Cadet grades and insignia of the Civil Air Patrol

Cadet grades and insignia of the Civil Air Patrol are a series of cadet ranks awarded to cadets in Civil Air Patrol (CAP). Each grade and insignia corresponds to an equivalent United States Air Force enlisted and an equivalent officer grade insignia. A cadet begins at Cadet Airman Basic (the lowest enlisted grade) and must progress through all the enlisted grades before becoming a cadet officer. Each achievement requires the completion of several tasks
Prospective Cadet
Before joining Civil Air Patrol, you must attend at least 3 meetings prior to signing up.
Phase I - The Learning Phase
Cadet Airman Basic
Cadet Airman Basic (C/AB) (and after the extra 56-day term), the cadet can earn the Neil Armstrong Achievement, which is the final achievement a cadet is able to receive before promoting on to officership.
Cadet chief master sergeant are to be referred to as "Chief" by other cadets and "Cadet" or "Chief" by Senior Members. is a position conferred to a cadet senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) in a unit. Rather than being a grade which any cadet may attain, this is a position granted to the cadet who will be acting in the leadership role over other cadets, and as such, there will be only one first sergeant at any given time. Once a cadet achieves the grade of cadet second lieutenant, he or she may no longer hold the position of first sergeant, and it will be awarded to another senior cadet NCO.
The roles of the cadet first sergeant are to relay information to Flight Sergeants and other NCOs or Airmen from the command staff, be the eyes and ears of the cadet commander, be the voice of the cadets to the commander, and to be a mentor and example for all NCOs in the squadron. A first sergeant has no rank authority over flight commanders (since the Flight Commander position is an Officer billet, even when filled by another cadet NCO). A first sergeant is placed above flight commanders in the Chain of command, because they report to the cadet commander (as the Squadron's Senior Enlisted cadet), but this does not give them authority over flight commanders. The first sergeant position is not in the direct chain of command, and is there to make the chain of command work by relaying information from the enlisted grade cadets the Cadet Commander. The reason the first sergeant position is not in the direct chain of command is because it does need to be positioned above flight staff to work. First sergeants do not have the authority to give Flight Commanders orders. Typically, Flight Commanders work directly with the Cadet Commander and receive their orders from that authority.
The insignia for this position will be the same as the cadet's grade (cadet master sergeant, cadet senior master sergeant, or cadet chief master sergeant). Junior NCOs are rarely assigned to this position. Cadets serving in this position are normally referred to and addressed as first sergeant by other cadets.
Phase III - The Command Phase
Cadet Second Lieutenant
The grade of Cadet Second Lieutenant (C/2d Lt)
Cadet second lieutenants are to be referred to as "Lieutenant" (or "Sir/Ma'am") by other cadets and "Cadet" or "Lieutenant" by Senior Members. In addition cadet captains may begin to serve as Deputy Commander or even cadet commanders. At encampments or special activities a cadet captain may command a squadron and have as many as three Flights or 56 Cadets, 3 Flight Sergeants and a First Sergeant under him/her.
Upon completing this award, cadets are eligible for direct promotion to First Lieutenant as a Senior Member once they turn 21.
Cadet captains are to be referred to as "Captain" (or "Sir/Ma'am") by other cadets and "Cadet" or "Captain" by senior members.
Phase IV - The Executive Phase
Cadet Major
The grade of Cadet Major (C/Maj) is a source of great pride for a cadet colonel's squadron and wing.
Upon completing this award, cadets are eligible for direct promotion to captain as a senior member once they turn 21.
Cadet colonels are called "Colonel" (or "Sir/Ma'am") by other cadets and may be called "Cadet" or "Colonel" by senior members.<ref name="CAPP151_RespectOnDisplay--MannersOfAddress" />

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