Considering the hierarchy within the military, I'm curious how cadets at West Point fit in. Do they have any official rank over enlisted personnel during their time at the academy?
Yes, West Point cadets are technically given the rank of cadet, which is equivalent to a midshipman in the Navy. As per the Department of Defense's precedence of military rank structure, cadets and midshipmen from the service academies, including West Point, outstrip enlisted grades in terms of protocol, demonstrating slight superiority in terms of official status.
This precedence, however, doesn't strictly equate to direct command or operational control over enlisted personnel. In most situations, it's quite uncommon for cadets (or midshipmen) to exercise authority over enlisted personnel, let alone a non-commissioned officer or veteran servicemen, because they are still in an educational and training phase. The emphasis for cadets is on learning and developing leadership skills rather than on executing authority.
Once they graduate, cadets are commissioned as Second Lieutenants, at which point they will clearly outrank enlisted personnel. Hence, the purpose of their time at the academy is to prepare them for their roles as commissioned officers, where they will be expected to lead enlisted personnel.
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