Ask a military guy...

[Dectomax]

It depends on what role you want? The Infantry have a rather large amount of regiments.
EDIT:
The Rifles and The Merican Regiments are two of the most respected Infantry regiments, though there are others too. the Royal Engineers and The Royal Artillery are very good, offering multiple trades to advance your career. So, there's a fair few options to look at.

As for the interview, the first time will just be a quick chat and some basic questions, why do you want to join? What interests do you have stuff like that. It's all very informal so there's not much to worry about!

Thanks for the reply! I thought the interview might be an informal thing - I'm still going to try and over-prepare though I guess, simply because it's something I really want to do, and also because I've applied for bugger-all else this year so it's this or moving back home...

And cheers for the advice about regiments, I'll have a look at the two you mentioned. At the moment I haven't really had much time to do any research - my final-year dissertation is eating all my time at the moment - but I'm hoping to look into it a bit more deeply once that's all over with, and possibly meet up with an ex-serviceman friend of my parents to have a chat about that sort of thing.

The first interview (First time you visit the AFCO ) is always just a chat. They want to get to know you and generally just find out why you want to join. That way they can help you choose what they believe is best for you. All AFCO advisor's are serving personnel. So they will be a great source of information!

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

I'm not entirely sure I understand your post?

Ireland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland#Partition], is not part [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty] of the United Kingdom [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom], as of December 6, 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence#Treaty.2C_December_1921_.E2.80.93_March_1922] (though some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_republicanism] would argue it never was)

Unless you meant the island of Ireland, in which case only a rather small North-eastern section [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_ireland] of Ireland is part of the UK.

 

[Dectomax]

I'm not entirely sure I understand your post?

Ireland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland#Partition], is not part [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty] of the United Kingdom [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom], as of December 6, 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence#Treaty.2C_December_1921_.E2.80.93_March_1922] (though some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_republicanism] would argue it never was)

Unless you meant the island of Ireland, in which case only a rather small North-eastern section [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_ireland] of Ireland is part of the UK.

I just use the term Ireland loosely. It's easier than typing Northern Ireland. Sorry.

 

[Totenkopf]

Ahoi, I'm interested in military in general and considering an officer career in the Bundeswehr.
In order to gather some real knowledge, I started to read books about the topic.
I've read mostly about WW2 (two war-diaries (one by a Waffen-SS infantry soldier, one by a Stuka-pilot), Rommel's Infantry attacks (not finished yet), Sun Tzu's Art of War, two books about WW2 in general), and I wanted to ask, is there any use to this in the real life military or is this in vain?
Will that rather "old" stuff help when I'd be caught in a difficult situation / hail of bullets?
Should I rather put that time for extra training sessions in the gym / woods?

Bonus question:
Have you ever fired a G36?
An Ex-Bundeswehr soldier told me that it is pretty flawed (since it wouldn't be able to penetrate a bullet-proof vest from a certain distance, and it's said to jam very often). I find this quite worrisome because it would probably be the weapon I'm using when I would really make it to the troop.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

Ireland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland#Partition], is not part [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty] of the United Kingdom [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom], as of December 6, 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence#Treaty.2C_December_1921_.E2.80.93_March_1922] (though some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_republicanism] would argue it never was)

Unless you meant the island of Ireland, in which case only a rather small North-eastern section [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_ireland] of Ireland is part of the UK.

I just use the term Ireland loosely. It's easier than typing Northern Ireland. Sorry.

It's still kind of a sensitive issue. There are people alive today who remember a time when British soldiers walked the streets of Dublin (occasionally indiscriminately killing innocent civilians [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1920)]).
Generally, when you're talking to people outside the UK, Ireland = the Republic of Ireland.

 

[Dectomax]

Ahoi, I'm interested in military in general and considering an officer career in the Bundeswehr.
In order to gather some real knowledge, I started to read books about the topic.
I've read mostly about WW2 (two war-diaries (one by a Waffen-SS infantry soldier, one by a Stuka-pilot), Rommel's Infantry attacks (not finished yet), Sun Tzu's Art of War, two books about WW2 in general), and I wanted to ask, is there any use to this in the real life military or is this in vain?
Will that rather "old" stuff help when I'd be caught in a difficult situation / hail of bullets?
Should I rather put that time for extra training sessions in the gym / woods?

Bonus question:
Have you ever fired a G36?
An Ex-Bundeswehr soldier told me that it is pretty flawed (since it wouldn't be able to penetrate a bullet-proof vest from a certain distance, and it's said to jam very often). I find this quite worrisome because it would probably be the weapon I'm using when I would really make it to the troop.

I'm not sure? The study of it may prove to be of useful insight but other than that I can't really say.

I would recommend time in the gym and outside training first and foremost. They will teach you everything you need to learn, though a basic concept of military strategy will be useful ofcourse.

I've never fired a G36, having never been to Germany I can't say I've heard any opinions on it either. To be fair, from a certain distance an AK47 will not penetrate armour. A few lads in my battalion have been hit, and whilst bruised and pretty painful, the round did not actually penetrate the armour.

I would research the weapon, it may be like the L85. The first version was terrible, but the current version, L85A2, is a very good rifle.

 

[Dectomax]

Ireland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland#Partition], is not part [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Irish_Treaty] of the United Kingdom [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom], as of December 6, 1922 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_War_of_Independence#Treaty.2C_December_1921_.E2.80.93_March_1922] (though some [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_republicanism] would argue it never was)

Unless you meant the island of Ireland, in which case only a rather small North-eastern section [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_ireland] of Ireland is part of the UK.

I just use the term Ireland loosely. It's easier than typing Northern Ireland. Sorry.

It's still kind of a sensitive issue. There are people alive today who remember a time when British soldiers walked the streets of Dublin (occasionally indiscriminately killing innocent civilians [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Sunday_(1920)]).
Generally, when you're talking to people outside the UK, Ireland = the Republic of Ireland.

I understand this. Sorry if it offended you.

 

[Ubique]

I understand that the (.au) military offers full engineering degrees (and an officer rank upon graduation) but how willing are they to take a slightly-older (mid to late twenties) individual who already has a degree or two.

For clarification, I'm an engineer (mechatronic, so mech and elec) by education and employment, but I have considered joining the military previously, just wanted to know if what I've already done counts for anything.

You only get a degree if you go through ADFA. If your degree meets the requirements you can apply as a graduate, which means you would skip ADFA and go directly to RMC. If you want more info checkout the aus military forums the people there know alot more than I do.

 

[Dectomax]

the people there know alot more than I do.

They know more than me too!

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

I know in the United States Military, you're allowed to mix and match your gear and add other things to your kit (Optics and everything else you want to put on it as well as moving around the position of some pouches and actually adding extra pouches to your PC) depending on how loose or anal your CO is, is this the same in the Royal military?

 

[Heathrow]

What is the most annoying trope, cliche or specific moment you've seen in a war fps. Given the opportunity, what would you include in a military fps that you haven't seen before?

 

[Wolf-AUS]

were you forced to do other jobs and tasks you originally did not sign up to do?

Holy shit mate. At the moment I'm pretty much an underpaid labourer, I've been building houses, cleaning up cyclones, filling sandbags and cleaning the base and that has been all this year. I've used a weapon three times this year, none of which was live fire, once was completely dry, once was at a WTSS system and the closest I've got is blanks rounds. You have no idea how disillusioned I am with the whole thing right now. I don't even know what a soldier is anymore. "Officially" I'm an infantry digger in a rifle company, actually I'm cheap labour for all your building needs!

 

[The Man With the Soap]

What are the physical requirements for the British Armed Forces?

What do you think of the Marine Corps?

Any training tips for a guy getting himself ready to join the military?(running, stretches, workouts, shooting)

How does it feel to be awesome?

I would recomend a lot of distance running and strength training.

You need to be able to do a lot of pull-ups. Well, not a lot. Three is considered passing, and twenty is considered a perfect score.

Push-ups are a given. You must be able to do the elbows ninety degrees or less ones, or you're wasting your time.

Do a lot of sit-ups, crunches, bicycle kicks, leg-lifts, flutter-kicks (three count), v-ups, and cherry pickers.

Again, the running. You have to be able to do the three miles in eighteen minutes or less.

You can also supplement all of that with weight lifting at a gym.

I'm currently in training for my Marine option ROTC to commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. I get myself up everyday at 5:00 to do all of my calethstenics (push-ups, and all the other body-weight exercises I described), and I go for a run every other day (once or twice a week I do my eight-mile run). On top of that, I have lifting, lacrosse practices, and swim practices. My pull-up record is twenty-one, and my push-up record is one hundred three. My three-mile time is roughly seventeen-thirty.

 

[Shock and Awe]

Bonus question:
Have you ever fired a G36?
An Ex-Bundeswehr soldier told me that it is pretty flawed (since it wouldn't be able to penetrate a bullet-proof vest from a certain distance, and it's said to jam very often). I find this quite worrisome because it would probably be the weapon I'm using when I would really make it to the troop.

Well since the G-36 fires the 5.56x45 NATO round its going to have about the same capabilities as far as range and power as just about every other western militaries' standard issue rifle. The American M16, the British SA80, and the French FAMAS all use it. Its actually better at penetrating armor than the round of out usual adversaries which is the 7.62x39 soviet round. It has less powder despite being larger around which decreases it's penetration.

 

[Gaiseric]

What are the physical requirements for the British Armed Forces?

What do you think of the Marine Corps?

Any training tips for a guy getting himself ready to join the military?(running, stretches, workouts, shooting)

How does it feel to be awesome?

I would recomend a lot of distance running and strength training.

You need to be able to do a lot of pull-ups. Well, not a lot. Three is considered passing, and twenty is considered a perfect score.

Push-ups are a given. You must be able to do the elbows ninety degrees or less ones, or you're wasting your time.

Do a lot of sit-ups, crunches, bicycle kicks, leg-lifts, flutter-kicks (three count), v-ups, and cherry pickers.

Again, the running. You have to be able to do the three miles in eighteen minutes or less.

You can also supplement all of that with weight lifting at a gym.

I'm currently in training for my Marine option ROTC to commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. I get myself up everyday at 5:00 to do all of my calethstenics (push-ups, and all the other body-weight exercises I described), and I go for a run every other day (once or twice a week I do my eight-mile run). On top of that, I have lifting, lacrosse practices, and swim practices. My pull-up record is twenty-one, and my push-up record is one hundred three. My three-mile time is roughly seventeen-thirty.

I got a lot of work to do.

 

[The Man With the Soap]

What are the physical requirements for the British Armed Forces?

What do you think of the Marine Corps?

Any training tips for a guy getting himself ready to join the military?(running, stretches, workouts, shooting)

How does it feel to be awesome?

I would recomend a lot of distance running and strength training.

You need to be able to do a lot of pull-ups. Well, not a lot. Three is considered passing, and twenty is considered a perfect score.

Push-ups are a given. You must be able to do the elbows ninety degrees or less ones, or you're wasting your time.

Do a lot of sit-ups, crunches, bicycle kicks, leg-lifts, flutter-kicks (three count), v-ups, and cherry pickers.

Again, the running. You have to be able to do the three miles in eighteen minutes or less.

You can also supplement all of that with weight lifting at a gym.

I'm currently in training for my Marine option ROTC to commission as an officer in the United States Marine Corps. I get myself up everyday at 5:00 to do all of my calethstenics (push-ups, and all the other body-weight exercises I described), and I go for a run every other day (once or twice a week I do my eight-mile run). On top of that, I have lifting, lacrosse practices, and swim practices. My pull-up record is twenty-one, and my push-up record is one hundred three. My three-mile time is roughly seventeen-thirty.

I got a lot of work to do.

You can do it. Just dig deep. Mind over matter. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to something and do it without excuses. And, picture yourself in those Marine Corps dress blues. Oorah!

 

[Gaiseric]

You can do it. Just dig deep. Mind over matter. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to something and do it without excuses. And, picture yourself in those Marine Corps dress blues. Oorah!

Thanks man. I'm just a little burnt out with exercise(started 3 years ago to lose weight and now most exercise is tedious). Doesn't help that I workout alone(Neither my brothers nor friends can run with me). I've made a lot of progress and started running recently at 4:30 am. It's the running that will take me ages because I'm a big guy and I've never been quick. Running 2 miles 4-5 times a week and got my time down from 28 to 21 min in about 4 weeks.

The link helps.

 

[The Man With the Soap]

You can do it. Just dig deep. Mind over matter. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to something and do it without excuses. And, picture yourself in those Marine Corps dress blues. Oorah!

Thanks man. I'm just a little burnt out with exercise(started 3 years ago to lose weight and now most exercise is tedious). Doesn't help that I workout alone(Neither my brothers nor friends can run with me). I've made a lot of progress and started running recently at 4:30 am. It's the running that will take me ages because I'm a big guy and I've never been quick. Running 2 miles 4-5 times a week and got my time down from 28 to 21 min in about 4 weeks.

The link helps.

I never used to be that quick either, but it can be done. I'm 6' 1" 195 lbs, so I'm not the smallest guy ever, either. You can do it, man. Semper fi! Do or die!

 

[Gaiseric]

You can do it. Just dig deep. Mind over matter. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to something and do it without excuses. And, picture yourself in those Marine Corps dress blues. Oorah!

Thanks man. I'm just a little burnt out with exercise(started 3 years ago to lose weight and now most exercise is tedious). Doesn't help that I workout alone(Neither my brothers nor friends can run with me). I've made a lot of progress and started running recently at 4:30 am. It's the running that will take me ages because I'm a big guy and I've never been quick. Running 2 miles 4-5 times a week and got my time down from 28 to 21 min in about 4 weeks.

The link helps.

I never used to be that quick either, but it can be done. I'm 6' 1" 195 lbs, so I'm not the smallest guy ever, either. You can do it, man. Semper fi! Do or die!

I'll see you in the Corps then.
Thanks again buddy.

 

[The Man With the Soap]

You can do it. Just dig deep. Mind over matter. You'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to something and do it without excuses. And, picture yourself in those Marine Corps dress blues. Oorah!

Thanks man. I'm just a little burnt out with exercise(started 3 years ago to lose weight and now most exercise is tedious). Doesn't help that I workout alone(Neither my brothers nor friends can run with me). I've made a lot of progress and started running recently at 4:30 am. It's the running that will take me ages because I'm a big guy and I've never been quick. Running 2 miles 4-5 times a week and got my time down from 28 to 21 min in about 4 weeks.

The link helps.

I never used to be that quick either, but it can be done. I'm 6' 1" 195 lbs, so I'm not the smallest guy ever, either. You can do it, man. Semper fi! Do or die!

I'll see you in the Corps then.
Thanks again buddy.

That I will. Just out of curiosity, are you looking to enlist or commission?