Training at RMC

At RMC you’ll undertake 18 months of expert leadership training, or 12 months if you’re an Australian Defence Force Academy graduate. You’ll finish RMC with the skills and knowledge required to lead a platoon of soldiers in your assigned corps, in one of these roles:

• Armoured Officer
• Artillery Officer
• Helicopter Pilot
• Catering Officer
• Electrical and Mechanical Engineer
• Engineering Officer
• Infantry Officer
• Intelligence Officer
• Medical Officer
• Military Police Officer
• Ordnance Officer
• Signals Officer
• Transport Officer

The course is divided into three six-month stages and on graduation you will be assigned to your corps for specific training.

Acquire foundational military skills and learn to command and lead at the section level.

Initial cadet training at Majura, Canberra, is the first part of what’s called ‘third class’. You will be taught the foundational military skills to perform as a team member in a rifle section, receiving training in:

• The basics of being a member of the Army
• Leadership and military ethics
• First aid
• Communication including radio use
• Navigation
• Basic field tactics
• Service rifle operation
• Light support weapon operation
• Grenade launcher operation
• Combat fitness

On completion of initial cadet training you’ll learn to command and lead at the section level. By the end of third class you will be able to command and lead a section of up to 10 soldiers in the field environment.

‘Second class’ training will teach you to plan operations and command and lead up to 40 soldiers at the platoon level.

You will act as commander in a variety of field exercises and combat simulations designed to reflect conventional war fighting environments, leading both offensive and defensive operations.

This phase has a strong focus on military tactics and learning the theory of employing different types of Army capability. Other areas of focus will include:

• Writing and presenting verbal briefs
• Learning how to write military documents
• Continuing to learn to use military technology
• Conducting more complex range practices
• Supervising equality and diversity in the workplace
• Conducting risk assessments in a Defence environment
• Operating communication systems and equipment
• Learning more about each specialist area (Army corps)

First class training will prepare you to command and lead a platoon in complex warfare environments, and includes working with combined arms (different military capability sharing the battlespace).

Your knowledge of military tactics and leadership will be further developed in complex urban operations and larger scale exercises, which may involve equipment such as tanks and helicopters. These are designed to challenge any physical and mental barriers, and mark your final preparation for being commissioned as a Lieutenant.

During this final stage you will learn to:

• Command a platoon in a complex environment
• Gather and analyse information under pressure
• Apply leadership and people management skills
• Conduct urban operations training using Army techniques and procedures
• Work with and assist culturally diverse people in simulated operational environments
• Use resources effectively to achieve optimal results
• Operate weapon systems such as the hand grenade and rocket propelled grenade
• Lead basic range practices
• Manage soldier welfare issues in a simulated work environment
• Command a parade and use a ceremonial sword

By the time you graduate from RMC, you will have acquired the skills, knowledge and values to enjoy a fulfilling and highly-respected role as an officer in the Army. You will be assigned to a specific ‘branch’ of the Army known as a corps, where you'll put into practice all that you've learned at RMC. Exactly which corps will depend on your preference, your performance, and competition for roles.