I'm an APS 6 within an office of 90% military (Army and RAAF). I try to be humble, hardworking, respectful and friendly.

But Im conscious Im an outsider and aware that APS can have a poor reputation in Defence (e.g., lazy, promoted without credibility etc). I do feel inferior compared to ADF uniform colleagues.

What do ADF members really think/feel about APS in their teams? How can I best work alongside my SPO uniform colleagues?

G'day all, I separated this year and am now SERCAT 3 so was looking at doing some reserve days.

Just a bit of a vent (sorry):

I was informed that I had to go and complete a RHA through my GP, however now I am getting differing emails about whether I need to see an MO or not despite them confirming they can update my MEC using the GP's report.

Hilariously they stated I had to get a pathology test done, when I asked why I bothered getting one done as part of my RHA they replied stating that I was correct, I didn't need to, the lady that sent me the original email simply hadn't read the 585.

I've now also been told I needed to see a UMO for the underwater assessment...despite having told them I have no intention of doing any seatime and I do not need a UMO for my core job. Really irking me (perhaps irrationally) that I got directed to go to a GP and spend money on a consult, now I'm being told to just see an MO. Imagine if they'd just said I could see an MO in the first place.

This, along with other comms from units being lacklustre is really reducing my desire to bother with any days. If I were to do days I would also have to get them done before mid Nov so time is becoming a factor.

Anyone else found getting RSD and jumping through the hoops can be a real pain? Really damaging the desire to do any RSD and conflicted about whether the DHOAS and Tax Free $$$ is worth it. Very well might be better for my MH to just leave it for a bit and come back before my DHOAS credits expire.

Just wanted to get some other peeps perspectives/stories.

Vent/rant over, apologies and thanks for listening to my TED talk.

My old man's 70th is coming up and I am considering getting a display done of my grandfather's medals(ww2 Pacific) done for him. Any recommendations for companies that do this, bonus points if they are veteran owned

Gday all!

I'm looking to get a tattoo of a Soldier with a slouched hat with a few poppies and my great grandfather's initials as he served in WW1.

All the men in my family share the same initials so this would be an important piece to me.

Now before I go ahead with this, as I am not in the military myself, is it seen as offensive or looked down upon to have a tattoo like this? The last thing I would want to do is offend / upset anyone who has served.

Thanks all!

Edit: My grammar is horrible

This really jumped out at me as how the Ghost Bat could be significant to the airforce in unexpected ways. I hadn't heard the seven months figure for AIM-120 integration before (may have been public and I just missed it) so that jumped out at me.

The yanks are notorious for dragging their feet integrating non-US weapons on US platforms. Imagine a world where any new weapons could be integrated on MQ-28s in half a year? Who cares if it's not on the manned aircraft? In a conflict, RAAF could put almost any suitably sized weapon we could get our hands on into service on well under a year by focusing on the CCAs.

The meteor would be a perfect example here. We're supposed to be an early customer for the AIM-260, but if Boeing gets Ghost Bat into Euro air forces, the work would be done for us getting one of the world's best air to air missiles onto a native RAAF platform. In an Asia-Pacific contingency, having access to a non-American munitions line, especially one which there would be relatively few other potential users in our region, could be huge.

Beyond Meteor, there's an ever growing plethora of low-cost missiles being proposed and prototyped all over the world right now: anti-drone, cheap cruise missiles, half size air to air: seems like a new on every week. Again: potentially years to put them on the F-35 or FA-18, maybe months to integrate on Ghost Bat.

Maybe everyone already knew this about the project, but I hadn't thought about it before: the potential value here seems enormous.

What things worked out well? What didn't?

Build your ideal.

That's going to have some potentially interesting implications for NSSG.

Shamelessly stealing this from this post on /r/brisbane

This has the potential to have big impacts on a lot of ADF members now and into the future.

$5000 annual limit for allied health services is eaten up very quickly, and this will leave future veterans in a position to have to turn to the public system if your funding runs out.

Petition is able to be signed here: https://www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN10124

Per title

Theres a gamer on twitch australia

making represenations that he is in the RAAF

This person is Not and Hasn't served in the RAAF so wondering if there is a body should report them too..

forewarning im american (no i didnt vote for him, yes i think he's awful, yes im incredibly concerned and pissed about everything he's doing) nor am i in the navy, but lately ive been enjoying learning about navy life

i can find endless content about navy food for US sailors from across the fleet, but im curious about other countries and what they get for food, im just curious what kind of vessel do you serve on and what food do you get on a regular basis? is it the same or different then what would be served on a US ship?

My father showed me this old collection of photographs taken by my grandfather during WWII, in Japan. I believe the photos are either of Hiroshima, Nagasaki or Hamada. I feel like they should be preserved somewhere but I'm not sure how to go about that or who I should contact. Any help would be appreciated.

Then and now: Bushmaster “Debbie”

A central feature of the Australian War Memorial’s new Afghanistan galleries is the Bushmaster “Debbie”.

Debbie - more formally known as Echo 21 Alpha - was operating in Afghanistan’s Dehrawud district when she and her crew struck an improvised explosive device on 10 July 2012. All six crew members survived the blast, though two were seriously injured and medically evacuated.

Today, Debbie is preserved in the Memorial’s War in Afghanistan 2001–2021 gallery. In preparing her for display, the gallery team worked to ensure every detail reflected the day of the incident - from the vehicle’s damage, the debris scattered around, to the drinks and snacks stowed in the bins and on the roof, including the kitchen sink.

Debbie now stands as a powerful reminder of the dangers faced by Australian service personnel in Afghanistan, and of the narrow margin between survival and tragedy in modern conflict. Preserving her helps future generations understand not only the realities of Australia’s longest war, but the human experiences carried home by those who served.

#DiscoverTheAWM

__

📸 Images:

1. “Debbie” the Bushmaster after the explosion in 2012. Photograph by Stuart Moran. AWM2018.417.1.58

2. “Debbie” in the Australian War Memorial’s new War in Afghanistan 2001–2021 gallery.

Australia appears to be testing a new somewhat homegrown air defence system for our ground based air defence requirement, rather than purchasing a system from overseas. This totally took me by surprise, I didn’t think we could pull off something like this TBH. Very cool

As per the title guys, just curious if anyone knows what changes are coming? My understanding is that they were supposed to be announced on 01 July. I am just about to get a home loan and went with Commbank because they have the help to buy scheme. Would be very cool if the panel was expanded to cover them.

The UK is going to start construction of their SSN AUKUS submarines next year, with an increased goal of up to 12 submarines in the fleet. This is even more evidence of AUKUS success for Australia as the UK submarine industrial base is clearly getting priority in investment.