CONCEPT

Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Program is a traditional military-style cadet program. CAP cadets wear modified versions of Air Force uniforms, hold rank and grade, and practice military customs and courtesies. They are also required to maintain physical fitness standards and are tested on their fitness and their knowledge of leadership and aerospace subjects for each promotion. This program is similar to that of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) primarily because the Air Force JROTC program was 'cloned' from the CAP Cadet Program in the 1960s. However, there are several key differences between the two programs.

The current CAP Cadet Program was designed by John V. "Jack" Sorenson. This program is composed of four phases (Learning, Leadership, Command, and Executive) each of which is divided into several achievements. Achievements generally correspond to grade promotions while phases are tied to levels of responsibility. The Cadet Program operates at a local unit (squadron) level with weekly meetings and weekend activities but also has national and wing-sponsored week-long and multi-week summer activities, of which encampments are an example.

The Cadet Program is overseen and administered by Senior Members who generally specialize in the Cadet Program. At the squadron level, the Cadet Commander's chain of command passes through the Deputy Commander for Cadets before reaching the squadron commander. There are 'Director of Cadet Programs' positions at all command levels above squadron. In addition to the Deputy Commander for Cadets, squadrons also have a Leadership Officer, a Senior Member whose job is to see to the military aspects of the Cadet program, such as uniforms, customs and courtesies.

One of the strongest features of the CAP Cadet Program is that as Cadets progress, they are given additional responsibility for scheduling, teaching, guiding and commanding the other cadets in their units. They also assist their Senior Staffs in executing the Cadet Program. It is not unusual for a nineteen year-old Cadet officer to command an encampment of hundreds of junior Cadets. This, coupled with the fact that Cadets may also participate in CAP Emergency Services missions, sets CAP's Cadet Program even further apart from other cadet programs.

STRUCTURE

Cadets have a rank structure similar to the United States Air Force enlisted officer ranks (excluding those of General officers). A Cadet starts as a Cadet Airman Basic and then is promoted as he or she completes each achievement. To complete an achievement, a Cadet must pass a physical fitness test as well as two written tests, one for leadership and one for aerospace education. The only exceptions to this rule are the promotion to Cadet Airman and Cadet Staff Sergeant which have no aerospace test. For some achievements, an additional test of drill proficiency is required. The achievements and their corresponding grades are listed in the table; the C/ and prior to each grade is read as 'Cadet', so C/AB is read as "Cadet Airman Basic".

The milestones in Civil Air Patrol's Cadet Program are the Wright Brothers Award, Billy Mitchell Award, the Amelia Earhart Award, the General Ira C. Eaker Award, and the General Carl A. Spaatz Award. As of mid-2005 fewer than 1600 Spaatz Awards have been earned since the first was awarded to Cadet Douglas Roach in 1964. Cadet Roach went on to an Air Force career and later was a pilot on the USAF Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team.

Each milestone award in Civil Air Patrol confers upon a cadet various benefits. Upon earning the Mitchell Award and the grade of cadet second lieutenant, a cadet will automatically be given the grade of Airman First Class (E-3) upon enlisting in the United States Air Force or (E-2) upon enlisting in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps, though the rank may only be worn after successfully completing Basic Training. Along with being awarded the Earhart Award and being promoted to C/Captain, a Cadet may attend International Air Cadet Exchange.

According to the CAP National website, the percentages for cadets receiving the milestone awards are as follows:

• Mitchell (C/2d Lieutenant) 12%
• Earhart (C/Captain) 5%
• Eaker (C/Lt. Colonel) 2%
• Spaatz (C/Colonel) 0.05%

Cadets that transfer to the Senior Member side between his or her 18th birthday and 21st birthday receive the rank of Flight Officer (if the highest cadet award earned was the Mitchell), Technical Flight Officer (if the highest cadet award earned was the Earhart) or Senior Flight Officer (if the highest cadet award earned was the Spaatz). If a cadet decides to transfer to the Senior Member side after his or her 21st bithday, they will receive the rank of 2d Lieutenant (if the highest cadet award was the Mitchell), 1st Lieutenant (if the highest cadet award was the Earhart), or Captain (if the highest cadet award was the Spaatz).

ACTIVITIES

Orientation Flights

Cadets under the age of 18 are eligible for orientation flights in CAP aircraft. Cadets over 18 years of age can still participate in military orientation flights. Some CAP Wings have flight academies where Cadets can learn to fly. The USAF and Army also frequently schedule orientation flights for CAP Cadets in transport aircraft such as the KC-10 Extender, C-130 Hercules and the C-17 Globemaster III or, in the case of the Army, UH-60 Black Hawk and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.

National Cadet Special Activities

Civil Air Patrol's National Cadet Special Activities offer a broad range of largely aviation-related summer activities. Most are a week long and they are located in different parts of the country (IACE being the exception).

• Aircraft Maintenance & Manufacturing Orientation Course - Sponsored by Cessna Aircraft, this activity shows aircraft construction and maintenance techniques and includes tours of the Cessna Aircraft factory.

• EAA Air Academy - Not sponsored by CAP. In addition to orientation flight time, Cadets study the flight, weather, navigation and aircraft construction.

• National Blue Beret - Participants will help conduct EAAAirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the world's largest airshow. This is a 'working vacation' and duties include aircraft marshalling, crowd control and ELT deactivation.

• National Flight Academies (Airplane & Glider) - An opportunity for older Cadets (14 for gliders and 16 for airplanes) to gain flight instruction and, in some cases, a solo flight.

• Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training Familiarization Courses - A glimpse of the training that makes an Air Force pilot. Includes heavy academics, flight facilities tours and may include full-motion simulator time and flight time with an instructor pilot in a T-1A Jayhawk jet trainer. Formerly the Air Education and Training Command Familiarization Course.

• Air Force Pararescue Orientation Course - In this physically demanding activity, Cadets work with actual Pararescuemen learning land navigation, wilderness survival, climbing and rappelling and other PJ skills.

• Air Force Space Command Familiarization Courses - Designed for Cadets with an interest in space-related careers, this course provides an in-depth look at the Air Force Space Command, including missile operations, space command and control and orbital mechanics.

• Air Force Weather Agency Familiarization Course - For Cadets interested in meteorology, this provides a chance to work with members of the Weather Agency and see how weather is forecast and interpreted using state of the art equipment.

• Space Camp / Aviation Challenge - Also not sponsored by CAP. Conducted at the United States Space & Rocket Center, this course focuses on space exploration, and features flight simulation, physiology, crew equipment and more.

• Cadet Officer School - A course for Cadet officers based on Air Force Squadron Officer's School. It is held at the Air University at Maxwell AFB and teaches presentation skills, critical thinking, ethics and hands-on leadership.

• Civic Leadership Academy - Held in Washington, D.C., this course explores the functions of our government and political processes.

• Hawk Mountain Ranger School - The Colonel Phillip Neuweiler Ranger Training Facility at Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania is the oldest continually operated school of search and rescue in the United States. This activity teaches basic and advanced CAP SAR techniques as well as survival, rope work, first aid and leadership.

• Honor Guard Academy - This activity teaches Air Force Honor Guard techniques and provides instruction on creating an Honor Guard at a Cadet's home unit. Cadets are also taught military discipline and protocol of the type required by an Honorguardsman, as well as the four elements of the Honor Guard: the Ceremonial/Demonstration Element, the Colors Element, the Funeral Element and the Drama Element (which involves plays and skits promoting a drug-free lifestyle and depicting the consequences of abusing illegal substances).

• International Air Cadet Exchange - Perhaps the premier NCSA, IACE is an opportunity for two weeks of international travel to countries around the world and meet cadets of other organizations, such as the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. A CAP Cadet must have earned the Amelia Earhart award and have a minimum grade of C/Capt to apply for IACE. Cadets from 19 nations are sent to either Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United States or the United Kingdom.

• National Emergency Services Academy - An in-depth SAR school teaching all aspects of the CAP Emergency Services mission.

• Airline Careers Exploration - A hands on activity where cadets learn about careers within the airline industry including pilots, air traffic controllers, mechanics and flight attendants.

CADETS AND THE MILITARY

Cadet members do not incur a military obligation upon leaving CAP, but may enter the Air Force as an Airman First Class (E-3) if they have earned the Mitchell Award. It is worth noting that the majority of Cadets choose not to go on to military careers and that among those that do there is a healthy share of entrants into branches of service other than the Air Force. CAP Cadets that do enter the military perform statistically better during recruit training and at the various service academies than their peers without CAP Cadet experience.

Scores of former CAP cadets have gone on to become military leaders, many achieving notoriety, including: Lt Shane Osborne, pilot of the United States Navy EP-3E Aries II aircraft which collided with a Chinese fighter in April 2001; Capt Scott O'Grady, whose F-16 was shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995; Lt Col Eric A. Boe, NASA pilot and Director of Operations, Russia; Commander William Oefelein, NASA astronaut and STS-116 pilot; and General Michael E. Ryan, former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. Major Nicole Malachowski, a former CAP cadet from Las Vegas, Nevada, has become the first woman pilot to join the USAF Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team beginning in 2006.

CADET OATH