The Report That Must Be Written
You are the senior officer cadet in the final week of the Officer Cadet Course at the AFM Training Centre. The course officer, who normally writes the leadership report, is on leave; the commandant asks you to compile the syndicate's final report and to recommend one cadet for the 'Best Overall' award. In the file you find that a popular cadet-the son of a senior officer-repeatedly failed to complete radio logs and was found asleep on sentry during the final exercise. Two other cadets covered for him by writing the logs themselves. The same cadet is academically top of the course but was weak in field skills; another cadet is second academically and consistently strong in the field. The report is due in 48 hours. A fellow cadet tells you that 'everyone knows' the senior officer will be furious if his son is back-termed, and that the course officer would have 'handled it quietly'.
1. What do you do about the omissions and the cadet found asleep on sentry? Give your reasoning.
Read the worked answer
I would write the facts, not a character judgement. The report should state what happened, when, who was present, and what the standards require: radio logs not completed on named serials; a cadet found asleep on sentry; two cadets writing logs on his behalf. Sleeping on sentry is safety-critical and cannot be treated as a private matter, because the same behaviour in an operational unit could cost lives. The other cadets' cover-up is also a leadership and integrity issue.
Before writing, I would speak to the cadet to hear his account-illness, medication, family issue-and record it. If there is a welfare or medical cause, that belongs in the report as a referral, not as an excuse to omit the facts. I would also tell him that I cannot keep it confidential because it affects his suitability to commission. I would submit the report to the commandant with a note that the course officer is on leave, and seek advice from another officer if one is available. The reasoning is that loyalty to a peer cannot override the duty to give the commandant accurate information on who is fit to lead soldiers.
2. How do you make the 'Best Overall' award recommendation, and what do you record?
Read the worked answer
I would apply the published criteria: academic performance, field skills, leadership, integrity, and consistency across the course. 'Best Overall' is not 'top academic'. The second cadet is second academically and consistently strong in the field; the first is academically top but weak in field skills and has unresolved integrity and safety issues. On the evidence, the second cadet is the stronger recommendation, unless the criteria explicitly weight academics so heavily that the first cadet still wins-and even then the integrity issue must be disclosed.
I would record: the criteria used; the comparative evidence for each candidate; why the academically top cadet was not recommended; and any mitigating explanation heard. I would avoid making the award a consolation prize or a punishment. The reasoning is that the award sends a signal about what the unit values; recommending on academic rank alone would tell the syndicate that field competence and integrity matter less than exam marks.
3. What do you do if you are pressured to soften the report?
Read the worked answer
I would ask for the direction in writing and state clearly that the report is factual and that omitting a safety-critical incident would make it inaccurate. If a senior officer orders a change, I would record the order, keep a copy of my original report, and escalate to the commandant or the next appropriate authority. If the pressure comes from peers, I would explain that I am not judging popularity; I am recording evidence that the commandant needs.
The reasoning is that an officer cadet is being assessed for commission, and the first test of officership is whether he or she can tell the truth when it is costly. A softened report would expose the unit to risk and would also be unfair to the cadet himself, who would arrive at his unit unprepared for the standards expected. The correct response is not heroics but a clear paper trail and the chain of command.