Abstract
Although they have large memberships, a high public profile, and possible important influences on military enlistment, the potential of school-based cadet forces to increase military recruitment has attracted little research. This article seeks to fill this gap by examining the motivations and career goals of cadets in the Australian Services Cadet Scheme, using a national census of cadets conducted in 1992. The results show that members of "open" units, in which membership is available to all those in the local age-eligible population, are more likely to be committed to the military as a career and to say that they will enlist when compared to those in "closed" units, which are linked to schools. These result are confirmed by a national survey of recent recruits to the Australian Defence Force, which indicates that former cadet members are more likely than nonmembers to possess institutionally oriented values and to serve in the military for longer periods of time. The findings imply that open cadet units are a cost-effective means of promoting interest in the military. By contrast, whatever their social or educational roles, closed units linked to schools contribute little to enlistment.
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