Army's All Corps Training into the Future
The Australian Army currently conducts individual training for soldiers, non-commissioned officers, warrant officers and officers in two forms: ‘All Corps Training’ and ‘Corps Specific Training’. As my authorities extend only over the All Corps Soldier and Officer Training Continuums, it is there that I will focus my encapsulation of that aspect of Army’s professional military education.
The All Corps Soldier and Officer Training Continuums provide the foundation warfighting knowledge, skills and attitudes required of Army’s Service men and women. The training extends from the respective point of entry into Army at either the Army Recruit Training Centre or the Royal Military College – Duntroon, through career continuums to the conclusion of the Regimental Sergeant Major Course and in an officer’s case, the Advanced Operations Course. On behalf of the Chief of Army, the Commandant of the Royal Military College of Australia also maintains oversight of the Army component of the Australian Command and Staff College course; however, this joint educational experience remains outside the All Corps Officer Training Continuum, albeit linked to it.
A concerted effort is underway to optimise the balance between training and education in all areas of All Corps Training. While the All Corps Officer Training Continuum has recently been reviewed and is currently undergoing testing and refinement of the revised content, the All Corps Soldier Training Continuum is in the midst of a review that is aimed at improving the appreciation of a trainee’s knowledge, skills and attitudes at each developmental level and better focusing foundation training and education towards more appropriate developmental outcomes. Recruit training is and must remain more heavily oriented towards training while, conversely, the development of warrant officers preparing for appointment as Regimental Sergeants Major can take account of prior experience, development and maturity, and contain a larger educational component as a consequence. The balance between training and education has reflections in both the nature of content and the style of delivery, and an optimal balance will better accommodate the trainee’s development profile and provide an improved learning outcome as a result.
Concurrently, there is effort being applied to improve the development and management of Army’s instructor population through Qualified Instructor and Qualified Assessor training, successive instructional experiences and intervening distance learning development, and more deliberate career management of those with an ability and desire to instruct. The aim is to align the trainer’s/educator’s abilities with a refined training/education balance in a way that supports optimisation of the development and delivery of foundation warfighting content throughout a career continuum.
The articles published hereafter challenge the motivation and ability for debate to occur within the Australian Army. Soldiers, non-commissioned officers, warrant officers and officers in today’s Army have shown throughout the range of All Corps Training exposures that they have the ability to mount and sustain debate on a range of topics relevant to the current and future state of Army. What appears to be lacking is the motivation to formally engage in debate outside of those training environments. While the reasons for a lack of engagement may be many and varied, an improvement in motivation could be initiated by leaders at all levels creating the opportunity and sufficient ‘space’ for debate to be opened and, as appropriate, flourish. As the Royal Military College of Australia refines the training-education balance there is a parallel opportunity provided by improvements in access to electronic information for Service men and women to be better informed of Army issues both in greater range and to greater depth. With ability improved through further education and access to information, and motivation stimulated by encouragement at all levels, there is enhanced opportunity to advance Army’s professional conversation.
With ability improved through further education and access to information, and motivation stimulated by encouragement at all levels, there is enhanced opportunity to advance Army’s professional conversation.
About the Author
Brigadier David Luhrs is the Commandant of the Royal Military College of Australia. His career has spanned 32 years, commencing as an Army Apprentice Carpenter and Joiner and including multiple training, combat and construction engineer appointments. He has served on the staff in Defence and Army Headquarters, commanded at each troop, squadron, unit and formation level, and seen operational service in Namibia, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a graduate of the Southern Cross University, the Australian Army Command and Staff College, Canberra University, The Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies and Deakin University.
