Officer cadet (British Armed Forces)

Officer Cadet (OCdt) is used by British Army personnel whilst training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) or at the University Officers Training Corps (UOTC).

File:Royal Military Academy Sandhurst inspection of new Colours, June 2005.jpg

It is ranked as the most junior rank held by Officers during their Initial Officer Training and carries no command authority,{{Cite web |title=Rank Structure {{!}} The British Army |url=https://www.army.mod.uk/learn-and-explore/ranks/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.army.mod.uk |language=en-GB}} although Officer Cadets can be appointed to positions internal to their units such as Senior Under Officer, which may grant them limited authority over their peers, however their substantive rank remains as Officer Cadet with Under Officer being an appointment rather than a rank.

Officer Cadets are not saluted as they don't hold the King's Commission, and are not addressed as Sir or Ma'am, rather being addressed as OCdt [Surname] or (Similarly to Second Lieutenants) as Mr/Ms [Surname] as appropriate.

The Rank Insignia for an Officer Cadet is a horizontal bar. However Officer Cadets in the UOTC may wear additional bars to denote their progression in their training. Officer Cadets appointed to Under Officer appointments will wear a rank slide with an Austrian knot with lines underneath to denote the seniority of the Under Officer. The No.1 Dress for Officer Cadets features white collar tabs on their tunic to denote their rank,{{Cite web |date=2024-09-26 |title=Inside the Army's experiment to make Sandhurst better for female officer cadets |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/services/army/inside-armys-experiment-make-sandhurst-better-female-officer-cadets |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.forcesnews.com |language=en}} with rank also being denoted by white tabs on their No. 2 Dress uniform.{{Cite web |date=2018-04-08 |title=Cadets Take Their First Steps Into Army Career At Redford Barracks |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/news/cadets-take-their-first-steps-army-career-redford-barracks |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=www.forcesnews.com |language=en}}

Prior to the Second World War,{{Cite journal |last=Irwin |first=John |date=1998 |title=A Royal Engineer Cadet Posted to India, 1944 |journal=Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research |volume=76 |issue=306 |page=127 |issn=0037-9700 |jstor=44230103}} cadets at the former Royal Military Academy, Woolwich and the former Royal Military College, Sandhurst were referred to as gentleman cadets.

{{Main article|Under officer}}

The appointments that an Officer Cadet can be appointed to are

The SUO of a regular commissioning course at Sandhurst will typically escort the Sovereign or his representative, when inspecting the newly commissioning Officer Cadets at the Sovereigns parade.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDQ0jk4ymLE&ab_channel=SandhurstTrust |title=CC 212 Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst |date=2025-05-12 |last=Sandhurst Trust |access-date=2025-05-25 |via=YouTube}}

Officer Cadet (OC) is used by Royal Navy personnel whilst undergoing officer training as Britannia Royal Naval College or whilst part of a University Royal Naval Unit, and is the most junior position held by officers during their training. Unlike other branches, the rank of Officer Cadet in the Royal Navy is non substantive and only used in the initial stages of officer training.

The insignia for an Officer Cadet in the Royal navy is a white rectangular tab on a black background. Officer Cadets are not addressed as Sir or Ma'am and are not saluted as they do not hold the Kings Commission.

Formerly, cadets at the Royal Naval College, Osborne, and Dartmouth, had the substantive rank of "naval cadet", or "cadet, RN" until passing out of Dartmouth as a midshipman.

Officer Cadet (OCdt) is a rank used by personnel undergoing initial Royal Marines officer training at CTCRM Lympstone.

File:RAF-OC-SO.png

Officer Cadet (Off Cdt) is a rank used by RAF Personnel during their initial officer training at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. Students undergoing the Foundation Degree course at DCAE Cosford, having been selected for service as engineer officers from the ranks, hold their previous rank while wearing officer cadet rank insignia for the duration, prior to attending initial officer training. The rank is also held by personnel of University Air Squadrons.{{cite web |title=Induction Camp |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/cambridgeuas/index.cfm?storyid=634EF19F-1143-D71E-463C104FC633C7BF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071929/https://www.raf.mod.uk/cambridgeuas/index.cfm?storyid=634EF19F-1143-D71E-463C104FC633C7BF |archive-date=21 January 2018 |access-date=5 March 2010 |publisher=Cambridge University Air Squadron}}

Officer cadets wear white tabs with varying colours to denote stages in training and what arm they belong to, with members of the UAS wearing a blue line through the collar tab. The cap badge is the same as that worn by a commissioned officer (between the ranks of pilot officer and group captain), but with a white band around the cap. This band is removed on graduation. The only exception being Officer Cadets of the UAS who wear an airman's cap badge instead of the officer cap badge.{{Cite web |title=Liverpool University Air Squadron |url=https://api.flickr.com/photos/the_old_brit/31360751445/ |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Flickr |language=en-us}}

RAF Officer Cadets are not addressed as Sir or Ma'am and are not saluted as they do not hold the Kings Commission.{{Cite web |date=2010-05-02 |title=RAF - Frequently Asked Questions |url=http://www.raf.mod.uk/links/faqs.cfm |access-date=2025-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502065436/http://www.raf.mod.uk/links/faqs.cfm |archive-date=2 May 2010 }}

• Officer cadet, broadly covering the ranks equivalents and international usage
• Military academy

{{Reflist}}{{Notelist}}{{UK officer ranks}}

{{Military ranks by country}}

Category:Military ranks of the United Kingdom