Under Officer
From Free net encyclopedia
Under Officer is a rank held by Officer Cadets at the British military academies, in the Officers Training Corps and sometimes in the Combined Cadet Force. There are actually two separate ranks: Junior Under Officer (JUO) and Senior Under Officer (SUO). They are usually addressed as "JUO" or "SUO" as appropriate.
At the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and in the OTC, JUOs wear an Austrian Knot above a single bar on the shoulder and SUOs wear an Austrian Knot above two bars. CCF JUOs (there are no SUOs) wear a white, green or blue flash on their shoulder straps.
Cadet Under Officer is also a rank in New Zealand's Air Training Corps and Cadet Corps. It ranks between Cadet Warrant Officer and Pilot Officer, thus making it the highest rank a cadet can reach. Cadet Under Officers normally age 17-21 and to be eligible for commission one must be at least 20 years of age. Hence Under Officers are generally treated as understudy officers. They often perform roles similar to Commissioned Officers, however they do not have nearly the same legal responsibilities. Cadet Under Officers wear insignia similar to that worn by Officer Cadets, except that the thin blue braid is replaced by a piece of NCO chevron cloth. This emphasises their official status as cadets rather than adult leaders.
In the Australian Cadet Corps, the rank of Cadet Under Officer is the lowest officer rank (below Second Lieutenant). Although technically considered an officer, it is a title given to members school cadet corps or regional cadet corps throughout Australia. Within the Australian Cadet Corps, a Cadet Under Officer (CUO) is normally in charge of a platoon, assisted by a Platoon Sergeant (Cadet Sergeant), and two or three Section Leaders (Cadet Corporals). CUO's are often on the more admin side of things, and often the rank involves alot of paperwork, many cadet under officers are tasked with normal officer duties, as a fair majority of CUO's will often become officers, thus preparing them for their duties.