Royal Canadian Army Cadets

The **Royal Canadian Army Cadets** (often shortened to "army cadets") is a national program for young people in Canada. The Department of National Defence, private sponsors, nearby communities, and the Army Cadet League of Canada pay for the program. People between the ages of 12 and 18 inclusive can join this program for free, and they are led by the officers of the Canadian Forces Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC). Army cadets are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and do not have to join the Army when they finish being RCACs.

## Ranks

The army cadets use a top-down rank structure similar to the Canadian Army.
|Name of Rank|Criteria|
| --- | --- |
|colspan="2"|**Senior Cadets (Sergeant to Chief Warrant Officer)**|
|Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)|Alongside being called Chief Warrant Officer, the cadet is also called the "Regimental Sergeant Major", or "RSM", of their corps. Promotion to CWO is considered the a  of an Army Cadet's service. To become a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO), a cadet must: * Be part of a corps large enough to be given a CWO position and in which that position is available, except in the case of a transfer from another corps. * Complete at least six months of service at the rank of Master Warrant Officer; * Complete the Master Cadet training level; * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Participate in the Cadet Fitness Assessment; and * Be recommended  by a Merit Review Board.|
|Master Warrant Officer (MWO)|To become a Master Warrant Officer (MWO), a cadet must: * Complete at least six months of service at the rank of Warrant Officer (WO); * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Achieve a minimum of “completed without difficulty” in PO 503 (Leadership); * Participate in the Cadet Fitness Assessment; and * Be recommended by a Merit Review Board.|
|Warrant Officer (WO)|To become a Warrant Officer (WO), a cadet must: * Complete at least six months of service at the rank of Sergeant; * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Successfully complete Gold Star training; * Be able to effectively teach a lecture and drill-based lesson, as well as completing a minimum of “completed without difficulty” in PO 409 (Instructional Techniques). * Achieve a minimum of “completed without difficulty” in PO 403 (Leadership); and * Participate in the Cadet Fitness Assessment.|
|Sergeant (Sgt)|To become a Sergeant (Sgt), a cadet must: * Complete at least six months of service at the rank of Master Corporal; * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Successfully completed Silver Star training; * Achieve a minimum of “completed without difficulty” in PO 303 (Leadership); and * Participated in the Cadet Fitness Assessment.|
|colspan="2"|**Junior Cadets (Cadet to Master Corporal)**|
|Master Corporal (MCpl)|To become a Master Corporal (MCpl), a cadet must: * Complete at least six months of service at the rank of Corporal; * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Successfully complete Red Star training; and * Participate in the Cadet Fitness Assessment.|
|Corporal (Cpl)|To become a Corporal (Cpl), a cadet must: * Hold the rank of Lance Corporal; * Have an attendance rating above 75%; * Successfully complete Green Star training; and * Participate in the Cadet Fitness Assessment.|
|Lance Corporal (LCpl)|For promotion to Lance Corporal (LCpl), a cadet must: * Participate in the Green Star training program for a minimum period of six months; and * Have an attendance rating above 75%.|
|Cadet (Cdt)|* Granted upon enrollment; * Must be 12 years of age to enroll.|
The rank of **Lance Corporal** can have a different name depending on the Canadian Army regiment sponsoring them. For example, a corps sponsored by a Highland regiment will have different rank names than a corps sponsored by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery.
|Branch|Lance Corporal|
| --- | --- |
|Royal Canadian Armoured Corps|Trooper (Tpr)|
|Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery|Gunner (Gnr)|
|Corps of Royal Canadian Engineers|Sapper (Spr)|
|Royal Canadian Corps of Signals|Signalman (Sgmn)|
|Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers|Craftsman (Cfm)|
|Royal Canadian Infantry Corps **(RCIC)** - Guards regiments|Guardsman (Gdm)|
|RCIC - Rifle regiments|Rifleman (Rfm)|
|RCIC - Fusilier regiments|Fusilier (Fus)|
|Highland (Scottish) Regiment|Highlander (Hldr)|
|RCIC - Voltigeur Regiment|Voltigeur (Vol)|
In a corps sponsored by the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, the rank of Master Corporal (MCpl) is called **Master Bombardier (MBdr)**, and the rank of Corporal is called **Bombardier (Bdr)** instead of the usual names. In the **guards regiments**, Warrant Officers (WO) are known as **Colour Sergeants** (CSgt), and Second Lieutenants are known as **Ensigns.** A cadet cannot hold the rank of Second Lieutenant, as it is an officer rank.

## Medals and awards

Canadian Cadets who perform very well in their duties as a cadet can be given medals and awards, which are worn on their uniform. The medals are similar in style to the medals given to CAF service members. Cadets may be awarded medals if they show bravery, citizenship, cadet service, exemplary service during a summer training course, and more. Cadets may also wear any orders, decorations, or medals of Canada that they have received.

In the cadets, there are several honours and awards cadets from all branches (Army, Sea, and Air) and some that are unique to each. A cadet who goes from one element to another can still wear any medals from their previous service, but generally, army cadets may have the chance to receive following eight honours and awards. These awards are listed in the order of importance.
|Medal|Description|
| --- | --- |
|**Cadet Award for Bravery**|The Cadet Award of Bravery may be awarded to a cadet who performs an outstanding act of fearlessness involving risk of life while trying to save the life or belongings of someone else. Cadets who lose their life during their act of fearlessness are awarded a Gold Star with their medal. This is the most honourable medal in the cadet honour system, and has only been given to 19 cadets in history.|
|Lord Strathcona Trust Fund Medal|The Lord Strathcona Trust Fund Medal, also known as the Lord Strathcona Medal, is the highest award which can be given to a cadet for their exemplary performance in physical and military training. This award is given out to one Cadet, in every cadet corps across Canada per year.|
|Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence|The Royal Canadian Legion (RCL) Cadet Medal of Excellence is given out in recognition for a Cadet's efforts in citizenship that support the goals of the cadet movement. This award is given out to one Cadet, in every cadet corps across Canada per year.|
|Major General Howard Medal|The Major-General W.A. Howard Medal is given out each year to the cadet in each province and territory that gets the highest assessment score on their Gold Star year. This award is given to one army cadet in each province/territory per year.|
|ANAVETS Cadet Medal of Merit|The Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada (ANAVETS), as a part of its wish to encourage excellence and knowledge of the CCO, created the Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans in Canada Cadet Medal of Merit (ANAVETS Cadet Medal of Merit). One medal is given at each CTC to the top cadet, male or female, for each Instructor level course.|
|Order of St. George Medal|Given to the top Staff Cadet(s) at each CTC.|
|Army Cadet Service Medal|This medal is given to an Army Cadet that has successfully completed four years of good quality service within the Canadian cadet program. Single bars are given out for every year of service after 4 years.|

## Related pages

- Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
- Royal Canadian Air Cadets.

## Infobox (organization)

- **name**: Royal Canadian Army Cadets
- **logo**:
- **logo caption**: The badge of the Royal Canadian Army Cadets
- **abbreviation**: Army Cadets
- **motto**: Acer Acerpori (As the Maple, so the Sapling)
- **type**: Quasi-Military youth organization
- **headquarters**: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- **language**: English and French
- **leader title**: Commander
- **leader name**: Commodore Josée Kurtz
- **website**: https://www.cadets.gc.ca/