The American Cadet Alliance was founded as Colonel Cody's Boy Scouts by Captain James H. C. Smyth on 10 April 1909, at the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, New York.

In early 1929, the organization split and its founder, as well as a number of senior officers, incorporated the Junior Naval Reserve, Inc., on 19 February 1929.

Early in 1938, during the heightening of World War II, the War Department instructed the Secretaries of State to require all organizations using the words "naval", "militia" and "reserve" as a part of their corporate name to rename their organizations so as not to cause public confusion regarding their relationship to the armed services.

This decision was not universally supported by the volunteer cadre of USAC and led to the eventual departure of many experienced adult leaders.

Whitehead resigned his position with USAC without alerting the receiver appointed by the AG's office of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Former Commandants of the American Cadet Alliance Include: As of mid–2006, the ACA's organizational model is largely nominal and has been established to accommodate an expected upswing in membership and unit activations.

For instance, the designation of the Military Cadets of Selfridge (Michigan) is B Co., 5/1, or Bravo Company, Fifth Battalion, 1st CTR.

They must be enrolled in school and receiving passing grades, be drug and crime-free, and be of weight proportional to their height.

The applicant must be able to pass a "sports-type" physical exam by a doctor and can not have any communicable diseases, chronic health problems, or severe allergies.

The title of each grade is based on the branch they are enrolled in, but all ACA Cadets begin their time in the program as "recruits".

An appointment as an instructor may be granted to individuals who wish to participate in ACA activities in a non-military capacity.

Adult NCOs are assigned a position within the unit, comparable with their rank and billet while on active duty or in the reserves.

A commission as an ACA Officer is open to those individuals who have the desire, self-discipline, self-confidence, critical judgment, and moral integrity to put on the uniform.

These Cadets and Officer Corps members function largely on their own throughout the year, often coordinating through their local military recruiter for assistance tasks and training.

In March 2013 a Pendleton County, Kentucky mother filed a lawsuit stating that her son and daughter had been sexually molested while attending Military Adventure Camp.

[1] The suit described two separate cases of abuse starting in 2010 - sexual advances by a camp instructor against her son, and misconduct against her daughter by a fellow cadet.

[3][4] USACC spokesman Brian Lehnhardt said the situation involved the Rankin and McIntyre buildings, both more than 80 years old.

Despite the findings of the fire inspector's investigation, Lehnhardt stated that "at no time were any of our cadets, recruits or staff in any danger", and that the USAC leadership believed the building was up to code and safe.

[5] Following the controversy from the incident that happened at Military Adventure Camp, the leaders of the USACC resigned their positions and a court-appointed receiver was put in place.

Additional information and details would be announced later, but the headquarters would remain at the National Cadet Training Center in Millersburg for the time being.

As Mr. Whitehead took his version of the program one way, several other Staff have brought their pieces of Knowledge and experience forward.

The Board of Directors (BoD) should be elected by the membership and an agreement to operate under Roberts Rules of Order for any Regulation that would affect the Corps.