Okay, I have just finished year 12 VCE and for the past couple of years I have been thinking of joining the army. I know you get a lot of people saying I want to be in special forces but it is my DREAM job, I have watched countless documentaries on the subject and the recent Australian doco Tour of Duty: Australia's secret war has only increased my desire to become a Commando. I realize the commitment that it would take to achieve such a goal is extreme and I believe that I am motivated enough to do so. This year I have started going to the gym 5 days a week for an hour or so to increase my cardiovascular fitness and also build up muscle to meet and exceed the minimum physical standards. I realize that SF are the best of the best and plan on completing every task asked of me, and everything I do to the highest standard I can achieve if anyone is there to give me recognition or not. I have a few question i would like to ask, please only straight forward answers.

1. The only infantry role available for full time enlistment that sort of interests me is artillery observer, would I be better off waiting until a role that would offer more infantry experience (could be a long time though), etc. for the commandos?

2. Would the best way to increase my chances of becoming a commando be doing an infantry type role for say 2 years, then attempt the SF entry test?

3. What are any tips or advice you can give me to pass the initial recruitment process's like the YOU session and interview?

4. Is it worth going for runs with a backpack with weights in it to gets use to travelling on foot with heavy packs?

5. If I have a behavior bond from a stupid incident with the police when i was 16 stop me from getting into the army?

6. Would it be best to be open and honest about the behavior bond?

7. What is the role of an artillery observer and everyday life like, the ADF website doesn't provide much detail ?

Originally Posted by nick1994

Okay, I have just finished year 12 VCE and for the past couple of years I have been thinking of joining the army. I know you get a lot of people saying I want to be in special forces but it is my DREAM job, I have watched countless documentaries on the subject and the recent Australian doco Tour of Duty: Australia's secret war has only increased my desire to become a Commando. I realize the commitment that it would take to achieve such a goal is extreme and I believe that I am motivated enough to do so. This year I have started going to the gym 5 days a week for an hour or so to increase my cardiovascular fitness and also build up muscle to meet and exceed the minimum physical standards. I realize that SF are the best of the best and plan on completing every task asked of me, and everything I do to the highest standard I can achieve if anyone is there to give me recognition or not. I have a few question i would like to ask, please only straight forward answers.

1. The only infantry role available for full time enlistment that sort of interests me is artillery observer, would I be better off waiting until a role that would offer more infantry experience (could be a long time though), etc. for the commandos?

2. Would the best way to increase my chances of becoming a commando be doing an infantry type role for say 2 years, then attempt the SF entry test?

3. What are any tips or advice you can give me to pass the initial recruitment process's like the YOU session and interview?

4. Is it worth going for runs with a backpack with weights in it to gets use to travelling on foot with heavy packs?

5. If I have a behavior bond from a stupid incident with the police when i was 16 stop me from getting into the army?

6. Would it be best to be open and honest about the behavior bond?

7. What is the role of an artillery observer and everyday life like, the ADF website doesn't provide much detail ?

K, well I'm not RAINF (RAAC), but I can most certainly provide decisive guidance on some of your questions. Others can either be obtained from the guys here, or alternatively if you get really stuck, PM me and I'll point you in the direction of other websites which will help you get answers.

1. One thing you should know about the Infantry "role". In the Australian Army if you're an Infantryman you aren't a Pioneer, or a Mortarman, or an Observer etc. You're a Rifleman ECN-343 first and foremost. By all means, you can pick up skillsets if you want.

Without breaching OPSEC I can well and truly tell you that the RSM 2 Div told a bunch of us last year during a brief on some of the changes coming to Army (as described in the media of late) that if you want to be a Mortarman you should Corps Transfer to the RAA. Likewise if you wanted to be a Pioneer, transfer to RAE. The point he was making is that these things are skillsets, not core roles describing what the job is about. If you join the Army as an Infantryman and earn a Skippy badge, you'll be carrying your pack around 343-style for a while before you get the sufficient courses up to do Artillery Observer work. Like any Corps or Posting in the Army, once you're in you get a ride range of courses you can do, but ultimately the Army will put you where it wants you.

Given that Commandos and SF in Australia is very much an extension of the Light Infantry type work the RAR does, I'd get used to the idea of long foot patrols with lots of weight on your back. It only gets more difficult as you move through the pecking order. A lot of roles in the ARA are currently full, but I guess it depends on how long you're willing to wait and thus how badly you want it doesn't it?

2. Cautiously, I'd say yes, although I'd be very careful about putting a time limit like 2 years on this. Even once you're Rank and Trade qualled, and start doing extra courses, a lot of your progression in the Army will come down obviously to how well you get on more than time served. Put in, do the hard yards, be a team player and earn the respect of your mates and chain in a Battalion, that'll generally mean more opportunities in terms of what you can do, and that would have to extend to training for SF. In any case, don't expect a rapid transition. It'll take time and hard work, just like anything worthwhile.

3. Be Honest.... A lack of integrity absolutely will not be tolerated in the ADF under any circumstances, in any environment at any level by anyone.

Be Humble.... All very well to have ambitions and stars in your eyes, but realise that the career you're choosing is not glamourous, can be extremely tough and requires very real and sometimes very painful sacrifices from both you and your family (I'm talking general ADF service here, let alone SF). And acknowledge that you will have a loooong way to go.

Be Open to the notion of hearing what you don't want to hear and being forewarned about challenges you currently don't really have much of an idea about.

Continue to Research about the job/trade you want to do, and the units you want to go to.... Giving a **** about your career and your performance in that career will mean you're more likely to give a **** about your unit and the people in it when you get there.

4. You have to crawl before you can walk. Concentrate on your aerobic fitness first. Pushups, Heaves, Situps, Running. Lots of it. Anerobic fitness can come afterwards when your fitness base is well established. Go throwing 30kg in a pack now, and head off to do your neighbourhood equivalent of Kokoda, you'll just break yourself. If you're going RAINF, you will get PLENTY of chances to pack march, both at Kapookastan and IETs.

5. Possibly. A Behaviour Bond comes from a Criminal Conviction. It may hinder your application, or it may kill it. Or it may be overlooked. It will largely depend on how you deal with it, and what the Conviction was for. But it's not a good thing; I got a warning and a traffic infringement for blowing between .05 and .08 before I enlisted in '01 and even that was enough to raise eyebrows.

6. Remember what I said about Integrity? Address it maturely, frankly and in a no-bones about it sort of way. Don't make excuses for it. You say it was stupid, then a genuine acknowledgement of that should be the second thing out of your mouth in regards to that subject at your YOU session. No-one's perfect, but the ADF wants people of integrity who, if they **** up, will acknowledge that **** up and more importantly learn from it. Demonstrate that you've learnt from it and give them every reason to believe that you've matured well and truly beyond that kind of behaviour.

7. Not an Artillery Observer, so I can't answer this one. Life at Kapooka is ****, it's just one more obstacle to settling down into the Army proper, where you start enjoying it. Day to day life varies, and will depend a great deal on what you make of it. Wishy washy I know, but it really does depend on you. Expect to be away from home often, expect to have your family and/or social life impacted or shot to hell at one point of another. Expect pain, injury, discomfort, cold, hunger, exhaustion. Doubly so if you choose to be a Commando. Having said that, the guys who make it that far do it because they love it, and wouldn't swap it for anything.

Hope that provides you a start. Best of Luck.

Whatever your goals, a positive mental attitude will get you a long way to achieving them. In particular, your determination to succeed. Royal Marines have determination in bucketloads. For a Royal Marines Commando, their state of mind is the driving force. It reminds them that the mind powers the muscles and that they are not special because they are Commandos. They are special because of what they do and how they do it. As Aristotle said:

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

This is the ethos of the Royal Marines. Their state of mind can be broken down into 4 elements - known as The Commando Spirit.

Courage
Determination
Unselfishness
Cheerfulness in the face of adversity

Once you know what you want, the only thing left to do is focus yourself absolutely and completely to achieving it and once you feel like you've achieved a good level of physical fitness and your mental strength and clarity is steely, gritty, determined etc and so on, you can - if you'd like to - apply to join the Commandos.

Just a heads up.The Direct entry commando route is more or less dead now. It has fulfilled its role and don't expect it to start up soon. Also there is a trend that people of 23 are more likely to get in than school leavers.

As for what an Artillery Observer does I will bea ble to tell you that first hand In a matter of time

Okay, so I have my YOU session coming up on the 16th of feb, I am applying for rifleman or cavlryman, how long do you think it will take (assuming I pass all assessments) till I head off to Kapooka?

It really depends on the demand at your particular recruiting center. They are allocated quotas for positions. So if yours has already been filled the time will take longer. However neither cavalryman and rifleman are high priority jobs because of high retention. Waiting times may vary. You could get in within the six months or you could get in 18 months from now. I know of cases where people have waited for two years. So if you want the job you will wait.

Ideally you would have started the application process last year.

Originally Posted by captiva303

It really depends on the demand at your particular recruiting center. They are allocated quotas for positions. So if yours has already been filled the time will take longer. However neither cavalryman and rifleman are high priority jobs because of high retention. Waiting times may vary. You could get in within the six months or you could get in 18 months from now. I know of cases where people have waited for two years. So if you want the job you will wait.

Ideally you would have started the application process last year.

Yeah I wish I did start it last year as well but what can you do. I'll wait as long as I need to, I just hope its within a year!

Keep in mind also, you can also become beret qualified SASR or CDO as a member of RASIGS, may be another avenue if you are unsure about RAINF.......

Also there's the Air Force Combat Controller route to consider.

Join the RAAF as an ADG, then when you've got a couple of years up, apply for Combat Controller. They're commando-qualified and work alongside 1CDO and SASR. As well as directing arty and mortars, the main role, obviously, is directing air strikes from fast jets and attack helicopters.

there are a fair few of trade types that get into 4 squadron aswell as some arty fellas who move over to RAAF to get In. Its what I would like to do.

Also all RAAF guys unless your are an adgie Coperal have to do AIT (advanced/accelerated infantry training) to familerize them with platoon and company moanuovres that the Adgies don't do or don't do often...