Under Officer

Under Officer is a position/rank held by senior Officer Cadets at the British military academies and in the Officers Training Corps; it is also used by the Army Cadet Force and 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, but are not saluted.

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 wear a white, green or blue flash on their shoulder straps.

A New Zealand ATC Under-Officers shoulder Insignia

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 Army Cadets, the rank of Cadet Under Officer is the highest Cadet rank. They are saluted and addressed as "Sir" by their subordinates but not by adult officers or instructors. AAC CUOs may hold many appointments, including National Cadet Adjutant, Brigade Cadet Adjutant, Battalion Cadet Adjudant, Unit Adjutant, Quartermaster, Company Commander, and Platoon Commander. The rank badge is a lozenge. Cadet Adjutants have coloured backing in the middle.

In the Australian Air Force Cadets, the rank of Cadet Under Officer is they highest Cadet rank. They are saluted and addressed as "Sir" or "Ma'am" by their subordinates but not by adult officer or instructors or members of the Australian Defence Force. The insignia for an AAFC CUO is a white stripe. To achieve te rank of CUO, an AAFC Cadet Sergeant, Cadet Flight Sergeant or Cadet Warrant Officer must complete the CUO course, which typically takes 3-4 weeks at a RAAF base in their home state (Wing).

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