Would like to Join RAF Regiment, advice required.

[SuffolkParham]

Hello all, My name is Oliver and I am looking into joining the RAF Regiment as an officer if I am good enough.

Could any serving or ex serviceman explain the role and the future role the MOD envisage the Regiment playing in confilct zones around the world.

I understand the Regiment to be a highly trained light infantry force responsible for the defence of RAF facilities, involved in Search and rescue and designed to dominate the ground around such facilities. This can be found on the RAF site.

Could anyone explain the role in further detail ? How lond on average do you spend in each rank? What are the true prospects of jungle training and how large is the search and rescue role.

There is a lot of non-sense in other forums, talking of the big "3" etc and talk of the Regiment losing the Rapier defence units.

This is not a WAH or a wind up , a term used on AARSE, I am interested in joining it is just a little confusing as to the precise role of the Regiment and how they will be utilised in the future.

(please exscuse all spelling mistakes and other general ignorance.)
Kind regards
Oli

 

[3wheeledtechie]

Oli, welcome, have you tried the recruit forums from the main page.

The Royal Marines and Parachute Regiment are generally regarded to be elite units by virtue of the extended and intensive training required to pass either the Commando course or P Coy. The RAF Regiment has its own selection course for its parachute squadron (II Sqn) and is therefore arguably an elite unit. Hence big 3.

As far as I know Rapier is now entirely operated by the Royal Artillery, a role the Regt lost.

No doubt there will be a Rock (rock ape is the nickname for all members of the regt) to give you more gen along soon, but the official site is the best guide. When you talk of rank levels you need to specify commissioned or not. I believe there is also another forum exclusively for RAF Regiment types. Google is your friend!

 

[Forest]

To be honest, the RAF website and Google are generally your best bet for gen on current RAF Regiment roles and operations.

3wheeledtechie is correct as far as Rapier is concerned. We now have 8 Field Sqns which rotate throught the operations cycle.

The Search and Rescue (SAR) role never really got off the ground (no pun intended) and their is no purpose made unit for this role, it is just something that the Regt MAY do in times of conflict. As a gunner your main role will be on a Field Sqn.

Going into much more detail about specific roles and deployments cant really be done on this forum (for obvious security reasons)

As for specific courses, it depends what you want to do and what rank you enter at, for example, Officers cannot become snipers or machine gunners as it is not within their job spec. Airmen can specialize in different roles wether it be medic, driver, signaller, sniper, mortarman (sometimes several) etc.

Officers are detailed with the more "bigger picture" courses such as Intelligence gathering/management. Some courses do overlap. (eg if you are an officer incharge of the mortar flight then you might well go and do a mortar course)

As for jungle training, some of the Sqns do go and do it occasionally as part of their continuation training but as you can imagine, it is only something to go and do if the Sqn isnt that busy (which at the minute is not very likely)
I'm not saying that you wont go and do some jungle training at some point in your career, but it may well be a case of if/when/maybe.

Hope this helps.

 

[SuffolkParham]

Thankyou for the replies

Thankyou for the replies

Thankyou to all that took the time to reply.

I will follow up the research tips , the security point was well made, and I will look at the other forums. I plan to look at the officer option since I have the grades and a little life experience and see how it works out.

Thanks again.