United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps (USNSCC) is a paramilitary youth organization that serves to teach 13 to 18 years old about the sea-going military services, community service, citizenship, and an understanding of discipline and teamwork. A younger version of the NSCC, the Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC), exists for youths between the ages of 11 and 13.
The NSCC was founded in 1958 by the Navy League of the United States at the request of the Department of the Navy. In 1962, the USNSCC was federally chartered by Congress under Public Law 87-655 as a non-profit youth organization with an emphasis towards the sea-going services of the United States. The law was amended in 1974 to allow female participation in the USNSCC.
In 2000, the US Congress found that the Naval Sea Cadet Corps and related programs "provide significant benefits for the Armed Forces, including significant public relations benefits".[1] Although under no obligation, a sizeable percentage of cadets go on into the military. Members may receive an advanced paygrade of E-3 (Seaman) if they join the Navy or Coast Guard, and E-2 in any other service. This means a pay jump on other entry-level members and moves former Sea Cadets through the ranks at an increased pace. Former Sea Cadets also represent a percentage of students at the five major Service Academies (West Point, Annapolis, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine), and maintain the highest graduation rate of any high school program, such as the Boy Scouts of America and the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps.[citation needed]
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[edit] Organization
The Naval Sea Cadet Corps is officially supported by the Navy League of the United States, and is endorsed by the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard. The United States Coast Guard, through COMDTINST 5728.2C, USCG Public Affairs Manual, has designated the USNSCC as the Coast Guard's primary youth group.
The National Headquarters of the NSCC is located in Arlington, Virginia. Captain Michael Ford, USN (ret.) is the Executive Director, the "Commander-in-Chief" of the NSCC. There are six field areas in all. Each field is headed by a NSCC NHQ Representative, who is usually the grade of a Navy Captain. Each field area may be divided into a region. These regions are headed by a Senior Regional Director, who is a NSCC Lieutenant Commander (LCDR). Each region can have sub-regions, depending on the size of the area and number of units in that region. Each sub-region is headed by a Regional Director (RD), who is also a NSCC LCDR. Each RD will report to the Senior RD for any matters regarding the region and/or sub-regions themselves. RDs are also responsible to the NSCC NHQ Representative for matters regarding Petty Officer Exams, PO1 and CPO advancements, NSCC officer matters, and anything else that would be of importance to the NHQ Representative or to the Executive Director. Each sub-region may be composed of anywhere between two to ten units. For example, the Pacific Southwest Field Area is composed of Region 11 (covering Southern California and the Las Vegas area) and Region 12 (covering Northern California, and in Nevada, those areas north of Las Vegas). Region 11 itself is divided into 8 sub-regions, each headed by one Regional Director and their Regional Staff.
Each unit is required to have a complement of at least twenty-five cadets. They must be physically fit, have no criminal record, and have a good academic standard to become members. Each unit has a Commanding Officer and Executive Officer, and depending on the number of adult volunteers, may have other billets which cover different areas important to the operation of that unit. Some units have far more or far less than the required minimum, due to a vast array of recruiting issues. All units must have the minimum number of personnel in order to be commissioned into the NSCC.
Adult Leaders are volunteers with a multitude of experience ranging from active/reserve/retired military personnel to civilian parents of cadets. Adult volunteers must be 18 years and older. NSCC Officers, Instructors, and Midshipmen all must go through a thorough application process - including a background check - before they can be accepted as adult volunteers. High School graduates aged 18, up through adults aged 21 may serve as Midshipmen (MIDN). Midshipmen are technically NSCC officers, but are limited in function and work mainly with administrative duties and NSCC and NLCC training. NSCC MIDN are mostly former cadets, but can be ROTC, Service Academy, or other personnel with some type of experience relevant to the function of the NSCC and NLCC. Adults age 21 years and older can serve as NSCC Instructors, Officers, or Warrant Officers (Warrant Officer is only reserved to military personnel with specific qualifications). Cadets who are 18 years old can elect to remain a Sea Cadet up through high school graduation until 30 September in the year of their graduation.
The United States Navy and Coast Guard both support the NSCC to some degree, providing such resources as uniform assistance, use of military facilities, assisting with training courses, but most support comes from the volunteers and parents of the NSCC program. Most of the USNSCC's funding has come from the enrollment fees of its cadets and officers, the Navy League of the United States, private sources, and through appropriations from the DOD Military Budget. In recent years, the USNSCC has lobbied for, and obtained, through congressional support, between $1 - 2 million a year to offset the rising costs of supporting and running NSCC trainings.
[edit] Activities
Each new Sea Cadet must attend NSCC Recruit Training. Recruit Training serves to introduce each "recruit" to the standards and routine involved in the life of a Sea Cadet. Military drill, customs and courtesies, physical fitness training, and other courses related to the sea-going services, are part of the demanding schedule of Recruit Training.
After graduating from NSCC Recruit Training, Sea Cadets have the opportunity to attend Advanced Training in many different locations and in many different fields, depending on their personal interests. Cadets must attend at least one Advanced Training each year in order to advance in rank. These training opportunities usually occur during the summer and winter breaks, but also may occur anytime throughout the year.
Advanced Training is held primarily at Navy and Coast Guard installations, and can range anywhere from five days up to three weeks in length. The training courses are coordinated and staffed by NSCC Officers and Instructors, and may have outside instructors from all branches of the Armed Forces, who are mainly made up of Active and Reserve Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard personnel.
These training activities include, but are not limited to:
- Shipboard Training with the Navy and Coast Guard
- Navy Airman School
- Military Law Academy
- MAA (Master At Arms, the Navy/Coast Guard eqivalent to Military Police) Law Enforcement Academy
- Petty Officer Leadership Academy
- Construction School (Navy SEABEE)
- Sailing School
- Submarine Seminar
- USN Seamanship Academy
- Firefighting and Damage Control School
- USN/USCG Port Operations
- Honor Guard School
- Medical School
- Music School
- Special Operations
- SEAL Training
- EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Training
- Field Training.
Each of the NSCC and NLCC's 200 units perform drills all around the United States during the school year. Some units have a weeknight drill of 2 - 3 hours, while others drill once a month for an entire weekend. Each unit's drill schedule is set by the unit Commanding Officer and depends on the location of the unit and availability of both adult staff and cadets. During the school year, nearby units often come together to participate in weekend trainings, including Field Training Exercises, Small Arms Training, Shipboard Training, and Regional Flagship Competitions.
The USNSCC also sponsors an International Exchange Program with other Sea Cadet programs around the world: exchange countries include the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, The Netherlands, Korea, Japan, Scotland, Sweden, Hong Kong, Russia, and Bermuda.
[edit] Uniform and ranks
The Navy allows the NSCC and NLCC to wear the Navy uniform, only modified with a distinguishing shoulder insignia. U.S. Navy Uniform Regulations are adhered to by the both the NSCC and NLCC. Officer rank insignias are the same as the Navy. Sea Cadet rank insignia are significantly different in design; the colors are changed to yellow, are in the form of chevrons (V-shaped), and are worn on the right sleeve.
Sea Cadet ranks follow the same path as of the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard, from E-1 (Seaman Recruit) through E-7 (Chief Petty Officer). All cadets have to take the Navy correspondence courses and pass Navy examinations to gain rank. They must have a minimum time served in each rank before moving to the next higher rank. All new Sea Cadets enter the NSCC as an E-1; detailed requirements for advancement are outlined below.
| Rank | Correspondence Course | Training | Time In Rate | Exam | Approval Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 Seaman Recruit/ SR |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| E-2 Seaman Apprentice / SA |
Basic Military Requirements |
NSCC Recruit Training (9-day or 2 week course) | 3 Months in NSCC | N/A | Commanding Officer |
| E-3 Seaman / SN |
Seaman |
One Advanced Training | 6 Months as E-2 | N/A | Commanding Officer |
| E-4 Petty Officer 3rd Class / PO3 |
Petty Officer 3rd & 2nd Class |
One Advanced Training | 6 Months as E-3 | PO3 Exam | Commanding Officer |
| E-5 Petty Officer 2nd Class / PO2 |
Petty Officer 3rd & 2nd Class |
One Advanced Training | 6 Months as E-4 | PO2 Exam | Commanding Officer |
| E-6 Petty Officer 1st Class / PO1 |
Petty Officer 1st Class |
One Advanced Training | 6 Months as E-5 | PO1 Exam | NSCC Executive Director |
| E-7 Chief Petty Officer / CPO |
Chief Petty Officer |
Petty Officer Leadership Academy | 6 Months as E-6 | N/A | NSCC Executive Director |
NSCC Officers' Ranks range from O-1 (Ensign) to O-4 (Lieutenant Commander). Officers must attend Professional Development courses, attend NSCC/NLCC training as staff officers, and have a time in service and time in rank requirement; all must be completed to be promoted to the next higher rank.
prior service military officers are also allowed to wear their old uniform, so even though the officer corps only goes up to Lieutenant Commander it is not impossible (or uncommon) to encounter a Commander or Captain working with the cadet corps. such as CDR Bailey, USMS (ret.) region 1-1 and the current (as of april 3 2007) National director CPTN Ford, USN (Ret.)
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External references
- International Sea Cadet Association
- U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps Recruiting Site
- U.S Naval Sea Cadet Resources Page
- USNSCC COMPASS Training Portal
- USNSCC Alumni Association
| Naval Cadet organisations | |
|---|---|
 International |
International Sea Cadet Association |
 Australia |
Australian Navy Cadets |
 Belgium |
Royal Belgian Sea Cadet Corps |
 Bermuda |
Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps |
 Canada |
Canadian Navy League Cadet Corps |
| Canada |
Navy League Wrennette Corp |
| Canada |
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets |
| Canada |
List of Sea Cadet Corps in Canada |
 Hong Kong |
Hong Kong Sea Cadet Corps |
 New Zealand |
New Zealand Sea Cadet Corps |
| New Zealand |
Sea Cadet Association of New Zealand |
 United Kingdom |
Sea Cadet Corps |
| United Kingdom |
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets |
 United States |
United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps |
