To properly prepare for this career field, do the following: in some abandoned piece of ground dig a hole about shoulder height. Fill it with water. Stand in the hole for several days in horrible weather with no food or sleep. Do not leave the hole. Use it as your toilet. Ask a friend to shoot at you. It won't be quite realistic because there will be no artillery shells or grenades exploding next to the hole, but it will give you an idea of what you are in for.

It´s perhaps a little cold war-oriented training.
Such conflicts is probably something we won´t experience anymore. Today, we train more counterinsurgency than old-fashioned. NATO / WarPac war.

Well, the original poster was an young Australian, I wanted to point out that if he did all of the things I mentioned, it wouldn't even be a fraction of what Australian troops experienced in Papua/New Guinea inWWII. The first Australian troops sent were militia; guys who enlisted to defend Australia. Instead they found themselves fighting as part of an expeditionary force in probably the toughest infantry fight of the entire war. Nobody wants a battle of attrition like that campaign, but it's surprising how may wars turn into head butting contests in knee deep mud. I think any soldier needs to be mentally prepared for something like that; a worst - case scenario.

Isn't that a problem when the military has transformed to be a heavily armed police force? The current wars have been asymmetrical, even if the asymmetric war was a part of the symmetric war. The new approach was a major concern for Swedish military officers when I worked at the Defense College. I would say it is better to find a balance between being capable of symmetric and asymmetric armed conflicts.

The latest Russian activities around the Baltic sea indicates now a shift within the Swedish armed forces from the asymmetric to the symmetric.

I truly believe that the several separate conflicts in the M.E. will eventually coalesce into one that will require major commitments of land forces by all Western Powers if they don't want to see the oil resources of that region completely cut off, and a collapse of our economies. At that point, the nature of the conflict will change, as you describe, from asymmetrical to a straight up punching contest in the pattern of WWII or possibly the Korean War. A likely template might be the Iran - Iraq War. There won't be much room for maneuver, for fancy tactics, it will just come down to an alley fight and the first side to blink loses. Anyone who contemplates joining the military had better be prepared for something like that in the future.

I remember when I was listening to Norman Schwarzkopf. During his career as an army officer. He was involved in four conflicts and none of them were planned before hand. I would like to see the military being 50/50 when it comes to armed conflicts. I will think the training from the Cold War can be implemented quite fast if there is a requirement for it, but the armies in Europe and elsewhere are much lesser in size now...

I can see somewhat a scenario similar as the first gulf war in the ME to protect the oil sources. Maybe naval conflicts in Asia, the island which causes tensions between China and Japan. Taiwan is playing a role in that one too, and of course North Korea. Southeast Asia is also facing some issues

Originally Posted by Remington 1858

Well, the original poster was an young Australian, I wanted to point out that if he did all of the things I mentioned, it wouldn't even be a fraction of what Australian troops experienced in Papua/New Guinea inWWII. The first Australian troops sent were militia; guys who enlisted to defend Australia. Instead they found themselves fighting as part of an expeditionary force in probably the toughest infantry fight of the entire war. Nobody wants a battle of attrition like that campaign, but it's surprising how may wars turn into head butting contests in knee deep mud. I think any soldier needs to be mentally prepared for something like that; a worst - case scenario.

The Australian soldiers who fought on the Kokoda trail faced an elite jungle fighting force. They were also greatly outnumbered. Despite a tenacious enemy, disease, jungle rot and starvation they fought admirable.
The 2 sides fought back and forth along the trail until the Australians took and held Kodada. This heroic action will forever be remembered for preventing the Japanese from taking the critical base of port Moresby. One of Australia's finest hours.

I remember reading that the Australian Imperial Force ( regulars) referred to the young Militia troops as " Chocos', chocolate soldiers, who would melt when things got hot. They didn't.

They certainly didnt! as an FYI, the movie Kokoda gives a wonderful insight into this part of the war!

I'm in my 30's, currently going through the process of join the Reserves. I've been perusing the ADF jobs site. I see the age limit on enlistment to 2CDO is 30yrs. Is this the same for 1CDO?