Your first few weeks in the cadets come with a lot of new words and abbreviations. Here’s a plain-English glossary of the ones you’ll hear most - useful for new ACF and CCF cadets, and for parents trying to keep up.
These are general explanations to help you find your feet. Your detachment or contingent staff are always the authority on how things are done in your unit - if in doubt, ask them.
A national, community-based youth organisation sponsored by the British Army. Cadets are typically aged 12 to 18 and parade at a local detachment.
A cadet organisation based in a school or college, which may have Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections under one contingent.
The adult instructors and officers who plan, run and supervise cadet activities and look after cadets’ welfare.
A qualified instructor who teaches and supervises all weapon handling and shooting. Anything to do with weapons is always confirmed and supervised by an SAAI.
The UK government department responsible for the armed forces. The cadet forces are sponsored by the MOD but cadets are not members of the armed forces.
The local ACF unit you parade with, usually meeting one or two evenings a week. The CCF equivalent is the contingent.
A regular cadet evening of training, drill and activities.
A small sub-group of cadets. In the CCF it can also mean a single-service part of the contingent, such as the Army or RAF section.
A school’s whole CCF unit, grouping its cadets and any single-service sections.
A longer residential camp, usually in the summer, with adventurous training, exercises and competitions.
An exercise is a planned training activity, often in the field. An RV (rendezvous) is an agreed meeting point used during navigation and field activities.
The ACF training syllabus that cadets work through, organised into star levels. (See our guide to star levels and ranks.)
The stages of cadet training progression: Basic, 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star and 4-Star. You earn the next star by completing and being assessed on that stage’s subjects.
Drill is marching and ceremonial movements carried out smartly to words of command. Turnout is the standard of your uniform, cleanliness and personal presentation.
The skills of moving, observing and working as a team in the field - things like camouflage, observation and looking after yourself outdoors.
Finding your way using a map, compass and the features of the ground.
The cadet subject covering safe handling of the cadet rifle and the fundamentals of marksmanship. Always taught and supervised by a qualified SAAI.
A yearly shooting assessment on the cadet rifle.
An assessment that you can handle the weapon safely and correctly before you shoot.
The safety drills used to confirm a weapon is clear and safe. Always carried out exactly as taught, under the supervision of a qualified SAAI - never guess with anything weapon-related.
No.2 Dress is a smarter uniform worn for parades and formal occasions. MTP (Multi-Terrain Pattern) is the camouflage pattern of the field uniform. Your cap badge identifies your unit, and a lanyard is a coloured cord worn on the shoulder.
A separate youth achievement award that many cadets take part in alongside their cadet training.
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