Navy’s unusual drive to recruit nuclear submarine officers turns heads – The Week

In what may seem like a bit of a recruitment oddity, the Australian Navy is looking for candidates to become nuclear submarine officers and technicians and earn up to AUD 120,000.

Which is strange to ask, well, candidates don’t need to have any experience in the field.

According to media reports, the Navy is looking for high school graduates with “no experience at all” who will eventually learn to pilot the ship and potato its position.

The Australian Navy announcement said: “Your training will first equip you with technical expertise in nuclear propulsion, the platform and its equipment… You will then progress to submarine qualification and oversee day-to-day operations and could in a day to lead the entire crew as commanding officer”.

The Guardian quoted a defense spokesman as saying that the hiring initiative is part of the long-term strategy to have enough specialized personnel to be deployed on a Virginia-class submarine that the country will receive from the US in the 2030s “This is to ensure we have the right mix of candidates and to ensure we have time to build a sustainable career,” the spokesperson said.

Once recruited, the officer will undergo a year of nuclear training in the US and three months of basic submarine and warfare courses before being posted to a naval submarine for more training and experience, while the training period for submarine technicians it is 18 months, including six months of theory.

According to the ad, the job also offers “travel opportunities, job security, additional salary increases as you progress through training and grades, chef-prepared meals at sea, social and fitness facilities, balance of shore postings and on great (and a) variety. of allowances”.