ADFA Chief of Defence Force Parade

The ADFA Chief of Defence Force Parade (CDF Parade) is an annual event organized by the Australian Defence Force Academy to mark the completion of the initial military training by incoming trainee officers. It is held in late February or early March.

The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) in Canberra provides military training and tertiary academic education for junior officers in the three branches of the Australian Defence Force: the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal Australian Navy. It also accepts international officer cadets from a variety of partner nations, including Fiji, Malaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The development of higher military education in Australia began after World War II, when it was deemed necessary to raise the educational standards for officers in training. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Department of Defence partnered with several universities to establish faculties and colleges of military studies to provide military training and tertiary academic education.

In 1974, the government announced its plan to establish a single higher education institution for the Defence Force. The Australian Defence Force Academy was formally established in 1977 and construction began in Canberra in 1981. ADFA officially opened and began accepting trainee officers in 1986. Tertiary academic education at ADFA is provided by the Canberra campus of the University of New South Wales, known as USNW Canberra at ADFA.

Junior officers attending ADFA hold the rank of Officer Cadet in the Australian Army / Royal Australian Air Force or Midshipman in the Royal Australian Navy. However, upon arrival at the Academy, they begin as Trainee Officers as they undergo Year One Familiarisation Training (YOFT). YOFT is a five-week intensive course that encompasses physical training, weapon training, drill, first aid, academic enrollments, and Professional Military Education (PME), culminating in the 24-hour Leadership Challenge One (LCO).

After first-year Trainee Officers complete YOFT and LCO, second- and third-year cadets return to ADFA for the new academic year, and Trainee Officers are formally commissioned as members of the Academy’s corps of Army Officer Cadets, Air Force Officer Cadets and Navy Midshipmen at during the traditional ADFA Chief of Defence Force Parade. The parade marks the Trainee Officers’ transition from civilians to ADFA cadets and serves as an opportunity for them to demonstrate their newfound teamwork and discipline to their families, friends, and community. It is reviewed by the Chief of the Defense Force, hence the name.

The CDF Parade is usually held on the last Saturday in February or the first Saturday in March from 9:30 am to 11:00 am. It is an invitation-only event; each of the participating Trainee Officers, of whom there are usually more than 300, may invite up to five guests (family members and/or friends). Members of the public can watch the parade via a live stream.