Applicants seeking General Enlistment in the ADF prior to applying for service in Special Forces are to refer to the relevant General Enlistment requirements.

Applicants that are seeking service as part of the Special Forces Direct Recruitment scheme and are successful in meeting the enlistment standards and accept your offer of service, you will be required to undertake the following courses for service as a Commando (079):

• Army Recruit Training (80 days);
  
  
• Infantry Initial Employment Training (12 Weeks);
  
  
• Accelerated Infantry Training Program (8 Weeks); and
  
  
• Commando Selection and Training Course (5 weeks).
  
  

You will be required to complete the standard basic recruit course at the Army Recruit Training Centre, Kapooka, Wagga Wagga, NSW. You will complete this training with a platoon of other candidates who are part of the Special Forces direct recruitment scheme. This is your basic military training and all personnel who enlist in the Australian Army are required to successfully complete it. This training will develop in you the necessary skills and qualities to become an Australian Army soldier. It will also provide you with the knowledge and skills you require in order to be able to undertake your initial employment training.

• On the successful completion of your Recruit training, and before commencing your Infantry initial employment training, full time applicants will be required to commit to fulfilling your four year initial minimum period of service.

If, during training, you are assessed as unsuitable to continue, or are temporarily unsuitable, you will not be permitted to continue with the scheme. In this case you will be encouraged to undertake training for one of the critical support trades within the Special Forces or in the general Army. If you accept either of these options, you will be given another offer. Alternatively, you may elect to 'discharge at own request'.

If you do accept an offer to serve in a critical support trade in Special Forces or the general Army, you can apply again for Commando selection and training after you have completed 12 months of general Army service. Once you have elected to complete your initial minimum period of service, you will undertake your Infantry Initial Employment Training.

When you have completed basic recruit training you will have reached the standard of a basic soldier. You will have developed the qualities and acquired the knowledge, skills and attitudes which are necessary to progress further in the Army.

During Military (Initial Recruit) Training and (Initial) Employment Training, members may be required to pay a contribution towards meals, accommodation and utilities.

Those of you who successfully complete recruit training will attend the standard 72 day RAInf (ECN343) Rifleman Infantry Operations- Basic Course at the School of Infantry, Singleton NSW. Again, you will complete this training as a single platoon of potential candidates for service in Special Forces. At the School of Infantry you will be trained and qualified in basic infantry tactics and a range of specialist infantry weapons and equipment.

Candidates who are unable to successfully complete their Infantry training will not be permitted to continue with the scheme. In this case you will be encouraged to undertake training for one of the critical support trades within the Special Forces or in the general Army, You can apply again for Commando (ECN 079) selection and training after you have completed 12 months of general Army service.

As a successful RAInf graduate, you will complete eight weeks of Special Forces preparation training, known as the Special Forces Accelerated Infantry Training Program, conducted at the Special Forces Training Centre, Singleton, NSW. The Special Forces Accelerated Infantry Training Program is designed to prepare you for the Special Forces Entry Test and subsequent Commando reinforcement training. This accelerated training will enhance your physiological and psychological conditioning as well as provide you with some essential competencies.

The Accelerated Infantry Training program provides an opportunity for you to apply the knowledge and skills developed during recruit and IET. It will provide you with further training in navigation, communications, first aid, and field-craft. It also provides additional knowledge and skills, such as instinctive weapon handling - which is the ability to engage targets without aiming. During this training we also aim to develop your tactical awareness.

The Accelerated Infantry Training program also compresses the 13 week Special Forces Physical Training Package undertaken by Special Forces recruits already serving in the ADF.

Put simply, we aim to provide you with more knowledge and skills, make you battle fit and mentally tougher. This training will increase your chance of success during Commando training. Most importantly, we aim to build your sense of commitment and motivation to becoming a Commando.

How will you know if you have successfully achieved the requirements of this training? You will be tested on the Special Forces Entry Test.

8 weeks
The Special Forces Entry Test is conducted over approximately an 18 to 20 hour period and includes a range of physical and theoretical assessments. It is designed to determine your suitability for entry into a Special Forces program.

To be assessed as suitable, you are required to complete the following activities:

• Complete a fitness assessment requiring a minimum of
  • 60 Push-ups;
    
    
  • 100 Sit-ups; and
    
    
  • 10 Chin-ups (Heaves).
    
    
• Complete a 2.4 km run in patrol order (running shoes, personal webbing weighing 7kg and rifle) in 11 minutes 30 seconds or less.
• Complete a 15 km endurance march in marching order (28 Kg including a pack, personal webbing and rifle) in less than 2 Hours and 20 minutes.
• Tread water for two minutes and then swim 400 metres fully clothed (in disruptive pattern camouflage uniform) in 18 minutes or less.
• Complete a Run, Jump and Dodge Test.
• Complete a theoretical navigation test.

You will be given plenty of opportunity to prepare you for this test.

At the conclusion of a Special Forces Entry Test, a Selection Advisory Committee will be convened to determine whether you have the potential for service in Special Forces and whether you are suitable to attend Commando reinforcement training. Their determination will be made on your performance at recruit training, infantry training, and the Accelerated Infantry Training program, and on your results from the Special Forces Entry Test.

If you successfully complete your Commando reinforcement training you will be eligible to apply to attend a Special Air Service - Selection Course after you have served for a period of two years as a Commando. Personnel who do this are far more likely to be successful.

Candidates who do not pass the Special Forces Entry Test and are not recommended by the Selection Advisory Committee will be encouraged to undertake training for critical support trades within Special Forces (or within the general Army).

In summary, this phase of your training will get you to a point where you are assessed as suitable to commence Commando Initial Employment Training. It will take you at least 27 weeks to reach this point, depending on the length of your recruit training. Your next phase of training is your Commando Initial Employment Training.

This is the initial employment training required to become a Commando and consists of the Commando Selection and Training Course which also incorporates the Special Forces Weapons Course. Once you have successfully completed your Special Forces Entry Test and have been recommended, you will undertake the same Commando Selection and Training Course required of any Defence person who wishes to serve in a Commando unit.

You will be required to meet the current stringent performance and training standards described in the relevant training management packages for Commando training.

The Commando Selection and Training Course is conducted over 5 weeks and also incorporates at the start of the course Special Forces Weapons Course (1 Week).

5 weeks

Having mastered basic Infantry skills during the Infantry IET and Accelerated Infantry Training, the Commando Selection and Training Course is designed to build on these and develop Commando specific team, section, and platoon tactics, techniques and procedures. These tactics, techniques and procedures are required for the range of Commando-specific tasks, conducted in a field operational environment. This is a challenging and arduous course that is conducted over the 5 weeks following the Special Forces Weapons Course component which is inclusive.

A large part of this course is focused on the employment of Commando individual weapon systems in the field operational environment. Therefore, much of the course is conducted in the field. The course also requires Commando reinforcements to participate in live-fire, field firing activities, conducted by night and day, using live ammunition, and a range of supporting weapons.

At the completion of this training, you should be proficient with the range of Commando weapon systems as well as the range of Commando tactics at the section and platoon level, by day and by night, in the field operational environment.

At this point you will be qualified as a Commando Grade One. You then get to undertake further reinforcement training.

1 week inclusive

The Special Forces weapons course provides you with additional weapons qualifications. This seven day course trains and qualifies Commando reinforcements in the operation of individual weapon systems, integral to the Commando unit.

At this stage, all Commando personnel are trained and qualified to operate the M4 Carbine and associated attachments, and the 9 mm Self-Loading Pistol. The weapons qualifications obtained on this course are in addition to the standard Infantry weapons taught on the Infantry IET.

During this course, you will also be taught to use a range of aiming devices including those that can be used at night.

This course involves a considerable amount of firing using live ammunition on a static range. Once you have mastered this, you can then progress to employing your Commando weapons in a field firing environment, again using live ammunition. This course is conducted as a component of the Commando Selection and Training Course which than allows you do use the weapon systems during the remainder of the Commando Selection and Training Course.

Commando reinforcement training that is conducted to qualify Commandos in other Commando Grades. The Commando Grades are structured in accordance with the Employment Specifications and Commando Pay and Trade Model as detailed in the Graded Other Ranks Pay Scheme. The order and conduct of these courses varies depending on resource availability. Some of the courses involved in higher Commando qualification grades are:

Special Forces Basic Parachute Course (including water insertion training) (3 Weeks);

Commando Amphibious Operations Course (3 Weeks);

Commando Demolitions Course (1 Week);

Advanced Close Quarter Battle Course (4 Weeks);

Commando Urban Operations Course (2 Weeks); and

Special Forces Roping Course (1 Week); and

Combat First Aider (3 Weeks); or

Commando Signaller (3 Weeks); or

Demolition Specialist Course (2 Weeks)

These courses are discussed in more detail in the links above:

The first course to be completed is an insertion course. You will either complete the Special Forces Basic Parachute Course or the Commando Amphibious Operations Course. Whichever course you do not attend at this stage, you will complete later.

This training is only the start. On the successful completion of your reinforcement training and after serving as a Commando for 12 months, you will be expected to undertake a range of further Commando specialist courses. This involves completing training in advanced weapon skills and close-quarter fighting techniques and tactics. Other courses that you may be exposed to during subsequent Commando Reinforcement Training are:

• Direct Fire Support Weapon (DFSW) Operator;
• Mortar Operator;
• Basic Sniper;
• SF Climber;
• Combat Survival;
• Reconnaissance; and
• Language.

For further details on recruit training, refer to the Joining instructions . These instructions will provide you and your family with enough information to arrange your personal affairs before enlistment in the Army, and to give you an idea of what you will be doing on the recruit course.

Further information is also available on the Internet at

Defence Jobs

Army Recruit Training Centre