Forces newbie into ill-fated action the wrong way (5)
I believe the answer is:
cadet
'forces newbie' is the definition.
(new recruit in the armed forces)
'into ill-fated action the wrong way' is the wordplay.
'into' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'the wrong way' is a reversal indicator.
'tedac' is hidden within 'ill fated action'.
'tedac' back-to-front is 'CADET'.
(Other definitions for cadet that I've seen before include "Younger member of family" , "Junior officer; younger brother" , "aspiring officer" , "Officer-trainee" , "Trainee soldier" .)