Royal Canadian Army Cadets
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The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the civilian Army Cadet League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, the program is funded through the Department of National Defence with the civilian partner providing support in the local community. Many Army Cadet corps receive additional support from affiliated Regular or Reserve Army units.
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[edit] Basics
Along with the Sea Cadets and Air Cadets, the RCAC forms part of the Canadian Cadet Organization. Though the RCAC, and the other cadet programs, have a close relationship with the CF, cadets are not members of the Forces, and are not expected to join the Canadian Forces. In keeping with Commonwealth custom, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets stand second in the order of precedence, after the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, and before the Royal Canadian Air Cadets.
Young men and women between the ages of 12 and 18 may join the RCAC, free of charge. The organization and rank system of the Canadian Army is used, but cadets can only attain Non-Commissioned Officer status. Adult leadership is provided, ideally, by commissioned officers of the Canadian Forces Cadet Instructor Cadre, supplemented by contracted Civilian Instructors, authorized adult volunteers, and, on occasion, officers and non-commissioned members of other CF branches. Cadet Instructors Cadre(CIC), members are especially trained to deliver the Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Air Cadet Program, and are drawn from all walks of life; however, if a generalization may be made, former cadets, former long-service Regular and Reserve CF members, and the parents of long-time cadets, are the primary sources for new CIC officers. Uniquely amongst the cadet organisations, RCAC units are often affiliated to a Reserve Force army unit.
[edit] Aim
The aim of Royal Canadian Army Cadets is to develop in youth the attributes of good citizenship and leadership; promote physical fitness; and stimulate the interest of youth in the sea, land and air activities of the Canadian Forces. The RCAC shares this aim with the Sea and Air Cadets; however, each focuses on its own parent element.
As part of their training, cadets may attend Cadet Summer Training Centres (CSTC) at Canadian Forces bases, as well as various other inter-corps opportunities. Progression in the winter training program is marked through star levels: green, red, silver, and gold, and eventually, after completion of the National Star Certification Exam, Master Cadet.
The winter training (star) program covers ten main study and application topics: drill, including drill with arms; fundamental training, covering various aspects of membership in the RCAC; bushcraft, map and compass; marksmanship, instructional techniques (Silver and Gold Star only); public speaking; leadership; citizenship; and physical fitness.
[edit] History
[edit] Early history
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets (RCAC) can trace its history to the creation of Drill Associations in 1861, pre-dating confederation by 6 years. Great Britain had also formed cadets in 1860. These associations were linked to local schools. The American Civil War and the threat of the Fenian Raids motivated their creation in Upper and Lower Canada. These early cadet units, called drill associations, mark the beginning of the Canadian Cadet Movement, one of the country's oldest youth programs.
Trinity College Volunteer Rifle Company was formed June 1, 1861 in Port Hope, Ontario. Bishop’s College Drill Association was formed in Lennoxville, Que on December 6, 1861. Another fourteen of the early cadet corps called "Drill Associations" or "Rifle Companies" stood up in Ontario and Quebec. Canada's oldest continually serving cadet corps is No. 2 Bishop's College School Cadet Corps in Lennoxville, Quebec, its roots firmly in the previous drill association.
These early "drill associations" accepted members ranging in age from 13 to 60. The distinction between high school cadets and the adult militia became clear in 1879, when authorization was given to form 74 "Association for Drill in Educational Institutions". Young men over 14 years of age where invited to participate and would not be employed in active service.
These associations included thirty-four in Ontario, twenty-four in Quebec, thirteen in the Maritime provinces, two in Manitoba, and one in British Columbia.
[edit] Public support
Increased support, motivated in part by the Northwest Campaign during the Riel Rebellion of 1885, allowed improved issue of uniforms, weapons and other equipment to schools providing military training.
By 1887, the name "cadet corps" was recognized as designating the associations providing the training to boys over the age of 12.
[edit] Officer cadre
On May 1, 1909 a cadre of commissioned officers, the Corps of School Cadet Instructor (militia), was established. Its members were trained and paid by the Department of Militia and Defence to conduct drill and physical training in participating schools. Formed primarily of school teachers, this officer cadre was disbanded in 1921 during a period of reorganization. It reappeared on 1 June 1924 as the Cadet Services of Canada; it was a component of the Canadian Army and the forerunner of the current Cadet Instructor Cadre. This arrangement between the Federal Government and local school boards contributed significantly to the development of physical education programs in Canadian schools.
[edit] Strathcona Trust
In 1910, Sir Donald Alexander Smith —Lord Strathcona— the Canadian High Commissioner to Britain, deposited in trust with the Dominion Government the sum of $500,000, bearing annual interest of 4%, to develop citizenship and patriotism in cadets through physical training, rifle shooting, and military drill. He is remembered today with the Lord Strathcona Medal.
[edit] World Wars
Forty thousand former army cadets and several thousand former sea cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War One. By the end of the war there were 64,000 boys enrolled in Army Cadet corps across Canada.
During the twenty years following World War One, cadet training came to a standstill. Many corps survived these hard times, but the Depression and the lack of public interest caused the cancellation of the uniform grant for Army Cadets in 1931 and the instructional grant for 12 and 13 year olds in 1934. In Alberta, only a couple of corps functioned beyond 1934. This was clearly some of the darkest days for cadet corps.
The beginning of World War Two brought a renewed public interest in cadet training. An astounding amount of cadet corps were formed in high schools across the country. During the war, the Royal Canadian Navy began its partnership with the Navy League in sponsoring Sea Cadets and their officers were taken on the payroll to the Royal Canadian Navy.
The Air Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1940, and raised its first squadrons in 1941. The first air cadet unit was #1601 Air Force Cadet Corps formed in Vancouver on April 13, 1939. It stands alone as being the only air cadet unit formed within the army cadet system, the corps was transferred to the new Air Cadet League in 1943. From the outset, the Air Cadet League enjoyed a partnership with the Royal Canadian Air Force, which enrolled Air Cadet instructors as commissioned officers. By the end of World War Two, they had raised 374 squadrons with an enrolment of 29,000 Air Cadets.
During and after World War Two, some few cadet corps paraded a female platoon or company. But these unofficial female cadets could never lawfully be trained, kitted, fed or transported and were not allowed to attend summer camp. Despite that, the girls proudly wore their uniform and trained as best as they could, primarily in school corps.
[edit] Post-war years
In recognition of the significant contribution of former cadets to the war effort, His Majesty King George VI granted the "Royal" suffix to the three cadet elements, creating the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. It is estimated that nearly 230,000 former sea, army and air cadets served in His Majesty's forces during World War Two.
After World War Two, quotas were imposed reducing Canada's total cadet population to about 75,000 members. Many of the closed corps, those with membership restricted to boys in one particular school, were disbanded; some of them became open corps, training in militia armouries or in Legion halls; others, like many corps sponsored by the Navy League, acquired their own buildings.
The Korean War stimulated growth among open corps in the early 1950s. Many school corps moved to armouries and drill halls. After 1954, Korea veterans staffed the Area Cadet Offices that began to manage these corps and the summer camps that trained them.
[edit] Unification of the Canadian Forces
Following the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, a number of changes occurred in the Cadet world:
- Sea and Air Cadets came more fully under the control of the Canadian Forces in order to standardize the three Cadet organizations;
- A directorate of cadets was established in Ottawa to set policy and co-ordinate the activities of the Sea, Army and Air cadets;
- The Army Cadet League of Canada was formed in 1971 in order to give the Army cadets a civilian voice comparable to that of the Navy League and the Air Cadet League;
- Sea Cadet officers became commissioned members of the Canadian Forces. Before this date, sea cadet officers were created by means of a warrant from the Navy League of Canada; and
- The Cadet Services of Canada was superseded by the Cadet Instructor List, which was later re designated the Cadet Instructor Cadre.
[edit] Girls in the cadet program
Girls have participated unofficially in cadet training almost from the beginning. Shortly after the Highland Cadet Corps was formed at the Guelph Grammar School in 1882, a female cadet company called the Daughters of the Regiment was also started.
On the 30 July 1975, Parliament amended the relevant legislation by changing the word boys to persons, therefore permitting girls to become members of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Air Cadets. At long last, girls could finally take all the training the boys had received for so many years. The biggest change was at the camp level. What had been for so many decades an exclusively male environment changed dramatically at Vernon, Ipperwash, Valcartier, Argonaut and Banff. In a short time the girls adapted.
[edit] 2004 - 125th Anniversary
2004 marked the 125th anniversary of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. The Army Cadet League of Canada issued a 125th Anniversary pin to be worn by all 25,000+ army cadets across the country. Canada Post honoured the cadets with a stamp, unveiled in Ottawa in March 2004. Many parades honouring the century and a quarter of cadets occurred across Canada, there were Freedom of the City parades in Vernon, Oromocto and Calgary as well as other locations. The original Royal Banner was laid up in Vernon during the final battalion parade on August 19 at the ACSTC, and the new Royal Banner was paraded in front of 1500 cadets and 2000 members of the audience.[1]
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[edit] RCAC training
[edit] Winter training program
RCAC winter training covers the following subjects:
- PO 401 -- Drill
- PO 402 -- Fundamental Training
- PO 403 -- Bushcraft
- PO 405 -- Map and Compass
- PO 406 -- Marksmanship
- PO 409 -- Instructional Techniques (Silver and Gold Star only)
- PO 410 -- Public Speaking
- PO 411 -- Leadership
- PO 412 -- Citizenship
- PO 413 -- Physical Fitness
[edit] Summer Training
Throughout the summer, the opportunity to delve further into the Army Cadet program allows teenagers to fully develop the skills they learned throughout the regular training year, at their Local Headquarters. Camps range from 2 weeks to 6 weeks, and should they later gain enough experience, they may go on to become staff cadets, which would take them into 7 weeks of the summer.
The camps range as follows:
- Cadet -- Basic (2 Weeks)
- Cadet -- Basic Marksman (3 Weeks)
- Cadet -- Basic Military Band (3 Weeks)
- Cadet -- Basic Pipes and Drums (P&D) (3 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader (CL) (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader (CL) -- Marksman (6 Weeks) (Connaught CSTC Only)
- Cadet Leader (CL) -- Military Band (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader (CL) -- Pipes and Drums (P&D) (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Adventure (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Drill and Ceremonial (D&C) (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Marksman (7 Weeks) (Connaught CSTC Only)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Military Band (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Pipes and Drums (P&D) (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Physical Education and Recreational Training (PE+RT) (6 Weeks)
- Cadet Leader Instructor (CLI) -- Rifle Coach (6 Weeks)
Once a cadet has completed a Cadet Leader Instructor course he or she may work at a summer training centre (CSTC) as a staff cadet or attend an advanced training course or exchange, such as:
- Advanced Military Band
- Advanced Pipes and Drums
- Army Cadet Leadership & Challenge
- Federal Republic of Germany Exchange
- Outward Bound: Wales/Scotland
- The Basic Parachutist Course
- Maple Leaf Exchange
- National Rifle Team (Bisley)
- Other various exchanges under the ACE (Army Cadet Exchange) Program
The Pioneer Course offered at Vernon ACSTC in the summers of 2004, 2005, and 2006 was discontinued for the 2007 training year.
[edit] Rank structure
In accordance with Cadet Administrative and Training Orders [1] (CATO) 40-03 and 46-01 Annex D the following are the rank badges of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets.[2][3]
In addition to the rank-specific criteria given below, all appointments are subject to the approval of the cadet's Commanding Officer, who generally promotes based on the advice of Platoon Officers and unit training staff.
As a note, the official phrasing for those ranks not intrinsically containing "Cadet" uses the word as a preface, thus, Cadet Corporal. However, outside of Cadet Administrative and Training Orders (CATO),[4] and Queen's Regulations and Orders (Cadets) (QR&O(Cdt)), custom omits "Cadet" in casual reference. Thus, Corporal is the customary rendering. Generally, where there is a need to distinguish between cadets and Canadian Forces members, ranks will be written or spoken as Cadet Corporal and abbreviated as C/Cpl.
Additionally, while it is customary within the organization to refer to a cadet receiving a rank as being "promoted," the official documentation refers to such an act as an "appointment."
In keeping with Commonwealth military tradition, certain rank titles may vary depending on the kind of unit a corps is affiliated with - for example, an artillery unit.
| Recruit - Recrue | Private - Cadet-soldat | Corporal - Caporal |
|---|---|---|
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For promotion to Pte (sdt), a cadet must:
Alternately termed:
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For promotion to Cpl (Cpl), a cadet must:
Alternately termed:
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| Master Corporal - Caporal-chef | Sergeant - Sergent |
|---|---|
For promotion to MCpl (cplc), a cadet must:
Alternately termed:
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For promotion to Sgt (Sgt), a cadet must:
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| Warrant Officer - Adjudant | Master Warrant Officer - Adjudant-maître | Chief Warrant Officer - Adjudant-chef |
|---|---|---|
For promotion to WO (adj), a cadet must:
Alternately termed:
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For appointment to MWO (adjum), a cadet must:
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For appointment to CWO (adjuc), a cadet must:
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[edit] Forms of address
- Junior Cadets are typically addressed by their last name by all ranks; however, a superior might address them as simply "Cadet," "Recruit," or "Private," especially in situations where names aren't known, as at multi-unit events.
- Warrants, Sergeants and both grades of corporal are typically addressed by their juniors as "(Rank) So-and-So," or, conversationally, as "(Rank)." Superiors and equals will often use last name only.
- Master and Chief Warrant Officers are addressed by their juniors as "Sir" or "Ma'am." Superiors and equals might use some suitable contraction of the rank - "Warrant," "Master Warrant," or possible substitute "Mr." or "Miss" for the rank. Superiors and equals will rarely use last name only.
- Additionally, cadets often hold an appointment in addition to their rank, and many of these are used as an alternate form of address.
- In formal situations; for example, being called up for an award or promotion; a cadet's full rank is generally used.
[edit] Rank quotas and appointments
The availability of ranks and appointments is determined by the number of cadets in the corps. In certain Corps, cadets may also attain Cadet Officer ranks, even though they were removed from the standard Cadet rank structure several years ago. These ranks were represented by plain slip-ons with thin stripes designating the rank; the last officially-mandated versions used one stripe for cadet lieutenant, two for captain, three for major, and four for colonel or lieutenant-colonel. Today, however, only the St. Andrew's College Cadet Corps, a closed unit, uses the old cadet-officer ranks.
| Corps Quota | Cadet Chief Warrant Officer | Cadet Master Warrant Officer | Cadet Warrant Officer | Cadet Sergeant | Cadet Master Corporal | Cadet Corporal | Cadet Private |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-29 | Note 1 | Note 1 | 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
| 30-59 | 1 | 1 | 4 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
| 60-89 | 1 | 2 | 6 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
| 90-119 | 1 | 2 | 8 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
| 120-149 | 1 | 3 | 10 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
| 150+ | Note 3 | Note 3 | Note 3 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 | Note 2 |
Notes:
- A cadet corps with a quota of 0-29 is authorized one Cadet Master Warrant Officer or one Cadet Chief Warrant Officer.
- There is no minimum or maximum number of the following ranks: Cadet Sergeant, Cadet Master Corporal, Cadet Corporal, and Cadet Private.
- For a cadet corps with a quota of 150 +, regions are to contact D Cdts 4-4.
Different appointments can also be held throughout the ranks:
- Section 2 I/C
- Section Commander
- Platoon or Troop 2 I/C
- Platoon or Troop Commander
- Squadron (SSM), Battery (BSM) or Company Sergeant Major (CSM)
- Company Quarter Master Sergeant
- Training NCO
- Sports NCO
- Range NCO
- Drum Major
- Pipe Major
- Drill Sergeant Major (DSM)
- Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM)
[edit] Officers
See also CIC Roles and duties
Officer positions in the cadet program are filled by members of the Canadian Forces Reserve sub-component Cadet Instructors Cadre (CIC) and, occasionally, other members of the Canadian Forces. Typical duties include:
- Commanding Officer (CO)
- Deputy Commanding Officer (DCO)
- Training Officer (TrgO)
- Supply (SupO)
- Administration (AdminO)
- Standards Officer (StdsO)
- Troop/Platoon Commander (Pl Comm)
- Unit Human Rights Advisor (UHRA)
There are also various other positions that officers can hold either at the area, regional or at the national level, as well as specialist instructor and support roles at both the corps and summer training facility level.
Army Cadet Corps are identified by a one to four digit number and their affiliated unit. Numbers are assigned by the Director of Cadets. Generally the lower the number, the older the cadet corps.
[edit] Partnership with Canadian Forces
Along with the Sea Cadets and Air Cadets, the Army cadets make up a program sponsored by the Canadian Forces funded primarily through the Department of National Defence. A funding level of $160 million per year (2004 figure) is distributed between the three elements, and is used to purchase uniforms for the cadets, provide opportunities for survival outings as well as provide summer training centres. The Civilian Army Cadet League provides local support by way of accommodation, utilities, liability insurance transportation and training aides not provided by the CF.
[edit] See also
| Canadian Cadet Organization | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadet Instructors Cadre | |||
| Royal Canadian Sea Cadets | Royal Canadian Army Cadets | Royal Canadian Air Cadets | |||
| Navy League | Army Cadet League | Air Cadet League | |||
[edit] Notes
- ^ [www.armycadethistory.com]
- ^ http://www.cadets.forces.gc.ca/_docs/cato-oaic/4003_b.pdf ARMY CADET RANKS AND CADET CORPS ESTABLISHMENT
- ^ http://www.cadets.forces.gc.ca/_docs/cato-oaic/4601D_b.pdf Army Cadet Badges (See Appendix 6)
- ^ http://www.cadets.forces.gc.ca/_docs/cato-oaic/4003A_b.pdf RANK VACANCIES BY CORPS - CONTINGENTS DE GRADE PAR CORPS
