Officer cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps.
The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries.
Australia
The Australian Defence Force follows the same usage as the [|British military system], using the rank of officer cadet and the Royal Australian Air Force ), for personnel undergoing initial officer training. Unlike midshipmen in the Royal Australian Navy and officer cadets in the Royal Australian Air Force who hold a commission, officer cadets in the Australian Army do not yet hold a permanent commission, and are not saluted or referred to as "sir" or "ma'am". They do however hold probationary commissions. Officer cadets in the Australian Army are subordinate to warrant officers and officers and address them as "sir" or "ma'am". As officer cadets are appointed to their positions, they are technically superior to some other ranks, although they will typically not have direct subordinates.Initial officer training can occur through either single-service institutions, such as the Royal Australian Naval College, Royal Military College, Duntroon, or the Officers' Training School RAAF, or through the tri-service Australian Defence Force Academy. The ranks of officer cadet, staff cadet, and midshipman are primarily found at these establishments. However, RAAF officer trainees are often appointed to a higher rank while undergoing their initial training course at OTS if they have prior military experience, either as officer cadets prior to their initial officer course, or at airman rank. Officer cadets are also appointed to the Australian Army Reserve where training is conducted on a part-time basis at various University Regiments around the country.
Australian Army Reserve officer cadets must pass various training courses throughout their training with the final module completed at the Royal Military College, Duntroon before being commissioned.
At ADFA, upon completion of all academic training through the "UNSW@ADFA", military training and subsequent training at other military establishments, officer cadets from the RAAF are promoted to a higher junior officer rank, while those from the Australian Army spend another year at the Royal Military College, Duntroon before being commissioned.
Pilots, air traffic controllers and air combat officers joining the RAAF directly through the Officers' Training School also start their career as an officer cadet. Once they have completed their employment training, they are promoted.
This will change however, as of May 2018, where all graduates from OTS will graduate with a minimum rank of PLTOFF. This will mean that the OFFCDT rank will be used only during initial military training.
Canada
In the Canadian Armed Forces, the rank of officer cadet, or élève-officier in French, is held by beginning officers, as well as students attending the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, or a civilian university through the Regular Officer Training Plan. Students designated to the navy environment use the equivalent rank, naval cadet, or aspirant de marine in French, in lieu of officer cadet.Some officer cadets, who are going through Regular Officer Training Plan, are highly qualified in their military occupation. However, those officers are ineligible to receive a commission until holding a university degree.
Naval cadets and officer cadets in the Canadian Armed Forces are subordinate officers, but generally billet or mess with commissioned officers. They have yet to be granted the King's commission which would make them commissioned officers, and as such are not to be saluted by non-commissioned members.
The rank insignia for naval cadet is a narrow gold braid. This gives rise to the somewhat derogatory term 'quarter-inch admiral'. For officer cadets of the army environment, the rank insignia is one pip on a white band. A narrow pearl grey braid is used by cadets of the air force environment, which is worn on the cuff of the service dress jacket, and on the slip-ons of all other uniforms. Cap insignia are limited to the Canadian Armed Forces brass badge earned through the Basic Military Officer Qualification course, the Royal Military College badge for students enrolled at one of the two colleges, or the appropriate badge representing the personnel branch or regiment for officer cadets with prior service as non-commissioned members.
France
In the French Armed Forces, the posting, named « élève officier » or 'student officer' in French, is generally given to officers in training in their first months of education. They are eventually promoted to the rank of aspirant or officer candidate. While both positions are quite comparable, aspirant is an actual rank, meaning the officer-in-training can hold effective authority, if ordered, on non-commissioned members of the military.Indonesia
In the Indonesian service academies, there is a ranking system associated to the cadets training and studying in the academy. The length term is 4 years and is divided into 5 grades of the cadet's rank, starting from the lowest:- Prajurit Taruna/Kadet/Karbol, 1st year
- Kopral Taruna/Kadet/Karbol, 1st year
- Sersan Taruna/Kadet/Karbol, 2nd year
- Sersan Mayor Dua Taruna/Kadet/Karbol, 3rd year
- Sersan Mayor Satu Taruna/Kadet/Karbol, 4th year
Pakistan
In the Pakistan Army, potential servicemen training to be officers at the Pakistan Military Academy are known as Gentlemen Cadets. Gentlemen Cadets join PMA Kakul either as a direct entry from civilian colleges or from Military Cadet colleges after going through an InterServices Selection Board.GCs undergo a two-year military training program at PMA Kakul, equally divided into four semesters. The Academic Degree program for Gentlemen Cadets at PMA is a 4-year BS Engineering Sciences which compromises of 8 semesters, four of which they complete at PMA and the remaining four they study as second lieutenants at Human Resource Development Centres after the Grant of Commission from PMA.
Philippines
In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, officer aspirants mainly train at the Philippine Military Academy. The cadets at PMA go through a 4 year program that grants them a Bachelor of Science in Management major in Security Studies.They are divided into four classes, the lower the class, the higher their superiority. Starting from lowest to highest:- Fourth class Cadets ' - 1st year
- Third class Cadets - 2nd year
- Second class Cadets - 3rd year
- First class Cadets - 4th year'
Singapore
In the Singapore Armed Forces, potential servicemen training to be officers are known as officer cadets in the Army and Air Force, while those in the Navy are known as midshipmen. All officer cadets and midshipmen receive tri-service initial training in Officer Cadet School before being sent to the appropriate training schools. They return to Officer Cadet School for their commissioning parade.Officer cadets and midshipmen wear one, two, or three white stripes on their shoulderboards to denote their seniority. The graduating class of officer cadets wear peaked caps and berets depending on their vocations, and are accorded the privilege of being addressed "sir" by junior officer cadets. At this point, they are given more privileges and responsibilities commensurate with their seniority.
Officer cadets take turns to hold various administrative and exercise appointments. Administrative appointment-holders' shoulderboards have additional loops and whorls known as "fishes" in addition to their existing one, two or three stripes. Exercise appointment-holders wear yellow rank insignia appropriate to the appointment of the officer cadet. For example, an exercise platoon commander will wear two bars of a lieutenant, and his exercise platoon sergeant will wear a brassard with first sergeant's chevrons.