En cadre or cadre ( or ) is a French expression originally denoting either the complement of commissioned officers of a regiment or the permanent skeleton establishment of a unit, around which the unit could be built if needed. This latter usage was commonly used in countries which had conscription to denote the permanent staff of a unit who then trained the conscripts assigned to it. At the United States Air Force Academy, the upper class cadets who conduct Basic Cadet Training for incoming freshmen are called cadre.