Detachment (military)

A detachment (from the French word "détachement") is a military unit. It can be broken off from a bigger unit for a set reason or (as often seen in United States Army usage) can be a permanent unit smaller than a battalion. The term is often used to refer to a unit that is sent to a different base from the parent unit. 
A Cadet detachment usually consists of between 10 and 40 cadets. Several detachments make up a cadet company.