id love a 1 on 1 conversation with any active or recent combat engineers! Im curious on day to day life and humanitarian aid flavored deployments which is something i hope i get to be able to do! Thanks guys.

Hello! I am currently serving as a Lieutenant Commander in the South Korean Navy, having been promoted to this rank this year. I plan to leave the Korean Navy, immigrate abroad with my family, and pursue a new career. Initially, I intended to move to Canada next month to attend a career college and explore new career options. However, I recently learned about the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Lateral Transfer program.

I am interested in whether there have been any cases of officers transferring through this program from non-Commonwealth countries. I am a graduate of the Korean Naval Academy and have over five years of experience as a combat officer on various types of warships, including frigate, destroyer, minehunter, amphibious ship, and patrol boat. Additionally, I have extensive experience in mine warfare operations.

Would my skills and experience be of value to the Royal Australian Navy? I attempted to find relevant information on the ADF website but couldn’t locate specific details.

I have consulted several sources in search of more information but still need further clarity, so I am reaching out here. Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Hello, can anyone confirm the salary per month we get once we start Kapooka?

hey all, I'm trying to help a mate out here:

he's a mid level O3 in the RAAF and is sick of being a paperwork officer so he is moving to private industry and also thinking of giving up his commission to join the Army reserve cavalry. He's not 100% sure yet so doesn't want to ask his career manager in case of backlash. What is the process like, apparently it's not easy? Will he have to do Kapooka or does he get some rank recognition (e.g. LCPL) instead and just have to do the cavalry training? any tips is appreciated by him. thanks

Hey guys,

I got put on standby just in case someone drops out early for next month for kapooka If not I'm looking early after standown is over,

Any running routines you guys suggest? I've left cardio a little late as I hadn't expected to possibly be heading out so early but I'm currently doing 1:1 of running and walking for 3km until I can get my cardio up, any suggested routines would be great!

Thank you!

Hello, I might start training in February at Kapooka. When I start the training do I immediately get the trainee allowance supplement (provided my dependents are eligible) or do I apply for it? Thank you

I've recently secured a Defence Interview for a NETTECH within the RAAF. I'm a little nervous as I'm somewhat expecting which questions to be asked thanks to the candidate information handbook but if anyone could provide some tips for the interview to help me gain some confidence, that would be great! I've tried to give myself a refresher on the role I'm applying for but I can no longer seem to find it on the ADF careers website - looks as if it has been removed.

With the RAAF, I am wanting to practice and get all the right resources so I do well on the day, even thought that day will be a couple years from now.

What type of resources are going to help me with the new system for the ASP and if so what exactly.

(Note: I do luminosity and elevate, and are top in my maths even thought they won't give a shit abt that)

I'm 29 looking to join the army next year (Infantry soldier / Artillery soldier / Armoured Vehicle Crew are my top 3). I want a change, in away I kind of want a fresh start. I'm look for something more meaningful and fulfilling, something that will give me a chance to help people/make a difference in life. The army was always my dream job although I lost sight of that goal when i was younger.

Iv been doing my own research but still have a few questions if anyone has the time.

Joining at 30 would I have a chance at getting any of those roles or be taken seriously when applying for them.

Having used cannabis in the past (used for 6 years on and off, stopped about 2 years ago) would I be excluded from these roles or joining altogether.

I have a 666 tattoo behind my ear, I'm assuming that will need to go before I apply, no other visible tattoos.

How hard is the aptitude testing, I'm fine with basic maths and I can read, understand and follow most anything put infront of me but I struggle with spelling mistakes.

Would you recommend the army for someone who is look for something more meaningful and fulfilling, I'm not trying to be a hero or anything I just want to help do good things and be apart of something I can be proud of when its all said and done.

After commencing studies at ADFA, would I be able to change the job role I was going for? Say I swapped my degree but it's not a degree I can do with my job, would I be able to swap jobs too?

Do combat engineers do as much 'combat' as infantry does? im pretty committed to CE atm currently waiting on an enlistment date but im having second thoughts on going CE over infantry. I chose it over Infantry because its peacetime and i figured there'd be more shit to do but when in non peace times do combat engineers see as much combat as infantry would?

I’ve heard it’s been worse in the past but how’s the process timeline like now?

28m, Considering joining the ADF. Come from a Defence family (Both Parents, both Grandfathers and Uncle). Not happy with my current lifestyle and my career. I've hit a age where I want to be proud of what I do. I want to get out of the Office Job life and get a trade. At an age where civilian apprentice wages aren't really enticing. Any advice or tips? Am I too old? Would this be a good idea. I crave structure and the ability to lead a fit/healthy lifestyle. See the world and my country. Be a part of something bigger than myself. Want to start a family and own a home, which im told Defence will help with. Thanks

Hoping to shoot for something in aviation, no branch preference. I already have a degree and a pilots license with over 150 hours total time. Would that make any difference whatsoever in terms of being competitive, or would it be entirely dependent on how I do during other processes?

Hi all, 19M here, wondering if anyone has an idea of how competitive the Defence University Sponsorship scheme is and what factors they look at to determine acceptance or non acceptance. Do they take into consideration things like your ATAR, high school grades, leadership positions, or is it more so your degree and grades at university that matters? Additionally, I've taken a look through all of their sponsored degrees and am wondering if theres any degrees in particular which have relevance to the Maritime Warfare Officer role? Thanks in advance.

As the title says I wondering what to wear, I have a suit that I was going to wear but I feel like I am overdressed. Would it be inappropriate to wear smart casual? I also have long hair, would it be recommended that I shave it short before interviews?

Hi everyone I'm currently toying with the idea of joining the defence force (more specifically a technical roll in the airforce)

What made everyone want to join and how do you find life since joining do you regret it? I know the answers will change case by case but I'm wanting to know the main reason everyone wanted to join, to see if anyone else has been in the same position as myself in there reasons for wanting to join

Thanks

The latest update I received via email is the scheme is suspended until further notice, all thw PDF's on the website relevant to it have been taken down and become inaccessible.

Any inside information if the scheme is binned or If they plan on restarting in the new year?

I was previously working in communication in the UK Royal Navy for 4 years.

Will UK nationals be able to apply for the ADF in 2025?

How complicated would it be to join the Australian Navy?

Hey everyone!

I had wanted to join the army my entire childhood but by the time the moment came at 20, I was already married. My wife not being keen to be an army wife basically forced me to become a reservist. I joined the infantry but I never really took it very seriously and treated it very casually. I didn’t really stay very fit and as a result found everything very physically difficult, and although I passed and kept up with everyone, I often felt like I barely made every activity alive. I stayed in for about five years and then left. I was extremely proud to be in the infantry but just didn’t see the point by the end.

Now I am 39 and I take fitness a lot more seriously now than I ever did back then. I feel like I would find the challenge enjoyable physically unlike when I was 20. I am also a lot more mature and feel like I would enjoy training and perfecting drills and that I understand what the point of being proficient actually is now. I feel like I wouldn’t see it so casually and would actually take things a lot more seriously.

As a result of this, I often now think back to my time in the army with regret. I think how much easier the challenges would have been if I was as strong and fit as I am now, and I had my current mindset. I kind of miss practising weapons handling and doing hard things that build character. I miss being proud of my service and some of the people I met. The whole experience was a gift in many ways and I just treated it so casually.

Am I crazy for considering joining back up at this age? Would it just be the same shit and putting up with all the usual army suck that I came to hate? Am I crazy for wondering if I could have been a much better soldier than I was? Is it just rose coloured glasses? I have some friends that were full timers and they often speak about joining up again and how they would do things differently. Are we all crazy?

Hello everyone I'm enlisting as a medic F.24 and I'm currently on the waitlist for my assessment day. I'm trying to prep for my defence interview but I'm struggling to find any info on the job eg where the postings are? What a medics day entails?

Are these questions and information I need for the defence interview? What should I be focusing on?

I'm not that stressed and am usually pretty confident with in person interviews but I don't want to look like I don't know what I'm talking about with the limited information they provide on the ADF website.

Any info would be great from current medics or aspiring.

Thanks heaps.

I noticed I haven't received anything else other then my request to do my background check so I gave dfr a call and they said they would transfer me to My case manager and they said she was available, I get transferred and no response (lol) I then called the next day and they said she wasn't available and had gone home for the day and they said they'd leave her an email to call me back. Coming up on a week I still haven't heard anything and I have no idea what I need to do to progress my application. Is it normal for things to take this long?

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to do well on a Navy OSB? I've seen lots of RAAF and Army but not alot of Navy and I'm really determined to do well in it. Also, how long does it take for your letter of offer to come through after?

P.S. I'm going for Surface Warfare Officer through ADFA and my OSB is in about a week.

Hi guys, got a quick question. Recently went through OSB a month ago, and received a recommendation (but not high recommendation) for ADFA Mission aircrew.

Just got informed that my medical has been passed on for review, I’m just wondering if this mean I’ve been passed to the next round of review and it’s a good news for me, or does this happen to everyone before they make a decision to see if I get in.

Cheers

Hi, I have my enlistment day coming up, I'm joining the army reserves and am not shipping off to kapooka on my enlistment day.

Am I allowed to keep my beard for my enlistment day photos?

Looking at the NEOC course Navy holds at HMAS Creswell and I can see that some of those graduating are already wearing sublieutenant and lieutenant insignia. Are they promoted during the course?

I read somewhere else something along the lines that engineering graduates or anyone holding a masters go straight into this rank. These comments are very old though and wondering if this is still the case and how they make such a determination.

Would also like to hear whether this sort of thing happens at Army/Air Force.

Hey so I'm about to graduate from melb uni with a science undergrad majoring in comp sci. Just enquiring as to whether its possible to leverage that sort of degree to get into roles that would require/utilise it. I haven't really looked too deeply just exploring all possible pathways post graduation. Cheers.

Hi, I am looking for some info on day to day role of Full time Air force and Army Nurse.

What are the responsibilities of a Nurse in defence as I understand it is an officer role as well, what are the additional responsibilities?

I understand the civilian role of nursing but wondering I guess what a regular day would look like both on base and on deployment. Ultimately I want to know what is the day to day difference between civillian nursing which I have been doing for years and defence nursing.

Been to the standard sites, all very stylised and engaging content but no depth. They only say how good the role will be, whilst providing limited detail on what it actually looks like. Looking for observations from members or active nurses to provide more insight.

Any insight would be appreciated I am looking beteeen Army and Air Force, open for discussion or any relevant links ideally some anecdotes.

Regards

It’s common for people to receive their clearance only months after completing basic training. What happens if a candidate doesn’t obtain the required clearance after BMT? I have an extensive travel and work history in various parts of the world, so I’m concerned, but there doesn’t seem to be clear guidance online about what would happen if a candidate fails to secure the necessary clearance after training. Are they reassigned to a different role, or do they have the option to leave at that point?