In the article the author considers the historiography and the current state of the problem of educating traditional family values among the pupils of the cadet corps. The current state of the problem of educating traditional family values among cadets is characterized by a transition from spontaneous patriotic education to systemic state policy. Historiography shows that Russian pedagogical thought has always considered the defense officer as the head of the family. Promising areas of further scientific development are the study of the impact of the digital environment and social networks on the formation of family values in modern cadets, as well as the development of programs for psychological and pedagogical support for cadets from incomplete or socially disadvantaged families in the conditions of the cadet corps.