All Arms Commando Course for TA

hi,

i recently joined a TA uni, the signals to be exact. i am currently at uni, full time student, and i am on the TA Sponsored Officer scheme where by i train with the officer training corps. anyway, i want to ask does anyone have any further info on All Arms Commando Course for TA units. i know that any memeber of the armed forces can attend that but i want to ask
1)do they run the course during the summer, when i have my holiday from uni and
2)if one gets paid for the course?

Greg

 

The RM do a Reserve Forces Commando Cse- 2 weeks duration, but I think you have to do the Cdo tests before you attend (regain, rope climb etc). I don't know when it is run- ask your trg wing.

I don't know whether you could get on it though- it is designed for the RMR who do a lot of other training. I'm not sure they would give out a 'Green Lid' just after doing the 2 weeks. The regular All Arms CC is longer, but again I don't know if you would be able to get on it unless you were going to a commando posting.

Why didn't you just join the RMR in the first place?

 

I didnt join RMR because i dont have an RMR unit near me (nottingham), as far as i know anyway. the reason why i joined the signals is because they were offering TA sponsored officer scheme which allows me to train with the officer training corps (OTC) which means i am on fast track to becoming an officer, in the TA anyway.

i really want to get the commando badge (the black dagger patch) just for personal reaons, just to see if i can do it, to get extra infantry training because the signals and OTC dont really do that much advanced combat training and i want to do something cool during the summer.

i dont particularly want the green lid, or the badge to be honest i just want to go through the training and learn more then i would with what i am doing right now.

but thanks for advice. i didnt want to ask my training sgt because i literaly joined a few weeks ago and i didnt want to seem as if i am trying to run before i know how to walk.

Greg

 

Fair one- there aren't many RMR units.

Best of luck anyway.

 

You might have been better asking on the TA pages. But here are a few pointers.

The TA can do the All Arms Commando Course along side members of the RNR (mostly doctors but a few medics and others) a very small number of RAuxF and TA soldiers.

Current TA Cdo unit is an Engineer Squadron, 131 (??I think), based in Plymouth amongst other places. The troop in Hull is converting to Para. There is also an RLC (V) POL troop and at one time there was a TA Cdo Battery, 289, located in London with an NGS troop in Poole.

When the gunners were messed around the plan was that the Cdo's of 289 Bty in London and the Paras of 266 Battery in Bristol would form a Cdo/Para eliment of another Bty. I have no idea if this ever happened.

The RMR, especialy RMR London, will allow TA soldiers to undertake training with them prior to the course and you will need that because its very hard.

You can and should be paid for doing the course, but thats up to your TA unit who would sponser you.

You might like to phone CTCRM Lympstone and talk to someone there about the course. Then follow through with your unit.

Best of luck
Cardinal

 

On your specific questions, mate, I think there're a couple of courses per year and, yes, you would get paid for it - providing that your unit approves of you going on the course. Although we all work for the Army, as a TA soldier your pay comes out of your individual unit's pay budget. Obviously priority goes to covering the manpower budget for the training that is the unit's main responsibilty. You should also be aware that you will have a limit on the number of days a year that you are allowed to work for the TA - and if you're already doing lots of officer training you might exceed that by spending two weeks at Lympestone
More generally - and this is where your problems start - it is not easy to get onto AACC. Places are limited and so priority is always going to go to people serving with Cdo roled units: rather than to badge-collectors, military-tourists and people doing it 'because it's there'. That's not having a go at your reasons for doing it, just stating the case. To have a chance of getting on it, you would need to be supported by a Cdo roled unit (there is no TA RSigs Cdo unit. In fact, there is no regular RSigs Cdo unit). You would need to do a lot of beat-up training to get a grip of the various AACC requirements - rope work, practice runs over the Endurance course etc. Typically this is, I think, about six months of intensive build-up training with frequent visits to CTCRM to practice on the obstacles used on the course.
Moreover, the course itself will not really teach you infantry skills. This would be covered in some of the pre-training and your fieldcraft would be tested on the final exercise, but again, it comes back to which unit you can do the pre-training with...
None of this is trying to p**s on your chips and I did know a guy from an OTC who got onto AACC: but he was doing all his pre-training with a Cdo unit and had committed to join them once he graduated, which was why the gave him one of their slots on the course. The bottom line is that you aren't likely to get onto AACC unless a Cdo unit backs you and you'd be unlikely to pass the course without their help in preparing for it. You might want to consider joining a TA infantry unit once you commission (I'm sure there are some in Notts) or waiting and trying to transfer to a Cdo roled unit once you graduate.
Probably not what you wanted to hear but hope this is of some help.

 

thanks for info guys. yeah i thought it prob would not be possible but thanks anyway. i'll wait a bit and then ask around at the TA centre. there is an infantry TA unit not too far away, maybe i might transfere there next year and see how it goes. but thanks for advice, and i perfectly understand that i will most prob not be able to do AACC.

Greg

 

Do they still run "Green Student" or whatever it was called?

 

You've also got to consider that although you're doing your degree in Nottingham, you'll not necessarily be working there once you're done.

Get the basics under your belt, get your commission, and then see if you can transfer to RMR post University.

 

Has it got to be RMR? Isn't there a TA Engr unit in the East Midlands?

 

The Cdo RE Unit in the East Midlands was a troop of 131 in Hull, but thats now a Para Sqdn.

Cardinal

 

that's the badger, all assault boats and stuff! Must be my age...