‘Mobilising the Reserve provides the Regular Army with a relatively quick solution for plugging manpower gaps and also the means to prime the pump.’ In this week’s episode, the creator of the popular Instagram page Tuesday Night Violence Co. joins us again to talk about his reserve battalion.  CPL Mitchell Clark is currently posted as the Training Sergeant at 2nd/17th Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment (2/17 RNSWR). He has bounced in-and-out of full-time and part-time service and today he talks us through what a typical reserve infantry battalion looks like, and the value that those who volunteer to be a part of our organisation bring. 

CPL Clark came to Army with a teaching background and finds real fulfilment in teaching and mentoring diggers as a Junior Non-Commissioned Officer. He has done jungle training in Malaysia as part of Rifle Company Butterworth, has deployed to Iraq with 6 RAR, was a Team Leader on Operation Resolute as part of the Transit Security Element and his career is not dissimilar from those he serves alongside. From diesel mechanics to medical professionals to architects, CPL Clark’s section looks a little bit different to a regular infantry one. 

High levels of motivation, bang-for-buck training and a vast breadth of experience epitomise our Reserve workforce. If you get to work with a reserve unit, ask plenty of questions to not only get to know your attachments but also what they can offer in terms of getting after problems that your current callsign might try to solve in more conventional means. 'Choccos’ bring a wealth of knowledge from their full-time professions and trades to an Army that is trying to solve more-and-more complex problems. 

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Subscribe to The Cove Podcast to make sure that you do not miss out on any of the heavy hitting content we have recorded with CPL Clark and many other amazing guests. if you haven’t already done so, go back and listen to CPL Clark’s previous episode and Mobilising through History which CPL Clark recommends in this episode.