Objective: to explore the influence mechanism of authoritarian leadership on the security of military cadets. Methods: a survey was conducted with self-designed demographic information questionnaire, Chinese revised version of Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Patriarchal Leadership Style Questionnaire(LSQ), The Subordinate Perceived Leader’s Affiliative Humor Questionnaire and The Security Questionnaire(SQ). Results: (1) authoritarian leadership significantly negatively predicted military cadets' security and resilience, and resilience positively predicted military cadets' security. (2) Resilience played an intermediary role in the influence of authoritarian leadership on military cadets' security. (3) The subordinate perceived leader’s affiliative humor regulated the first half of the intermediary process in which authoritarian leaders influenced military cadets' security through resilience. Conclusion: authoritarian leaders will have an impact on the security of military cadets through resilience, and this effect is regulated by the subordinate perceived leader’s affiliative humor.