National identity for non-UK cadets

Many Squadrons will have cadets of other nationalities, although I’m particularly thinking about Ukrainian cadets at the moment.

Is there a way of our cadets expressing their non-UK national identity while in uniform? Perhaps based on examples of regular personnel on international exchange? I suspect I know the answer based on RAFAC dress regs, but perhaps there are other things that could be done.

International cadets at Cranwell wear their national flag in lieu of the union jack on MTP, as well as their own head dress. Could be a starting point?

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Does this mean UK cadets could wear the English/Scottish/Welsh/NI flag rather than the union jack if they identify as English rather than British for example?

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No because 1358c only mentions the union flag. Pretty sure that’s the case anyway :slight_smile:

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Not in uniform but if your doing formal meals, military tradition is to play the national anthem of all nationalities present.

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Does that involve dual nationalities. I hold British-Romanian dual nationality and both passports.

The international cadets who do that at Cranwell are members of foreign armed forces who just so happen to be doing their training at Cranwell. It doesn’t mean that anyone in the RAF who isn’t British wears a different flag.

The short answer is that our dress regs don’t permit the wearing of another national emblem for a member of the RAF or RAFAC.

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Is Ukraine part of IACE? Just thinking that if they wore a second brassard with their home identify might work but it would need to go through the diplomatic channels. It would be similar to the Czech & polish Sqns during WWII.

Normally though when you join the military/military linked organisation you only display that nations insignia unless you are one attachment.

Any displaced Ukrainian air cadet might be able to get a national marker which the cadet has the option to wear or not.

Also remember that there is also a propaganda war so Uk/UKr authorities may not want to give Russia an in on a “war crimes” to say we are training child soldiers.

I think there was a big hop ha about cadets helping paint some Landrovers during the gulf war so I think it’s a tricky minefield

That was what I was thinking, that there aren’t any comparable situations in the RAF. We could vary our dress regs, but I hadn’t thought of the politics, as @Chief_Tech pointed out.

The IACE brassard idea is interesting but Ukraine isn’t involved, from looking at the website https://iacea.com/

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Can you imagine THAT exchnage programme.

Day 1 - defusing IEDs
Day 2 - running ammo to the front
Day 3 - light skirmishes with the ruskkies.

Etc etc

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It’s what JLs are trained for innit? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Looking at the list I thought there were a lot more nations in IACE, thought Guyana & Israel took part as well.

I’m sure I saw a Cadet from my Wing go to India on exchange (or plan to Covid might have stopped it). Maybe that wasn’t IACE but a separate thing that does the same thing.

No. The national flags are a NATO identifiers. They are there there to identify service personfrom different countries. AP1358c regulations are a hangover from that.

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