Page 117 - Australian Defence Magazine September 2018

turn was formed from the previous Com- mando Training Wing within the 4th Bat- talion Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR Commando).
According to Defence, SOTEC’s role is to, “Generate a modernised framework for quality, whole-of-command and individu- al learning in areas unique to SOCOMD that assures professional standards and cultivates relationships amongst Special Operations professionals.”
It is tasked with the generation of what Army refers to as “world class and trusted personnel”, which will make up small, high performing teams to fulfil the roles specified by Army and ultimately by Government. It therefore aims to deliver pan-command individual special opera- tions training and education for both the badged members of the Commando and SAS Regiments and the special forces sup- port staff within SOCOMD.
“Throughout its history the unit has had an almost exclusive focus on training Com- mandos, but that’s not the case now,” Com- mandant SOTEC explained to ADM.
“Over the years we have gravitated away from exclusively focussing on the train- ing of Commandos for the 1st and 2nd Commando Regiments to more broadly focussing on a range of functions on behalf of SOCOMD. Special Operations Com- mander Australia (SOCAUST), Major General Adam Findlay, refers to SOTEC as SOCOMD’s schoolhouse.”
Roles
SOTEC is currently tasked with recruit- ing, selecting and training SOCOMD personnel from ab-initio through to ad- vanced skills, and it is responsible for edu- cating personnel throughout their careers. It also has a role in the analysis and design of the way in which individual training is conducted within SOCOMD and this
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