What is the Status of Officers in the Army Cadet Force?

Prior to 01 December 2017, an officer in the Army Cadet Force (ACF) was appointed to a General List Section B commission within the Army Reserves.

This commission was granted by Her Majesty (HM) The Queen.

ACF officers are addressed the same way as any other commissioned officer in HM Armed Forces.

They are able to direct the actions of those officers and other ranks junior to them, as well as direct the actions of volunteers within the ACF.

In addition, an ACF Commandant, the most senior officer in the county, will have some powers in deciding on administrative action against officers in their county.

Chapter 2.2.5 “ACF Officer Commissioning Procedures” state the old process to be followed when applying for a commission in the ACF (British Army, 2017, pp. 2-37).

However, the system for commissioning ACF officers changed on 01 December 2017 with the introduction of the Cadet Forces Commission, which would be the sole basis for commissioned service in the ACF.

Once the new commission has been fully introduced ACF officers will no longer be members of the Army Reserve but they will continue to hold commissioned status and be treated accordingly, enjoying access to messes, the receiving of compliments and so on. As is the case now, ACF officers will be junior in precedence to Regular and Reserve officers of equivalent rank.