| Cadet Forces Medal | |
| Presenter: | United Kingdom and New Zealand and formerly Australia |
| Type: | Long service medal |
| Eligibility: | Commissioned Officers and non commissioned adult instructors of the UK Cadet Forces, and Commissioned Officers of the Australian (prior to 1974) and New Zealand Cadet Forces. |
| Awarded For: | 12 years' service. |
| Status: | Currently awarded |
| Clasps: | every 8 years additional service in NZ or 6 additional years in the UK |
| Established: | 1 February 1950 |
| Precedence Label: | Order of Wear |
| Higher: | Queen's Medal for Champion Shots of the Air Forces[1] |
| Lower: | H.M. Coastguard Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (United Kingdom) New Zealand Defence Service Medal (New Zealand) |
| Image2 Size: | 90px |
The Cadet Forces Medal is awarded to recognise long and efficient service by Commissioned Officers and non commissioned adult instructors of the UK Cadet Forces: The Army Cadet Force, the Air Training Corps, the Sea Cadet Corps, the Volunteer Cadet Corps and Combined Cadet Force, and Commissioned Officers of the New Zealand Cadet Forces. Authorised by a Royal warrant[2] it is awarded for 12 years service.[3] [4] Additional clasps are issued for every 8 years additional service in New Zealand[4] & for 6 additional years in the UK.[5]
The Cadet Forces Medal was issued to Officers and Instructors within the Australian Sea Cadet Corps/Naval Reserve Cadets, Australian Army Cadet Corps and Air Training Corps between 1950 and 1974. In Australia, the award was superseded in 1999 by the Australian Cadet Forces Service Medal which was backdated to include service prior to 1999 not used for the award of the Cadet Forces Medal.[6]
The Cadet Forces Service Medal carries no entitlement to use post-nominal letters.[7]