Cadet Structure

[maurer172]

Is there a set age limit for the cadet commander position if the individual is the highest ranking and qualified?

[Eclipse]

20 years and 364 days.

[BillB]

There is no minimum age if that's what you're asking.

[Spartan]

Is there a set age limit for the cadet commander position if the individual is the highest ranking and qualified?

There is no set age limit, so long as they are a cadet.

That being said, putting your brand new 14 year old C/2d Lt into the cadet commander position may not be the best thing for that cadet or the squadron.  Putting your 20 years and 364 days old C/Lt. Col into the position may similarly not be the best choice either, as the necessary maturity and skill set is probably there, but it will cause two changes in leadership styles and expectations, and the changes will stress the lower level leaders. 

The cadet commander position is one of responsibility that requires maturity and the ability to apply the technical information gained through the leadership text into practical applications.  The oldest cadet may not be the best choice for the position.  The cadet with the highest grade may not be the best person for the position ether.  Just like filling any other position, you need to find someone with the ability to do the job to the established standard and do it for more than a day.

[abdsp51]

Is there a set age limit for the cadet commander position if the individual is the highest ranking and qualified?

There is no set age limit, so long as they are a cadet.

That being said, putting your brand new 14 year old C/2d Lt into the cadet commander position may not be the best thing for that cadet or the squadron.  Putting your 20 years and 364 days old C/Lt. Col into the position may similarly not be the best choice either, as the necessary maturity and skill set is probably there, but it will cause two changes in leadership styles and expectations, and the changes will stress the lower level leaders. 

The cadet commander position is one of responsibility that requires maturity and the ability to apply the technical information gained through the leadership text into practical applications.  The oldest cadet may not be the best choice for the position.  The cadet with the highest grade may not be the best person for the position ether.  Just like filling any other position, you need to find someone with the ability to do the job to the established standard and do it for more than a day.

+1.  I took over my first unit as the Cadet Commander when I was still a C/TSgt and that was a fun experience.

[Extremepredjudice]

Is there a set age limit for the cadet commander position if the individual is the highest ranking and qualified?

There is no set age limit, so long as they are a cadet.

That being said, putting your brand new 14 year old C/2d Lt into the cadet commander position may not be the best thing for that cadet or the squadron.  Putting your 20 years and 364 days old C/Lt. Col into the position may similarly not be the best choice either, as the necessary maturity and skill set is probably there, but it will cause two changes in leadership styles and expectations, and the changes will stress the lower level leaders. 

The cadet commander position is one of responsibility that requires maturity and the ability to apply the technical information gained through the leadership text into practical applications.  The oldest cadet may not be the best choice for the position.  The cadet with the highest grade may not be the best person for the position ether.  Just like filling any other position, you need to find someone with the ability to do the job to the established standard and do it for more than a day.

+1.  I took over my first unit as the Cadet Commander when I was still a C/TSgt and that was a fun experience.

before someone else says it: You should have been flight sergeant or first sergeant.

[coudano]

my squadron doesn't even have a cadet commander, so the age limit is irrelevant

[abdsp51]

Is there a set age limit for the cadet commander position if the individual is the highest ranking and qualified?

There is no set age limit, so long as they are a cadet.

That being said, putting your brand new 14 year old C/2d Lt into the cadet commander position may not be the best thing for that cadet or the squadron.  Putting your 20 years and 364 days old C/Lt. Col into the position may similarly not be the best choice either, as the necessary maturity and skill set is probably there, but it will cause two changes in leadership styles and expectations, and the changes will stress the lower level leaders. 

The cadet commander position is one of responsibility that requires maturity and the ability to apply the technical information gained through the leadership text into practical applications.  The oldest cadet may not be the best choice for the position.  The cadet with the highest grade may not be the best person for the position ether.  Just like filling any other position, you need to find someone with the ability to do the job to the established standard and do it for more than a day.

+1.  I took over my first unit as the Cadet Commander when I was still a C/TSgt and that was a fun experience.

before someone else says it: You should have been flight sergeant or first sergeant.

This was way back when before the changes in the CP occurred and long before there was the structure to it. 

[Nathan]

I don't think it's necessarily WRONG to put a C/Sgt in cadet commander, but I personally wouldn't do it.

Cadets should be practicing leadership at the level that reflects their rank.  C/NCO's are supposed to be exhibiting low-level, small group leadership, not the sort of long-range planning and leadership that I would expect out of the average cadet commander. It's fine to say that a C/Sgt is the highest ranking cadet in the unit and therefore has responsibilities indicative of that role, but calling them a cadet commander is a bit misleading.

And while I understand that many, if not most units don't have Phase IV cadets ready to take that position over, I also know that there is no requirement to fill any particular cadet position, and if no cadets are at least a Phase III, then the DCC (or whatever we're calling that position now) should step in and fill that role. I'm normally against direct senior involvement in the cadet operations, but I'm also against cadets failing to get the leadership training due to their being assigned to the highest command position prematurely and being either overwhelmed with the responsibilities or working in a diluted command capacity.

[Perez]

As others have said. Ideally a junior NCO would and should fill a flight sergeant's position. Unfortunately there are a lot of factors that can play into the election of a Cadet Commander, the CDC's personal preferences being one of them. As a C/MSgt I was made C/CC. While I wouldn't call it a positive experience under the circumstances, I definitely learned a lot in that short period of time. It's also permanently effected how I see the cadet program, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet.

[manfredvonrichthofen]

I was a C/MSgt C/CC. I enjoyed it, but I also had plenty of time as a C/1SGT. You really shouldn't be a C/CC until you have the time and experience as an NCO. And I think the cadet structure is a bit off to really be a good C/CC.you can go through too quickly, and leadership as an NCO is much different than leadership as an Officer. They just require different leadership styles. Although I have to say I prefer to be led by Officers who were NCOs  score they were commissioned.

[abdsp51]

Well, the only c/officer we had quit and I stepped in.  It was also done with the blessing of the senior leadership.  We had hiccups sure but we also had pretty good attendance as well.  Either way it should all depend on the program dynamic.

[coudano]

C/NCO's are supposed to be exhibiting low-level, small group leadership

Directive is the word you are looking for there...

I don't think of directive skills as being "low level" which to me sort of implies "remedial".
they are sometimes more complex and even more difficult in practice than the indirect and executive skills in phase 3 and 4.

I do agree that cadets should be practicing the leadership skill set appropriate to their phase level, and that what most people think of as 'cadet commander' does not match up with phase 2...

But now I digress

[titanII]

I find it interesting/ironic that despite the fact that the Cadet Commander would ideally be a cadet in the "Executive Phase," not the Command Phase. Also I don't like how the Phase 2 is the Leadership Phase. Shouldn't all cadets be involved in some part of leadership? If I were Supreme Dictator of CAP, I'd rename all of the phases after the kind of leadership the cadet is supposed to be learning in that phase.
I.Personal
II.Operational
III.Tactical
IV.Strategic

[coudano]

I.Personal
II.Operational
III.Tactical
IV.Strategic

Tehcnically it'd be
2. tactical
3. operational
4. strategic

But I can get behind that, and I think you see the cp texts going in that general direction in their latest iteration.

[titanII]

Tehcnically it'd be
2. tactical
3. operational
4. strategic

Darnit, Google lied to me. Should've just gone straight to Learn to Lead.

[abdsp51]

When this happened there really IIRC we didn't have the named phases as we do now.