18 September 2023
Recruit training at Kapooka should be completed 25 per cent faster under the new Army Initial Foundation Training continuum, currently in the second stage of trials.
The course has three, 21-day modules to progress recruits from induction through to combat behaviours and foundation warfighting – marching out soldiers with the same skills delivered on the previous Army Recruit Course.
Commandant Land Combat College Brigadier Jason Groat said updates to training were needed to ensure more soldiers could be trained quickly if required.
“The trials we are running at Kapooka are showing us that we can continue to generate well-trained soldiers in less time by making some changes to the way we have done business in the past,” Brigadier Groat said.
“If there are areas where we need to make adjustments, we will do so.”
The new continuum is designed to be a common pathway for full and part-time recruits.
It is also planned to become part of initial entry training (IET) for staff cadets entering the Royal Military College in Duntroon from January 2024.
The training modules – A, B and C – represent scaffolded learning with conditions-based ‘off-ramps’ designed to enable scalability.
Module A is common for reserve and full-time recruits and focuses on embedding combat behaviours and meeting mandatory training requirements.
Reserve recruits who finish Module A will undertake further training at their units prior to starting IET courses.
Module B covers service mastery and additional application of combat behaviours. Recruits gain further weapon qualifications and undertake the combat marksmanship continuum up to Rifle Practice 3A.
It also contains additional physical conditioning and resilience training.
Module C fully prepares full-time recruits with foundation warfighting skills and qualifications needed to move onto IET for their respective corps or trade.
The continuum started its second trial on August 22 and, once completed, will be reviewed for effectiveness before being considered to fully replace the current Army Recruit Course in January 2024.
The modularised nature means recruit training could be quickly adapted to changing strategic circumstances.
“Army could rapidly generate Module A qualified soldiers in response to a large-scale natural disaster or pandemic,” Brigadier Groat said.
“Another possibility enabled would be the rapid upskilling of Reserve soldiers in response to other strategic circumstances.”
