The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a youth organisation in the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which operates in secondary schools and is subdivided into Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army, and Royal Air Force sections. Its aim is to "provide a disciplined organisation in a school so that pupils may develop powers of leadership by means of training to promote the qualities of responsibility, self-reliance, resourcefulness, endurance and perseverance".
One of its objectives is "to encourage those who have an interest in the services to become Officers of the Regular or Reserve Forces", and a significant number of British military officers have had experience in the CCF.
Before 1948, cadet forces in schools existed as the junior division of the Officers' Training Corps framework, but in 1948 the Combined Cadet Force was formed to cover cadets affiliated with all three services. As of 2019, there were 42,720 cadets and 3,370 adult volunteers. The MOD provides approximately £28 million per year in funding to the CCF.Letter Assistant Head Youth and Cadets, Reserves Forces and Cadets, D/DRFC/4/1/5, 8 August 2014 Each school's unit is known as a contingent, and there were approximately 500 in the UK in 2021.
Although sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, the CCF is not part of the British Armed Forces or the Reserve Forces. As such, cadets and adult cadet leaders are not military personnel and are therefore not subject to military law or liable for military call-up. Some cadets do, however, go on to join the armed forces later in life, and many of the organisation's leaders have previously served as cadets or have a military background.
History On 12 May 1859, the Secretary of State for War, Jonathan Peel, sent a circular letter to public schools and universities inviting them to form units of the Volunteer Corps. The first school cadet corps was established at Rossall School in February 1860, initially as an army contingent only. Felsted already had an armed drill contingent at the time of the War Office letter under the command of Sergeant Major Rogers RM; its claim on these grounds to be the oldest school corps was upheld by Field Marshal Earl Roberts in a letter to the headmaster in 1904. In February 1861, the Oxford City Rifle Cadet Corps was founded with five companies, the first composed of pupils from Linden House School, a private school in Headington, and the second composed of pupils from Magdalen College School. In 1908, the units were redesignated as the Officer Training Corps (OTC).
The CCF was created in 1948 through the amalgamation of the Junior Training Corps (formerly the Junior Division of the Officers Training Corps) and the school contingents of the Sea Cadet Corps and Air Training Corps. CCF units are still occasionally referred to simply as "the Corps". A school contingent may include any combination of Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, and sometimes Royal Marines sections; the Army section is invariably the largest.
Independent and state schools The CCF movement was historically dominated by the independent sector, with around 200 contingents based in independent schools and only around 60 in state schools. Since the launch of the Cadet Expansion Programme in 2012, the number of contingents has increased to 500, surpassing the government's target. There are now more contingents in the state sector than in the independent sector. The expansion was funded by £50 million raised through fines imposed following the LIBOR scandal.
It was reported in 2008 that some independent school CCF detachments would be opened to pupils from local state schools. One example was Aldenham School in Watford, Hertfordshire, which linked its cadet force with the nearby state school Queens' School to form a joint cadet force.
Investigation into sexual abuse In 2012, compensation payments made to victims of sexual abuse across all cadet forces, including the CCF, totalled £1,475,844. In 2013, payouts totalled £64,782, and in 2014 they totalled £544,213.
Identity CCF contingents are part of the CCF but also form part of their respective schools and are therefore semi-autonomous organisations run by school staff or school-associated personnel, supported by armed forces personnel. Army sections may wear their own cap badge, while Royal Navy and Royal Air Force sections wear the appropriate RN or RAF other ranks' and officers' cap badges.
The CCF is separate from the Community Cadet Forces, namely the Sea Cadet Corps, the Army Cadet Force, the Air Training Corps, and the Volunteer Cadet Corps. Pupils normally join at the age of 12 or 13 (Year 8), although older pupils may also join at the discretion of the headteacher. Participation is open to both sexes.
Uniform Royal Navy Section
They may be issued with combat uniform if required and some schools have No 1 uniform for senior cadets. Number 3 uniform is normally the parade uniform for the CCF (RN) and consists of a white shirt, black tie, blue trousers, and blue heavy wool jersey, worn with plain black shoes; a brassard (armband) should be worn on the right arm, displaying qualification badges. Number 4 uniform is the standard working uniform of the Royal Navy, in one form or another it has been in existence for over 60 years. This uniform is fire-retardant and consists of a blue shirt, blue trousers, blue heavy wool jersey, beret, with CCF badge and black boots.
Royal Marines Section Royal Marines sections wear the bronzed Royal Marines cap badge of other ranks with a red "tombstone" backing on a blue beret with MTP (Multi-Terrain Pattern) clothing, and either brown or black boots. They may also wear a version of No.1 Ceremonial Uniform with Cadet insignia for special occasions.
Army Section
Working uniform
The Army Section dress regulations are set out in Army Dress Regulations, Part 8 (Cadets). and Cadets wear the No. 8 Combat Dress – Multi-Terrain Pattern (MTP) uniform ('combats') for most occasions.
All cadets wear a rank slide with the word "CADET" in embroidered red capital letters at the top, any rank is then shown underneath in black. Cadets may be given permission to wear a stable belt of CCF, school, or affiliated unit pattern. Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs) wear rank slides with "CCF" underneath.
Tactical Recognition Flashes are not to be worn by CFAVs or cadets of the Combined Cadet Force, irrespective of any affiliation to a Corps or Regiment. Cadets and CFAVs do wear county and contingent flashes.
Royal Air Force Section
RAF cadets wear a version of the RAF No.2 dress. This consists of either light blue shirt and tie or a dark "working" blue shirt, blue-grey trousers or skirt/slacks, a blue-grey jumper: V-neck or round neck version, and an RAF blue beret with the RAF cap badge. They also wear a brassard to distinguish themselves as cadets. Except for the cap badge and brassard badge, this is identical to the uniform of the ATC and regulations for its wear are found in ACP1358. Most RAF sections wear combat clothing, formerly the CS95 DPM standard, but many now wear Multi-terrain pattern uniform (MTP). In 2024 the RAF Air Cadets adopted a new Tactical Recognition Flash (TRF) which features an eagle and the lettering "RAF" above the eagle, and "AIR CADETS" below the eagle, against the RAF TRF background. This new TRF is worn by all members of the organisation, staff and cadets.
Cadets
The MOD Sponsored Cadet Forces Statistics are published annually. Statistics are provided for the Community Cadets (the Sea Cadet Corps and Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC), Army Cadet Force (ACF) and Air Training Corps (ATC)) and the Combined Cadet Force. The Volunteer Cadet Corps (VCC) is included in these statistics for the first time, as its status changed to become the fifth MOD sponsored cadet force in 2017.
Number of CCF Cadets (nationwide) The strength of CCF, both Cadets and CFAVs is published every year by the Office for National Statistics, usually in April.
As of April 2025 there were:
+Size of sections Section Cadets Army34,120 Royal Air Force10,190 RN/RM6,040 Total50,350
In November 2019 the Government announced that it had achieved its target of 500 contingents under the Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP)
Cadet ranks
All cadet ranks are standard non-commissioned ranks, prefixed by "Cadet". The highest rank depends on the size of the contingent, but are usually Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major, (Army and RM Sections) and Cadet Warrant Officer (RN and RAF Sections). Some contingents may have Junior (and sometimes Senior) Under Officers. Cadet Under Officers' rank badges are blue bands 12 mm wide across each shoulder slide, with the addition of the letters CCF underneath.
Cadets are promoted on their level of experience and their level of commitment to the cadet force. Also cadets are promoted on excellence or merit. Senior cadets' duty is to help the running of parades etc. and to help their Contingent Commander or another officer of their contingent.
The Naval Cadet that is in command of the naval section is also addressed as Coxswain.
Army cadets ranks share associated regiment's equivalent rank title (e.g. Corporal in the Royal Artillery becomes Bombardier.)
Cadet Force adult volunteers (CFAV) Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFAVs), who are the uniformed civilian staff that work in the school contingents, provide training to the cadets. Unlike the other cadet organisations (ATC/SCC/ACF), most adult volunteers are commissioned officers, the exception often being the School Staff Instructor (see below) and the newer position of Sergeant Instructor (SI).
CCF Officers CCF officers are not members of the armed forces and are usually teachers or other school staff. As such they are not subject to military law, but are subject to CCF Regulations and are subordinate to officers in the Armed Forces, whether Regular or Reserve. Until 2017 CCF (Army) and CCF (RAF) officers were in special categories of the reserves of their service whereas CCF (RN) Officers were 'appointed' and did not hold commissions. However, on 1 December 2017, the Cadet Forces Commission was introduced and since then this type of commission has been held by all CCF officers.
Training Officers in the Naval section of the CCF, undertake the six day CCF Royal Navy officer induction course training at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. It is commanded by a course officer (regular Naval Service) and at least two CFAVs to assist. The training is delivered by regular sailors. Similar to officers in the Army Cadet Force, CCF (Army) officers attend the Cadet Forces Commissions Board of the Army Officer Selection Board and must be approved by the Headmaster of the employing school and confirmed by the relevant Army Brigade in order to attend. Prospective officers may be appointed as an "Adult Under Officer", awaiting commissioning. CCF (RAF) officers attend the RAFAC Command and Leadership course and undertake the five day RAF Air Cadets Officers and NCO's combined Initial Course at RAF College Cranwell, as Acting Pilot Officer. Upon successful completion of the course, they are awarded their Cadet Forces Commission. Their rank slides are similar to their RAF counterparts, with the addition of the text 'RAF Air Cadets' underneath the displayed rank.
All CCF adult induction/basic/initial courses cover the basic skills needed for CFAVs who wish to serve in the CCF, such as drill and turnout, leadership and teamwork tasks, weapon training, navigation, etc.
School Staff Instructors (SSI) Supporting officers in the running of the Contingent is the School Staff Instructor (SSI) – usually a retired Senior Non-commissioned Officer (SNCO) or Warrant Officer. Although they are civilians, they retain their rank as a courtesy and are employed by the school to instruct and assist in the running of the Contingent.