Australian Army Discussions and Updates

[ADMk2]

thanks for the info guys...

from what you have said i have applied to be a bunnie. the defence jobs website advertises the artillyman job as a job that has both 2 and 4 year terms of employment so i will opt for the 2 year option. Im not overly concerned with where they send me as i live in a fairly small country town and i will take this as a ticket out of here... but ive read that as a artillryman i can choose from sydney, brisbane, townsville, or darwin(listed in order of preference).

i think i will put one of my job preferences as one of the other engineering roles...

is a corps transfer possible after your ROSO? would i be prefered over someone with no experience?


PS. i tryed to post a link to show the jobs i was interested in but i think the forum is blocking me in case im a spammer or something....

Can't post a link til you've got something like 50 posts, due to forum security settings.

After your initial ROSO you have a greater chance of a Corps transfer, but you may not want to. Artillery is becoming a very interesting career path technology wise as Abe has already mentioned.

Artillery is getting new M777A2 light weight artillery guns, new self-propelled artillery, new precision guided munitions and advance fire control systems, new unmanned aerial vehicles (drones - RQ-7 Shadow 200 UAV's, which may possibly be armed in future years).

Artillery also operates the Army's surface to air missile systems. We have RBS-70's now, linked into radar systems and will be getting new missiles systems (most likely) in the next decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNNo4JmjErc&playnext=1&list=PL2F2BD6D7BE96FF3D

Might be just a little more interesting than the role of the Ginger beer?

 

[Raven22]

You can't sign up for only two years. Except for the 12 month gap year program, the minimum term of service for the regs is four years. Anyone who tells you different is lying.

You will have some input into where you get posted, but service need will always trump everything else. If there is a position in Sydney and you are the only one that wants it you will get it, however if there is no position or lots of people are after the same position prepare to be disappointed.

Your chances of getting a corps transfer to the engineers after a couple of years is minimal. There are currently very limited training slots in all the popular jobs (infantry, armour and engineers mainly), so the army isn't going to want to give a training slot to you instead of a new soldier, and lose your skills as a dropshort.

My advice is that if you really want to be an engineer, wait until a slot opens up and join up direct. I've seen lots of soldiers joining up as waterbottle repair engineers or something, expecting to be able to corps transfer, only to be very disappointed when told no. Going through recruiting will be painful either way - you might as well wait that little bit extra for the job you want. However, combat engineer isn't an easy job - the casualty rate in Afghanistan is unfortunately very high.

Of course, you could just be awesome and join the cavalry...

 

[W.J]

You can't sign up for only two years. Except for the 12 month gap year program, the minimum term of service for the regs is four years. Anyone who tells you different is lying.

You will have some input into where you get posted, but service need will always trump everything else. If there is a position in Sydney and you are the only one that wants it you will get it, however if there is no position or lots of people are after the same position prepare to be disappointed.

Your chances of getting a corps transfer to the engineers after a couple of years is minimal. There are currently very limited training slots in all the popular jobs (infantry, armour and engineers mainly), so the army isn't going to want to give a training slot to you instead of a new soldier, and lose your skills as a dropshort.

My advice is that if you really want to be an engineer, wait until a slot opens up and join up direct. I've seen lots of soldiers joining up as waterbottle repair engineers or something, expecting to be able to corps transfer, only to be very disappointed when told no. Going through recruiting will be painful either way - you might as well wait that little bit extra for the job you want. However, combat engineer isn't an easy job - the casualty rate in Afghanistan is unfortunately very high.

Of course, you could just be awesome and join the cavalry...

regarding the two year period of service that information is from the defence force jobs website and i would of thought it would be accurate...
to quote the website

You will have the option to be enlisted for an Initial Minimum Period of Service (IMPS) of two or four years. Subsequent periods of service may be offered subject to the requirements of the ADF and your suitability for further service. You may request discharge at any time provided you do not have an outstanding IMPS obligation.

my understanding is that this option is very recent and is marketed as an alternative to the gap year....
i think i would be happy as either an engineer or in the artillery...

 

[ADMk2]

regarding the two year period of service that information is from the defence force jobs website and i would of thought it would be accurate...
to quote the website

The website isn't gospel and shouldn't be taken as such... It is very shiny and may not be the best resource to rely upon.

Current and ex-serving members are taking time to advise you here...

No-one is trying to disuade you, just explain from a practical point of view what happens.

I must admit that I have never heard of a 2 year fulltime commitment either. It has been 1 year with the Gap year (Ready Reserves back in my day) or 4 years full time.

my understanding is that this option is very recent and is marketed as an alternative to the gap year....
i think i would be happy as either an engineer or in the artillery...

Perhaps, but again I haven't heard of it before you mentioned it.

The best solution, IMHO will be to pick a Corps and learn to live with it. You'll learn valuable skills no matter which Corps you enter and maybe, just maybe you'll decide to make Army your long term career. If so, you'll be better served career wise by picking a Corps and sticking with it than thinking of chopping and changing.

Regards,

AD

PS, Raven do you get an extra day off for every recruit you attract to the Corps or something?



Just jokes! Go the Ironside...

 

[SASWanabe]

Perhaps, but again I haven't heard of it before you mentioned it.

The best solution, IMHO will be to pick a Corps and learn to live with it. You'll learn valuable skills no matter which Corps you enter and maybe, just maybe you'll decide to make Army your long term career. If so, you'll be better served career wise by picking a Corps and sticking with it than thinking of chopping and changing.

they do like to tell you that its as easy as pie to change Corps once your in :crazy
at my YOU session they tried to get me to join as both Artillery and Engineer. i pretty much said: No thanks, im prepaired to wait till an Infantry slot opens up. here i am 6 months later still waitng

 

[Abraham Gubler]

A lot of young guys seem to want to join Armd Cav, Inf or Cbt Engr because they think this is were the action is. Fair enough, that's what it looks like on TV. But if you really want to see action the best ECN is Artillery Observer ECN 255. This is the career path to JTAC: Joint Terminal Attack Controller and involves controlling fires from artillery, attack helicopters and strike fighters. Artillery Observers are in big demand and the position has just been opened up to direct entry level as it used to be a 'Corporal's' position only (actually Bombardier). So if you have more than half a brain, want to be the FLOT (forward line of own troops) with the Armd Cav, Inf or Cbt Engr all behind you somewhere and be responsible for dropping the HE onto the bad guys and telling fighter pilots what to do this is the job.

PS: There is no such thing as an artilleryman in the Australian Army. The name is Gunner, the callsign is Shelldrake and the payout nickname is Dropshort.

 

[old faithful]

Arty...lol! again lol! pick up shell, put in gun....block ears....pick up shell ,put in gun, block ears...

 

[Volkodav]

Arty...lol! again lol! pick up shell, put in gun....block ears....pick up shell ,put in gun, block ears...

Challenges in command and control of combined arms formations:

The Infantry don't understand their orders

The Cavalry ignore their orders

The Artillery make their own arrangements

 

[W.J]

thank you for your help...

anyone know anything about an what an Analyst intelligence operations actually does?

 

[ADMk2]

thank you for your help...

anyone know anything about an what an Analyst intelligence operations actually does?

The intelligence process...

Collection, evaluation, collation, analysis and dissemination of information followed by feedback and review of the service provided, all conducted in a value adding process that turns information into intelligence that can be used by decision makers at the Tactical, Operational and Strategic levels.

What an analyst does is the above, takes information from a vast number of sources and turns it into intelligence that can be acted upon by the appropriate user...

 

[justsomeaussie]

A-stan? Can the Australians please refer to Afghanistan as the Ghan, lest you look silly and American.

 

[Raven22]

anyone know anything about an what an Analyst intelligence operations actually does?

For the most part, they sit in a darkened room and make powerpoint presentations. Occassionally they will brief the contents of the powerpoint presentation to a room full of commanders who aren't paying attention anyway. When someone actually asks them an improtant question, they will answer in a way that sounds like they know what they are talking about, without being precise enough to be or any use or allow blame to be placed if its wrong. If they get backed into a corner, they will reply the questioner isn't cleared to receive that information. As the motto of intelligence says - 'we bet your life on it'.

Intelligence is one of those jobs that sound exciting and James Bondsy, but is actually mindnumbingly boring.

 

[W.J]

For the most part, they sit in a darkened room and make powerpoint presentations. Occassionally they will brief the contents of the powerpoint presentation to a room full of commanders who aren't paying attention anyway. When someone actually asks them an improtant question, they will answer in a way that sounds like they know what they are talking about, without being precise enough to be or any use or allow blame to be placed if its wrong. If they get backed into a corner, they will reply the questioner isn't cleared to receive that information. As the motto of intelligence says - 'we bet your life on it'.

Intelligence is one of those jobs that sound exciting and James Bondsy, but is actually mindnumbingly boring.

ok so they dont do much out in the field?
i didnt really expect it to be james bond like, i just thought in places like afgahnistan they would accompany patrols etc and get to know the locals and see what was going on (doing the leg work for inteligence officers)...

when i first saw the job and read its description i thought they did more of the collection and interpretation than they would leave presentations for the inteligence officers.

however i was interrested in this job for language training but if it is just boring i mightnt bother. just stick with the gunners job

 

[aussienscale]

Media release today stating the contract has now been signed with Thales for an additional 101 Bushmasters
Australian Government, Department of Defence - Stephen Smith MP

Sounds like a bargain at a mere $133 Mil including associated support and will be delivered over the next 18 months. The Bushmaster has served us well to date, but is it getting dated ? Is it still the right option for us ?

The release also talks about the roll out of the C-RAM radar in forward bases in Afghanistan, and for those interested updates on the Largs Bay and Tobruk

 

[justsomeaussie]

The BM has been a great vehicle for Australia with the yanks and Brits still rolling around in unarmourmed or minimal armored vehicles. It's saved many Australian lives. I'm still surprised though that it outside of holland it hasn't sold in any decent numbers. Perhaps this tells us something.

Also worthy to note is the pollies wanting to be see creating jobs especially in bendigo where Thales just threatened to sack a whole lot more.

The rumor mill was that Thales has sold the design to Oshkosh for a US production system but that hasn't seem to have taken off.

the CRAM systems will be interesting, they will be certainly better than the zero effectiveness of the last Saab system but only time will tell.

 

[gf0012-aust]

The BM has been a great vehicle for Australia with the yanks and Brits still rolling around in unarmourmed or minimal armored vehicles. It's saved many Australian lives. I'm still surprised though that it outside of holland it hasn't sold in any decent numbers. Perhaps this tells us something.

UK also bought a squadron for the SAS

The rumor mill was that Thales has sold the design to Oshkosh for a US production system but that hasn't seem to have taken off.

no they didn't. the oshkosh deal collapsed for other reasons and not likely to be stated in an open forum as its a commercial in confidence issue

the CRAM systems will be interesting, they will be certainly better than the zero effectiveness of the last Saab system but only time will tell.

The Bofors system which was never designed for land theatre ballistic CIWS and was never deployed to be used as such.

same op unit, different systens, different task.

 

[justsomeaussie]

The Brits have under 30 I thought, hardly a major procurement.

Are you referring to ARTHUR? the Canadians weren't happy at all with it and the singaporians were allowed to use it as a token coalition effort. It was never effective the entire time I was there.

 

[gf0012-aust]

Are you referring to ARTHUR? the Canadians weren't happy at all with it and the singaporians were allowed to use it as a token coalition effort. It was never effective the entire time I was there.

there is a potential legal spat here, so those who are aware are not too likely to want to get dragged into the debate - just in case.

I've heard the Thales side and the Oshkosh side (first hand) and naturally they differ.....

 

[justsomeaussie]

there is a potential legal spat here, so those who are aware are not too likely to want to get dragged into the debate - just in case.

I've heard the Thales side and the Oshkosh side (first hand) and naturally they differ.....

well here's a pretty damning report from David Pugliese

radar « David Pugliese’s Military Articles

"soldiers complained it had mis-identified friendly aircraft and electrical power lines as incoming enemy rockets. Out of 3,200 incidents the radar identified as enemy fire, only two could be confirmed as real, according to a report filed by Canadian military personnel"

Plus I've personally see it not work. So yes, I'm skeptical on how the new Saab solution will go.

 

[gf0012-aust]

well here's a pretty damning report from David Pugliese

radar « David Pugliese’s Military Articles

"soldiers complained it had mis-identified friendly aircraft and electrical power lines as incoming enemy rockets. Out of 3,200 incidents the radar identified as enemy fire, only two could be confirmed as real, according to a report filed by Canadian military personnel"

Plus I've personally see it not work. So yes, I'm skeptical on how the new Saab solution will go.

My prev was wrt Oshkosh and ADI(prev) /Thales

Can't comment on ARTHUR, but having seen some of the other nonsense that Pugliese has come out with, he's akin to quoting Cameron Stuart as an expert on subs...