The Australian Defence Force Academy
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Army Single Service Training 2B
By OCDT Kathleen Pisani and OCDT Tim Modra
15 July 2008
From 7 to 11 July, 118 second year Army Officer Cadets embarked on Single Service Training 2B, visiting the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka, the Army Logistics Training Centre at Bandiana, Victoria, and the Parachute Training School in Nowra.
Kapooka is the primary training establishment for enlisted members of the Army. We had the opportunity to tour of the base, and learn how new recruits are trained. We also got to see some of the exciting training facilities such as the high ropes course and the bayonet assault course. These courses are used to build soldiers’ physical strength and endurance and teach them how to work as a team. During the visit we gained an understanding of the basic training all soldiers undertake, which will help strengthen our ability to lead Army units in the future.
We then travelled to Bandiana to see how Army support services operate, and how integral they are to Army capability. We visited the Army trade training centres for mechanics and electrical technicians, and saw ‘Armygeddon’ - the Army mechanics’ six wheel burnout Landrover - which excited many of the cadets on the tour. We then checked out the training simulation environments and listened to several lieutenants talk about their roles in the Army. As we will graduate from the Royal Military College – Duntroon as lieutenants, these presentations gave us a good idea of the opportunities available to us after ADFA.
After Bandiana we headed to the Parachute Training School in Nowra, where we conducted the training enabling us to be ready to conduct a static line jump at 1000 feet over water. This training was both interesting and exciting, and the jump scheduled in October is eagerly anticipated by every second year Army Officer Cadet.
The tri-Service environment at ADFA gives us friendships, common military training, and an understanding of all three Service cultures. Single Service Training (SST) shows us how the Army operates outside ADFA and gives us the Service specific knowledge, skill sets and experience we will need to pursue careers in the Navy, Army and Air Force.
