poor behaviour or conduct from friends or peers.
• S: Selfless Commitment – Putting the needs of others ahead of your own. This means looking out for those that are less fortunate than you or that struggle with tasks that you find easy.

These values help us by building trust within ourselves and others we come into contact with. Trust is broken when we let others know our values but then do not stick to them.

---

STANDARDS

Standards are how we put our values into practice. They allow us to act in the correct way to ensure we can always stick to our values.
Use PLAD to remember the four standards:

• P: Professional Behaviour – Our conduct should always be of a high standard that shows respect for the uniform we wear. Even when not in uniform, we should still act in a way that does not put the ACF's reputation at risk.
• L: Lawful Behaviour – We must abide by the law at all times. With cadets, there are laws in place with regard to drinking alcohol and smoking etc., that also must be adhered to.
• A: Appropriate Behaviour – Our behaviour must always be appropriate and avoid any conduct that demonstrates a lack of tolerance for any race, religion, gender, etc. Bad language and views that are biased must be avoided.
• D: Duty of Care – This applies more to instructors and officers within the ACF, as they have a Duty of Care to all young people, but cadets can still look out for each other and report anything they feel may be affecting the welfare of any fellow cadets.

Learn these values and standards and start to build them into how you act as you develop as an Army Cadet or CFAV. The lessons learnt here will transfer into everyday life, too, and will help in all aspects of your future career and family life.

---

SECURITY

Anyone that is part of the military community in the UK has to take security extremely seriously, and although not officially part of the Army, UK Army Cadets wear the same uniform and can therefore be mistaken for Regular or Reserve British Army soldiers. We must therefore also be aware of this and take the necessary precautions.

THREAT LEVELS IN THE UK

In the UK, the government has five levels of threat which let people know how likely a terrorist attack is:

• Low: An attack is highly unlikely.
• Moderate: An attack is possible but not likely.
• Substantial: An attack is likely.
• Severe: An attack is highly likely.
• Critical: An attack is highly likely in the near future.

Note: When writing this book, the UK threat level was 'substantial'. Threat from terrorists is now always a concern but criminal gangs may also take an interest in someone with military connections.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Security is the responsibility of all cadets and CFAVs to protect themselves from any form of attack and to avoid the leak of any sensitive ACF or military information that could compromise security.

• Uniform: Everyone feels proud to wear their uniform, but there may be occasions when it is not suitable, for example, when walking through a busy town or city on the way to a parade night. If concerned at all, travel in civilian clothing and then change at detachment.
• Social media: Being on a Regular Army camp can be quite exciting, especially if there are regular units conducting training. It is important not to take photos of these things, and there should definitely not be anything posted on social media. Cadets and CFAVs should also be careful if posting photos of themselves in uniform on social media, and photos posing with rifles or looking very soldier-like should be avoided.
• Talk: Be careful what you are talking about in public, especially when discussing camps, unit locations, and exercises you may have seen. Within the ACF, there are also sensitive issues, so avoid discussing them in public places where you may be overheard.
• Documents: Careful handling of documents is important to avoid information being seen by the wrong people. Data protection rules also have to be followed to keep individuals' personal details safe. A breach of this could also lead to legal action being taken.