| Officer cadet | |
|---|---|
_OF_(D).svg) .svg)   Insignia (from left to right Army, RM, RAF, RN) | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Service branch |  British Army Royal Marines Royal Air Force Royal Navy |
| Abbreviation | OCdt (Army & RM) OC (RN) Off Cdt (RAF) |
| Rank group | training |
| NATOrank code | N/A |
| Next higher rank | Second lieutenant (Army & RM) Midshipman (RN) Pilot officer (RAF) |
Officer cadet is a rank used by the branches of theBritish Armed Forces, with slight differences between the branches. It is used by personnel who are undergoingofficer training, prior to themcommissioning as Officers. The rank has no command authority and is not saluted or addressed as Sir or Ma'am.
The rank does not have a NATO code, but codes such as OF-0 and OF-D have been used informally to categorise the rank.
Officer Cadet (OCdt) is used by British Army personnel whilst training at theRoyal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) or at theUniversity Officers Training Corps (UOTC).
It is ranked as the most juniorrank held by Officers during their Initial Officer Training and carries no command authority,[1] 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 toSecond 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 toUnder Officer appointments will wear a rank slide with anAustrian 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,[2] with rank also being denoted by white tabs on their No. 2 Dress uniform.[3]
Prior to theSecond World War,[4] cadets at the formerRoyal Military Academy, Woolwich and the formerRoyal Military College, Sandhurst were referred to as gentleman cadets.
The appointments that an Officer Cadet can be appointed to are
| Appointment | Abbreviation | Usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Under Officer | JUO | RMAS & UOTC | [5] |
| Company Under Officer | CUO | UOTC Only (Selected Larger Units) | |
| Senior Under Officer | SUO | RMAS & UOTC | [5][6] |
The SUO of a regular commissioning course at Sandhurst will typically escort theSovereign or his representative, when inspecting the newly commissioning Officer Cadets at the Sovereigns parade.[7]
Officer Cadet (OC) is used by Royal Navy personnel whilst undergoing officer training asBritannia Royal Naval College or whilst part of aUniversity 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.
Officer Cadets do not wear any insignia during the militarisation term of their training. They will then wear a small white tab over a black background for the marinisation term. 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 theRoyal Naval College, Osborne, andDartmouth, 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 atCTCRM Lympstone.
Officer Cadet (Off Cdt) is a rank used by RAF Personnel during their initial officer training at theRoyal Air Force College Cranwell. Students undergoing the Foundation Degree course atDCAE 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 ofUniversity Air Squadrons.[8]
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. Thecap badge is the same as that worn by a commissioned officer (between the ranks of pilot officer andgroup 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.[9]
RAF Officer Cadets are not addressed as Sir or Ma'am and are not saluted as they do not hold the Kings Commission.[10]