In response to a recent parliamentary question, the Ministry of Defence has outlined its efforts to consult a variety of stakeholders to support the expansion of the UK’s cadet programme.
The question, posed by Gregory Campbell, Democratic Unionist Party MP for East Londonderry, sought clarity on which external organisations beyond existing cadets and adult volunteers were being consulted.
Al Carns, Parliamentary Under-Secretary and Minister for Veterans, confirmed that a wide range of advocates had been engaged to shape plans for the expansion of cadet numbers.
Carns detailed the breadth of input gathered during a December 2024 discussion, stating: “Opinion was canvassed from a wide range of existing cadet advocates, including senior military leaders, Honorary Colonels, Lord Lieutenants, council leaders and representatives from education and academia.”
These consultations included representation from all branches of MOD cadets—the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force.
The consultations focused on the activities and governance structures required to enable expansion across the cadet programme. The initiative aims to ensure inclusivity and accessibility while reinforcing the programme’s value to young people and communities.
The Minister also highlighted his recent meetings with key stakeholders. “I, myself met with Honorary Colonels before Christmas, and just last week with a leading academic in this field, who led the team who published the University of Northampton study on the social and economic benefit of cadets.”
Carns reiterated his commitment to advocacy and expansion, stating: “We have discussed how to work together to best advocate for our cadets, and I am committed to their expansion.”
Further updates are expected as the MOD develops actionable plans to support this initiative.
Is this a Capita recruitment initiative?
I was involved with the Air Cadets for many years on and off.
As each year passed H&S slowly reduced practical activities, empires were built so you couldn’t do anything without doing a course over several weekends. Great if you’re single but useless if you have a family.
I see the Sea cadets getting far more flying than the ACO, in RAF aircraft. The Army cadets doing lots of practical outdoor stuff.
Sadly, I think the Cadet forces, starting with the RAF AIR CADETS are killing themselves
I remember the Kingston sea cadets . Had sea cadets and marines , I recall thinkin I wish I was in the cadets marines 🙂 . Not sure if still there now but recall some fun weekends , in the mud and camping
Does this mean they’ll be reversing the budget cuts & the further cuts planned? More is spent on migrant hotels in a few days than on the 70,000 Army Cadets in an entire year.
Yeah, more is spent on the NHS, roads, prisons, parking fines and a thousand other things. Asylum housing, apart from being a UN standard, is ptetty small beer in the wider scheme of government expenditure. This forum is for folks interested in defence issues, there are lots of more suitable sites for obsessive political drum-banging.
When you say “Asylum housing” you really mean illegal immigrants right? Why not just be honest, and perhaps begin by not using woke, leftist buzz words to hide the real intent – UNMANAGED MASS IMMIGRATION.
“No! say what I want you to say!”
Please grow up.
If mass immigration is really your concern, then look at the visas and airports. People coming in on boats and being put in hotels is only 3% of overall numbers.
It’s something low-information voters fixate on because it’s what the Daily Mail and other news outlets report on 24/7.
The problem is that the reality of war is far more accessible and it can no longer be sugarcoated by recruitment tactics. The state of the world is fragile at the moment and young people know this. None of them want to sign up when there is a very real possibility that they may go to war and it’s closer than it’s been since WW2. Joining the cadets is a stepping stone to the army and many young people don’t want to die at war and also don’t want to fight for a country that they don’t believe it. This countries politics has suffered for so long now that not many young people have any faith in the government and in turn don’t want to fight for them.
Matt, I was an ACF Officer for 5 years until recently. Very few cadets joined the army. Possibly 5%. It is a youth organisation, not a recruiting device for HM Forces.
Last time I looked the Sea Cadets were not a part of the MoD structure even with their I think it is called the Memorandum of Association.
Cadets have never ever been pre-service and it will be a shame if Labour try to make them so. Call me cynical but this smacks of politics.
It’s a long time since I have had any involvement with any of them. Wasn’t there some office in Semaphore Tower in HMNB Pompey? From what I remember mostly British kids with slightly more girls than boys. Like most youth organisations in the 90s they appeared to bend over to attract girls and consequently the number of boys started to decline. Some of the do good stuff, but many of them seemed to be for adults playing dress up.
I doubt much will come of it. Nothing burger.
Here in SA we have Cadet organisations including Sea Cadets with little emphasis on military training now and more on developing life skills although they have uniforms and perform parade ground drill, so a step up from Scouts and Guides. In my youth, our Cadets Corps in SA were definitely structured as an intro to Military service. We wore Defence Force based uniforms, did Rifle drill and had limited access to shooting ranges. I would have thought that the primary function of the Cadet Corps in the UK was to prime young people for a career in the military?
ps bte-Do the Boys Brigade still exist in Britain?
Geoff, you are totally wrong about the prime function of UK cadet forces. The many varieties are simply Youth organisation and do not overtly recruit into the HM Forces. I think no more that 5% of cadets join the regulars.
Hello Graham. I hope you are well and thank you for the information. My thinking was coloured by my experience in South Africa 1966 as a Cadet and as I said, they were definitely aimed at preparing young men for National service or a career in the Permanent SADF. Did not the UK have Air Cadets and Naval Cadets at some stage with all that those names implied? i.e. preparing for possible careers in the Armed Forces. I left the UK in 1961, so maybe, as with Cadets here in SA, things have changed!!
Cheers from Durban
Thanks Geoff, my cadet experience was ACF Cadet 1969-1972, CCF Cadet (Welbeck, 1973-74), ACF officer 2018-2023.
I am sure South Africa 1966 was very different!
Not sure why you think we now only have army cadets!
We have ACF, Sea Cadets, RAF Air Cadets (was called ATC), RM Cadets, CCF (in many private schools), Nautical Training Corps (RFA/MN orientated), Girls Venture Corps (Air Cadets), and the quite new Marine Training Corps. I think thats all of them!
I am really quite sure that none of them have a stated and explicit aim to prepare cadets for a career in the regular forces. Clearly a number of cadets do go into the regular forces, but not that many. I estimated 5% or less for the ACF.
Thanks Graham!
Its okay saying lets have more cadets..the problem is getting the adult instructors, the paperwork & red tape hoops you have to jump through to become an instructor is s bit of a joke.
I was in the Army cadets for 6yrs before I joined the Regular Army, the training was excellent and the available equipment was excellent.
I volunteered with the Air Cadets a short while back and it took nearly 6 weeks to get approval to take the senior cadets literally across the road to a council owned field to do a bit of Fieldcraft.
With the Sea Cadets they weren’t even allowed to have an armoury.
The soft idiots in charge have made it a complete ball-ache to do any real training with any cadets outside the annual Easter & Summer camps….can’t even take cadets out overnight on a weekend …Absolutely bloody ridiculous !!!!
It is simple. Stop cutting the military every budget so it becomes a career. Stop prosecuting soldiers at all, especially not for doing their job. Stop worrying about diversity, we have allowed many people into this country that hate it and having them represented in the forces to defend us plain stupid, As I understand most ‘men’ who think they are really ‘women’ (or martians or whatever) et al don’t really want to fight either. So if you have a bunch of white British males turn up welcome them with open arms instead of saying they aren’t diverse enough
Guys I get it ,I’m still in the Cadets after 40 years and yes the paper work is hard and a bit ridiculous at times but the biggest problem is people making decisions who have never been on the cadets,Annual camp is the highlight of the cadets year and now they have cut it down to a week no competitions, No day out,no adventure Training, No fun all training it’s Sad I wish I could sit down and speak to the people that make these Decisions ,The Adult Instructor is amazing they sacrifices their every Monday and Thursday night to train cadets and look after them,We all have a duty of care to look after our Cadets but who looks after the Adults,My view is The paper work is Horrendous and most of us do it without complaint but the slightest problem and people jump down your throat,We are a youth organisation sponsored by the Army but what they say and do we must Obey without complaining,It’s quite sad they make decisions based on the Army without asking us decent Adults instructors our opinion .We work with the Cadets all the time me yet they make all the decisions that’s just not quite right we are losing so many Adult instructors all over the UK and no one is taking notice it’s because we are Volunteers, Sorry for the long message but we are going down hill.
Kids are no longer aloud to have fun as the lefty liberials simply dont want it and they are getting their way. No wonder the youth of today are dull and in general pathetic, we have let it happen. All will be gone in the not too distant future.