The Australian Defence Force is putting out a call for adult volunteers to help lead young people who are a part of the Navy, Army, and Air Force Cadet programs.
Cadets is a program that supports 13-to-18 year-olds, and incorporates team-based activities that help develop leadership skills. Approximately 28,000 cadets currently are involved.
Major general Douglas Laidlaw said the cadet program helps young people boost confidence and build resilience.
“The Cadets program provides rewarding, challenging and exciting activities for youth in hundreds of locations around Australia,” Laidlaw said.
“However, it wouldn’t be able to provide the experiences it does without the support from the local community and the involvement of volunteers.”
Laidlaw said that the criteria for volunteering for the cadet program do not include military experience as a prerequisite, and leadership training is provided.
He said the adult volunteers come from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds.
“You don’t need any previous military experience to help out as a volunteer,” Laidlaw said.
“Whether you have a little time to give or a lot, you will be welcomed into a close-knit, supportive and friendly community of volunteers who are putting the future of our nation in good hands.”
The cadet program is not the only thing the defence department has been promoting as a part of its recruitment and career initiatives.
An Australian Defence Force Careers Expo was held over the past week in Adelaide, with the event attended by defence force members able to answer questions from attendees.
Attendees of the expo were able to view vehicles as well as take a simulated helicopter flight thanks to a virtual reality platform.
Recruiting volunteers and promoting the defence force as a career are not the only things the department has going, with news of another airlift of Australian supplied military equipment to Ukraine last week using Ukrainian-based cargo aviation company Antonov Airlines.
Australia has given more than $225 million in military assistance to Ukraine to assist in its fight against Russian forces.
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