Commandant's Christmas Message

I would like to thank all the adults in Kent Army Cadet Force for their unstinting loyalty, support and determination throughout this year and to wish you all a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas and New Year. I look forward to continuing the challenge of cadet training and to work with you throughout 2013. I would like to pass on my special thanks to our Civilian Assistants whose work very often goes unseen, but without whom the adminstration of detachments would be an additional burden on the uniformed staff.

2012 proved to be very busy and very different for us in many ways. An annual camp at Easter was probably the hint that the year would be like no other. Despite the cold nights and the slightly shorter hours of daylight than we would normally be used to we achieved what we set out to achieve. We now have annual camp to Okehampton (10-23 Aug)  2013 firmly in our sights. The first recce has been and gone and the County recce is scheduled for March. Annual camp will feature all the normal activities you would expect at camp, including the opportunities for AT and at Coy level a day out. Costs are provisionally set at £80. We embarked on the delivery of Level 1 qualifications to our cadets, something that I would like to see continue in the new year. We also achieved 7 gold awards at D of E and had an enjoyable Officers' Study Period to Ypres in Belgium.

The County celebrated HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee with medals, a spectacular dinner at Priestfield and the lighting of a beacon at Dibgate.

I am very pleased that 2Lt Ian Packer has started what I am confident will be a steady and successful programme of commissioning for our Potential Officers. With 17 Adult Under Officers currently undergoing training I am looking at asteady outflow from Westbury of young (and not so young!) officers who have the ability to lead from the front at detachment level. If anyone else is considering the challenge of commissioning I would urge them to make contact with Maj Nisbet who is running the PO Cadre.

We have said goodbye to a number of long serving members of Kent ACF this year; RSM McGowan, who led the Sgts' Mess for the last three years, Capt Morris form our AT team and Lt Col John Pankhurst, one of the longest serving members of the county and one of our deputy Commandants. All will be sorely missed, but the new year will usher in a new team, with two new Deputy Commandants and a recently appointed RSM and SO2. We were also able to say farewell to the outgoing Honorary Colonel, The Viscount de L'Isle MBE, on his retirement, with a celebratory a dinner at Dibgate in November.

Looking back to the start of the year I set out the key aims and objectives for this year and 2013. These were to:

"Increase the uptake of older cadets on CVQO awards. It goes without saying that all cadets who fulfil the qualifying criteria should be registered and should complete the assessment package. BTEC awards add real value to the life chances of our cadets and engage directly with parents, schools and other stakeholders.

2. Improve the uptake for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, at all levels. As with CVQO awards the County is currently behind the curve with the uptake and completion of awards well below the levels we should be achieving, despite the considerable personal efforts of Capt Woods and his team.

3. Further develop shooting as a core activity available to all cadets. The introduction of the new air rifle should be used as a stimulus to putting shooting back on the map. It goes without saying that shooting is one of the key incentives to joining the ACF, forms part of the overall "Cadet Experience" and is an excellent tool for so many disciplines. The County has had some notable achievements of late and I commend the Shooting Officer for his efforts.

Looking at these three areas, they should become our ME for development.

For adults, I wish to see major development in the sphere of potential officer training and development and with encouraging CFAV to develop AT skills and qualifications.

Across the County there is considerable talent, enthusiasm and expertise amongst the CFAV community and I am indebted to the staff who make things happen. There is however still room for improvement and development, particularly with uptake of activities by cadets and it is here that we all share a corporate responsibility."

I would encourage you all to look and review not just how successful (or otherwise) we have been at these, but how YOU have contributed, or could contribute towards them in 2013.

The Honorary Colonel, Colonel James Partridge TD DL passes on his warm regards at this festive time of year and hopes to get the opportunity to meet as many adults and cadets as possible early on in 2013.

I have been prompted by the SO2 that I need to produce the Directive for 2013/2014, which I shall aim to do over the Christmas/New Year period and put out via the CoC in the January/February.

Again, well done for making 2012 a success and for continued success in 2013.

Have a very Happy Christmas with your families and friends.

Jeremy Wilson

PS: In 2013 I will be looking for a new County Training Officer (to take post after Camp) and a County Sports Officer.

New appointments to Kent ACF

I am sure that everyone will be delighted to hear that a Brigade Promotion Board has confirmed the appointments of our two new Deputy Commandants, to succeed Lt Col's Pankhurst and Masters, who retire from their posts at Christmas 2012 and Easter 2013 respectively.

The first appointment will be Major David Steele, who will take up his post on promotion in January 2013. Major Steele is currently the County Training Officer in South East London ACF, where he has established an impressive portfolio of achievements for the Sector and its cadets and adults. One of his key developments and achievements has been the establishment of a formal association between the Italian Army Cadet Force and South East London ACF. This has enabled a large number of the Sector's cadets and adults to have the opportunity to train in Italy and for Italian cadets to train in the UK. I am hoping that this initiative may migrate over the border from London and provide our adults and cadets with similar opportunities!

Maj Chris Gilbert needs little introduction to the County, where he has an outstanding record of service to Kent ACF. Major Gilbert will take up his post on promotion on 1st April 2013.

Both Deputy Commandants will be taking up slightly re-defined roles and duties and line management responsibilities, details of which will be promulgated through the chain of command before Christmas.

The incoming RSMI, RSM Sullivan will be taking up his post at County Headquarters in December this year. RSM Sullivan has a bold vision to take the county forward over the next 3-5 years, particularly with regard to AI training and development. In this, he will be working closely with the incoming Deputy Commandant, the County Training Officer and the OC County Training Team.

The fourth new appointment is that of Lt Tara Yong as the next County Adventure Training Officer, to succeed Capt Mo Morris who retired earlier this year. Tara has an impressive record of delivering the AT experience in B Coy and will now be looking to expand this to the County as a whole. Finally, Lt Mark Johnson will be taing over County wide responsibility for CVQO awards for cadets and adults in the new year. Lt Johnson has lately been serving with B Coy.

I know that all adult members of Kent Army Cadet Force will support all the newly appointed adults and work with them to develop and enhance the opportunities that we able able to offer our cadets.

New Honorary Colonel

I am very pleased to be able to confirm the appointment of Colonel James Partridge TD DL as our new Honorary Colonel, to succeed The Viscount De L'Isle MBE, who retired in the summer.

Col James Partridge was commissioned from Cambridge University OTC into the Royal Artillery in 1981, serving with 100 (Yeomanry) Regiment, which he commanded for two and a half years, until 1998.  Since then he has held several staff appointments, including TA Colonel, Royal Artillery and Deputy Commander 2 (SE) Brigade.  His last active post was in Reserve Forces & Cadets Division in the Ministry of Defence, where he sat as the Reservist member on the Cottam Review of the Reserve Forces.  He is a Solicitor of the Supreme Court and practises in Tunbridge Wells.  He has two grown up children and lives just over the County border near Crowborough.  When time permits, he is a keen walker and dinghy sailor and enjoys touring in England and France.

It is my intent that OCs invite Col Partridge to a weekend event, certainly well before Annual Camp 2013, in order to give him the chance to meet Officers and Adult Instructors and to see cadets undergoing training.

Commissioning - 2Lt Ian Packer

I would like to congratulate Ian on his outstanding success at the Cadet Force Commissioning Board. He is now the newest officer to join Kent Army Cadet Force from our Potential Officer Cadre and will return to his detachment in his new role as the commissioned Det Comd. I would like to think that Ian's success will provide an inspiration to the remaining 14 Adult Under Officers. There is now a vacancy in the cadre! Please apply to me through your OC if you are interested in taking Ian's place.

Officers' Study Period 13 Oct 12 - EX YPRES RIDE

After a very early start on Sat 13th October, Officers from Kent ACF embarked on Exercise Ypres Ride, a short battlefield tour of the Ypres Salient in Belgium, with a focus on locations signifcant to the 3rd Battle of Ypres and the cap badges worn by members of Kent ACF. Sites visited included Larchwood, Hill 60, Hooge, Tyne Cot and Essex Farm, before completing the day with a meal in Ypres and the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. Lt Col John Pankhurst laid the wreath with Capt Keith Bloor on behalf of the County.

Special thanks go to the four OCs for leading their teams in the research and preparation of presentations on the ground, on topics of particular significance to their Coy cap badges.

The Salient lived up to its reputation from WW1, being wet, cold and muddy!

There are pictures of the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate from Saturday evening on the Last Post website. See the link below:

http://www.lastpost.be/en/x/60/photobook?album=314

Officers' Study Period

The Officers' Study Period is confirmed and will go ahead over the weekend of 13/14 October, with a visit to the battlefields of the Ypres Salient in Belgium.

The administrative instruction, MEL and pre-reading packs have been produced and distributed electronically to OCs. RV by 2000 on Friday 12th October at Dibgate, for an early sea crossing on Saturday 13th. The visit will conclude with a wreath laying at the Menin Gate in Ypres on the Saturday evening at 2000.

Have a look at the website below:

http://www.lastpost.be/

Autumn 2012

I am conscious that it has been a fair time since my last post, during which time we had the slightly odd experience of an August without an Annual Camp. Hopefully adults will have taken advantage of this opportunity to have a family holiday! The reality however is that we return to the normal cycle now, with planning already underway for Annual Camp 2013 to Okehampton in Devon.

My focus remains as before:

Firstly, the development of cadet opportunities, whether that be through BTEC, the D of E, shooting, first aid or the APC syllabus. I am particularly pleased with the developments and successes in shooting and would urge all those with ranges to make the fullest possible use of them. I am particularly grateful to Capt Roberts for his efforts in respect to shooting and raising the profile across the 4 sub units. There was also a successful D of E Gold expedition to the Peak District and a visit to Arnhem organised by the RE Sqn.

Secondly, the development of our CFAVs. We have extablished our Potential Officer Cadre, which now has 15 AUOs, the first of whom will attend Westbury at the end of October. Training in the Cadre will start in earnest on Sat 06 Oct at CHQ under the leadership of Maj Kevin Nisbet.

The Officers' Study period is still on track to take place over the weekend of 13/14 Oct with a visit to the Ypres area for a battlefield tour, which should be an enjoyable exercise and a potential starting point for cadet visits to the area.

Also in November we have the opportunity to recognise the contribution of three of our adults who will be presented with The Lord Lieutenant's Certificate of Meritorious Service. I am particularly pleased that at the same time the Lord Lieutenant will appoint two of our senior cadets (CSM Beckley and CSM Cobb) as Lord Lieutenant's Cadets (one for the East and one for the West of the County).

We will be dining out the Honorary Colonel, The Viscount De L'Isle at a special dinner at the beginning of November, details of which should have been passed down through the chain of command.

The Board for the next RSMI will take place shortly and it is encouraging that there have been a number of applications.

I will be attending the national sports officer conference at Frimley Park in January, after which time I will be looking out for an individual to take on the role of County Sports Officer - Watch Out - It could be YOU!

Finally, keep an eye out for the latest edition of "Footprint", which should be published over the next couple of weeks.

County Shooting Team

I am very pleased to be able to report that the Kent Army Cadet Force County Shooting team took part in the National Cadet Target Rifle Competition held at Bisley Ranges over the weekend of the

5th to 8th July 2012, competing against over 460 cadets from all over the UK,  and also against cadets from Australia and Canada.

The cadets shot the L81-A2 Cadet Target Rifle in different individual and team events at ranges at  300, 500 & 600m.

The team was made up of Cadet Sgt Major Blair, Cpl A Swallow, Bdr B Hutchins, L/Cpl Callaway and our Butt Marker Bdr M Roberts. The team and the team coaches  (SSI Blair and WSI Green) , worked tirelessly  to shoot well in wet and windy conditions.

The highlights to the weekend were Sgt/ Major Blair was placed 227th in the Cadet 100 Full bore out of 465 cadets, and 133rd in the Patriotic 600m Cup. L/ Cpl Callaway was placed 130th in the Patriotic 300m.

I was very pleased to be able to present our cadets with their Bisley 2012 Crossed Rifles Badges and look forward to following the fortunes of the team in the future. I extend my thanks to Capt Roberts for his work in supporting and developing cadet shooting in the County.

CVQO Level 1 Awards

It was a very great pleasure to attend the presentation of the BTEC Level 1 Awards in Leadership & Teamwork last Thursday at Kent Police Headquarters in Maidstone.

9 cadets from Kent ACF were present to receive their awards jointly from Lord Lingfield, Trustee of CVQO and Mr Michael Bax, High Sheriff of Kent. Our cadets were drawn from A and D Coys and Kent RE.

The good news is that funding has been secured to allow another cohort of cadets to start the award programme.

There are a selection of podcasts from the event, from cadets and parents. Follow the link below:
http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/cvqo-podcasts-cadet-vocational/id489788534


Picture: Michael Nolan/CVQO

Commissioning

My post of 4th April this year highlighted the dates available at the Cadet Forces Commissioning Board at Westbury for the remainder of 2012. Since then I have visited CFCB for a full day's briefing on the commissioning process, which is underlined by the fact that Kent ACF (along with most other ACF counties) is very short of commissioned officers, in particular young officers. Commissioning of suitable adults will now become my Main Effort with regard to adult development over the next 18-24 month period.

So what are CFCB looking for in potential officers? A simple question and one that actually has a simple answer, which is for AIs who have 3 basic qualities - "character, ability and leadership". In short the ability to lead both adults and cadets. These are qualities no different from those sought in potential officers to the Regular and Territorial Armies.

What specific training or experience do you need to be considered by CFCB for a commission? Actually, when you look at the basic requirements they are surprisingly simple:

You must:
Be under 55 years of age
Have a reasonable general standard of education
Have passed ITC (or have an exemption due to previous service)
Have attended annual camp for a minimum of 5 days

These are the basic requirements and these are the qualities I am looking for!

My vision is to establish a Potential Officer Cadre with a working size of 10-15 adults who wish to train for a commission. If they meet the basic eligibility they will be interviewed by their OC and then either one of the Deputy Commandant or myself. If all parties are confident and happy to proceed the AIs will be appointed as Adult Under Officers (AUOs) and will begin a training package that will see all members of the cadre come together every 4 months for PO training, led by an experienced officer. AUOs will have up to 24 months to complete enough training before proceeding to Westbury. Nobody is saying that attendance at CFCB is anything but demanding. It has to be because of the value of the Queen's Commission and all that comes with being an officer. It is however a chance to lead and to shape the way that Kent Army Cadet Force will develop and evolve in the future.

My pledge to those who wish to put themselves forward for commissioning is to give enough pre CFCB training to enable AUOs to attend without facing the unknown or failure. I also pledge to continue the training process once candidates successfully complete the commissioning process.

Remember, CFCB is not looking to fail individuals, rather to give credit for the ability to lead. CFCB is currently commissioning in excess of 70% of all candidates who present themselves at the board.

For a brief look at the CFCB process spend a few minutes looking at the following link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj6b9JWbDPw

The timeframe: I would like to see the establishment of the AUO Cadre by September this year, with the first training period in October, leading to the first commissions in early 2013. AUOs will also be invited to attend the Officers' Study Weekend to Belgium over the 13/14 Oct 12. Full Details of the Study Weekend will appear shortly.

Finally, I am in the process of revising the County's policy on the appointment of officers, to streamline the process in order to make it easier to identify talent and encourage those who have the desire to lead other adults and cadets. I will publish this through the CoC in the near future.


Your next steps?


1. Check your eligibility
2. Arrange an interview with your OC
3. Have an interview with myself or one of the Deputy Commandants
4. Start your training that will lead to the Queen's Commission!


Good Luck

Uniform To Work Day 2012 and Armed Forces Day

Uniform to Work Day 2012 takes place on Wednesday 27th June as part of the lead up to this year's Armed Forces Day on Saturday 30th June. Members of the reserve forces and cadet forces are encouraged to support the event by wearing uniform to work or school. There are a few links below with further details. In all cases the consent of employer or school should be sought in advance. You may have a few surprises when you find out who wears a uniform in your communities!

http://armycadets.com/media-centre/news/uniform-to-work-day-2012/

http://www.sabre.mod.uk/News/Uniform-to-work-day-2012.aspx

Pictures from Annual Camp 2012

There are more pictures of Annual Camp 2012 at Westdown on the ACFA website. Follow the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/ArmyCadetForce.photos

More photographs from the ACFA website, added 22 May 12:

http://armycadets.com/become-a-cadet/what-youll-do/annual-camp/kent-acfs-easter-annual-camp-2012/

Annual Camps Forecast

We have now received confirmation of Annual Camps up until 2016:(updated 23 May 12)
2013: Okehampton 10-23 Aug 13
2014: Wathgill Date 16-29 Aug 14
2015: Longmoor 15-28 Aug 15
2016: St Mawgan 30 Jul-12 Aug 16

As more details emerge about the concept and outline plan for Okehampton 2013 I will publish details on the blog and website.

Update: The outline plan is as follows:
1 and 2 star training/testing to be conducted by sub units
3 star training/testing to be run at County level
SCIC course will run
AT will be co-ordinated at County level by AT team
All range work will be co-ordinated by the County Shooting Officer with a Permanent Range Team.

Day off for sub units towards the end of camp, under direction of OCs

Annual Camp 2012

I would like to offer a personal note of thanks to all of our Cadet Force Adult Volunteers who have helped to make Annual Camp 2012 such a success. We should all take satisfaction from the achievements of our cadets who had to contend with a shorter camp period and weather which was quite unlike the typical summer camp expectation.

We have now a sizeable chunk of time to fill before Annual Camp in August 2013 (Okehampton in Devon). We need to ensure that suitable opportunities are made available over the next 16 months for star board testing to take place. I would encourage the Coys and the RE Sqn to look at the possibility of laying on extended weekends or Coy Camps in this time to maintain the monentum of training and testing during this period.

Rest assured that preparations for Annual Camp 2013 will begin as soon as we return to Kent, with the aim being to have a workable camp plan in place by Easter 2013 lead by Major Chris Gilbert and his team.

My priorities for cadet training remain, namely to further develop our provison of BTEC qualifications through CVQO, expanding the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and building on our shooting successes. My appointment of Captain Roberts as County Shooting Officer and Major Graham Cable to take the lead with cadet and adult awards will compliment the good work already being carried out by Capt Rob Wood.

Enjoy the brief respite before returning to your normal lives!

Cadet Force Commissioning Board (CFCB)

For those adult instructors contemplating the commissioning process, the remaining dates for CFCB assessment weekends at Westbury for 2012 are:

18-20 May
29 June-01 July
14-16 September
12-14 October
26-28 October
23-25 November

For a taster of what is involved look at the following clip.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj6b9JWbDPw

If you are interested please make an appointment for an interview with the Commandant

Cadet Expedition: North Downs Way

I am sure that there will be considerable interest in the exploits of 2 young D Coy cadets (Cdts English and Mumford) who have set themselves the challenge of walking the complete length of the North Downs Way in weekend chunks over the next few months.

The cadets are being sponsored by KACF, Cotswold Outdoors and their school and I am sure that there would be interest in following their experience on their expedition blog at:

https://expeditionndw.blogspot.co.uk/

London to Brighton Charity Bike Ride

I would like to commend the forthcoming London to Brighton Charity Bike Ride on 17th June 2012. Captains Whatley and Treeby, WO2 Drewery and some other members of Kent ACF as yet to be named will be undertaking the ride in support of the British Heart Foundation and the Army Benevolent Fund.

Officers' Study Weekend

The next Officers' Study Weekend will take place over the period 12-14 October 2012 and will involve a visit to the First World War battlefields in Flanders, with a focus on the First and Third Battles of Ypres.

The weekend will involve syndicate work, site visits to key points on the battlefield and a wreath laying at the Menin Gate in Ypres on the Saturday evening. The weekend will be open to all officers, the RSM, CSMs and the TSA.

More details will be given at Annual Camp.

http://www.lastpost.be/

http://www.lastpost.be/en/c/calendar/calendar

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

As we are all aware this year is The Queen's Diamond Jubilee, which we aim to commemorate here in the County. There will be a number of events at County and local level which you may wish to become involved in. Key to these will be:

QDJ Dinner on Saturday 2nd June. There has been considerable interest in this and I would urge any adults who have not yet committed to the event to do so. The points of contact for more information and tickets are the CEO and RSMI.

Dover Tattoo on Friday 1st June and Saturday 2nd June. the Dover Tattoo is the Main Effort event for 2 Bde to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and as such we will be involved. It is likely that our commitment will be to support the Families Day on Saturday, between 1100 and 1600. B Coy will take the lead, with A Coy prepared to support.

Jubilee Beacon lighting at Dibgate on Monday 4th June. More details to follow.

If you are planning on getting involved with Jubilee events as a Det or Coy at a district or local level remember to pass them through the CoC in the normal way as for for any other training or community engagement event.

As you know a commemorative medal (the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal) has been approved and can be worn now as a miniature. The full size medal will be issued to eligible personnel from June onwards and will be awarded to adults at a suitable event. Details confirming who is eligible to receive the medal with be confrimed by CHQ very shortly.

ACF Familiarisation and Assessment Package

As I am sure you are all aware by now there are changes afoot with regard to the way we select potential adults to join the ACF. This is a national change in policy and procedure and one which I am confident will be delivered in Kent by September 2012.

In short the key aims of the new process will be:

a. To ensure that all potential CFAVs are subjected to a rigourous assessment process which provides auditable evidence of how they were selected (or rejected) prior to enrolment and training.
b. To provide candidates with full details of the commitment and expectations as CFAVs in Kent ACF.
c. To provide a common approach across all ACF counties, giving commanders assurance that the selection process is fit for purpose and able to withstand scrutiny.
d. To prevent the waste of resources that occurs when potential CFAV fail to complete induction and training.

I expect to be able to brief the Bde Comd at Annual Camp on Kent's progress with implementing the new package, which has to be in place and working by 01 Sep 12. There will inevitably be some changes in the amount of work, time and logistic resources required to implement the package and would ask all CFAV and PSS to work together for a successful implementation.


Full details can be found at LF/PSC/CADETS/2604 dated 26 Jan 12.

ACF Commandants' Conference

The first national ACF Commandants' Conference since 2010 took place at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst over the weekend of 04/05 Feb 12. The overall tone of the conference was extremely positive, set against the national picture of contraction of public expenditure.

Introduction: The cadet movement is at a very exciting stage in its development, but with some key issues to face. The good news is that spending on the ACF (and other cadet forces) has been protected within the overall MOD expenditure reductions. New Terms & Conditions of Service (TACOS) for adults are being developed and the Defence Youth Engagement Review (DYER) will present opportunities. On the not so good news officer manning is critical and encouraging and supporting potential officers through the Cadet Forces Commissioning Board (CFCB) has to be a priority (see my last post!). That said, there is considerable interest in the cadet forces (with 500 adult joining enquiries and 2000 cadet enquiries per month). We also need to be prepared for possible expansion into schools in the County, should the green light be pressed.

On the G4 front I am sure that you are aware of the impending issue of MTP uniforms to CFAV and cadets, which is due in September 12 and the issue of Gortex waterproofs (hopefully in time for camp), a new 45litre rucksack and the cadet training vest. We have already recieved the new air rifle and there will be a replacement for the No 8 rifle in the form of a small bore target rifle.

In terms of how we go about doing our business we should be always be open to joint opportunities with other cadet forces, whether that be sharing of resources, training or facilities. I  am aware that this is already happening in the County and should be encouraged and supported. New cadet buildings will almost entirely be joint (consider St Mary's Bay and Faversham as prime examples).

Once the full minutes of the conference are produced I will ensure they are made available throught he CoC.

The first six months and the priorities for 2012

Having had almost 6 months in post and having had the chance to look at the systems currently in place in the County I thought it useful to share some of my thoughts. Working on the principle that if "it isn't broken don't fix it" I see the priorities for action over the coming 12-24 months as follows:

1. Increase the uptake of older cadets on CVQO awards. It goes without saying that all cadets who fulfill the qualifying criteria should be registered and should complete the assessment package. BTEC awards add real value to the life chances of our cadets and engage directly with parents, schools and other stakeholders.

2. Improve the take up for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme, at all levels. As with CVQO awards the County is currently behind the curve with the uptake and completion of awards well below the levels we should be achieving, despite the considerable personal efforts of Capt Woods and his team.

3. Further develop shooting as a core activity available to all cadets. The introduction of the new air rifle should be used as a stimulus to putting shooting back on the map. It goes without saying that shooting is one of the key incentives to joining the ACF, forms part of the overall "Cadet Experience" and is an excellent tool for so many disciplines. The County has had some notable achievements of late and I commend the Shooting Officer for his efforts.

Looking at these three areas, they should become our ME for development.


For adults, I wish to see major development in the sphere of potential officer training and development and with encouraging CFAV to develop AT skills and qualifications.

Across the County there is considerable talent, enthusiasm and expertise amongst the CFAV community and I am indebted to the staff who make things happen. There is however still room for improvement and development, particularly with uptake of activities by cadets and it is here that we all share a corporate responsibility.

I am pleased to report that it looks as though ACF County establishments will shortly change to include established posts at County Headquarters for our key disciplines - Shooting, BTEC, D of E and First Aid. I will provide more detail when I receive it.

JDW

Commandant's Blog

I have taken the decision to open a blog to enhance the passage of communication within the country. With such a large geographical area and the relatively small number of opportunities to get everyone together it is important that we all maintain a focus on the Main Effort (ME), initiatives which affect us all and also to have the resources to be able to answer questions which inevitably get raised.

The target audience for this blog are the nearly 200 Cadet Force Adult Volunteers, without whose selfless commitment and overwhlming generosity of time this county would not have the superb organisation it has to support our cadets.

I thank you for your ongoing support to Kent Army Cadet Force.

JD Wilson

Col

Comdt

Remember to keep in touch with the county website:
http://armycadets.com/county/kent-acf/