A senior Royal Air Force officer has been reflecting on the increasing popularity of cadet forces at schools.
Air vice marshal David Walker, who serves at Buckingham Palace, was speaking after watching the cadets being put through their paces at King William's College, near Castletown.
He says it's the variety of activities on offer that draws young people to put on uniforms, rather than the current high military profile in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And it's definitely not the prospect of being drilled:

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