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The Community Cadet Forces is a term used by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) to group together the Sea Cadet Corps, the Army Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps. Together with the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) they constitute the UK's MoD-sponsored cadet forces. Although a fifth cadet organisation – the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps – is also sponsored by the MoD, it consists of a comparatively small number of cadets and is not included in MoD initiatives or published statistics on Reserves and Cadets. However, the Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps does enjoy close ties with the Royal Marine elements of the Sea Cadet Force and the Combined Cadet Force - forming a tri-partite family of 'Royal Marines Cadets'.
While the Community Cadet Forces are sponsored by the MoD and maintain strong ties, traditions and customs with the British Armed Forces, they are Volunteer Youth Organisations and have no liability for military service. The MoD describe the Cadet Forces as offering "challenging and enjoyable activities for young people, and prepare them to play an active part in the community while developing valuable life skills."
As of 1 April 2014, there were 114,050 Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers in the Community Cadet Forces.
Cadet Ranks
To see the ranks of the community cadet forces compared to those in the CCF see: List of United Kingdom cadet forces by rank