Australia Opens its Military to Foreign Recruits as Enlistment Plummets

Australia has been battling with enlistment shortages as it strives to strengthen its military forces in response to what it claims are escalating regional threats. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) will now accept foreign recruits to assist expanding its ranks.

New Zealand nationals who are permanent residents of Australia can apply to join beginning in July, while recruits from the UK and other nations, including the United States and Canada, will be able to join beginning next year.

Minister for Defence Richard Marles stated that the adjustments to qualifying rules were “essential to meet the nation’s security challenges through the next decade and beyond”.

Australia and New Zealand already have a longstanding “Anzac bond,” he said, referring to their history of fighting side by side at Gallipoli during World War One.

The Five Eyes Military Alliance

And in recent years, Australia has attempted to strengthen ties with the United Kingdom and the United States, joining the Aukus accord in 2021, a broad defense and security partnership designed at countering Chinese military expansion in the Indo-Pacific area.

The Five Eyes alliance, which includes Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand, also collaborates closely on intelligence sharing.

There is a focus on recruiting people from these countries, although Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh has stated that starting January 1, “any” qualifying permanent resident can apply.

Canberra has consistently expressed rising concerns about Beijing’s aggression, and a strategic review of the Australian defense Force released last year identified the “growth and retention of a highly skilled defence workforce” as a vital countermeasure.

In 2020, the previous government committed A$38 billion (£19.8 billion; $25.4) in funding to raise the number of uniformed personnel by 30% over the next two decades.

Permanent Residents of Australia

However, Mr Keogh claims that low unemployment in Australia has made it “very difficult” to recruit, with recent government numbers showing that the ADF is already short approximately 4,400 troops.

While Australia has previously accepted a modest number of military transfers from ally countries, the new eligibility standards aim to significantly expand the pool of potential recruits.

In addition to passing ADF admission standards and security requirements, applicants must be permanent residents of Australia for at least a year and have not served in a foreign military in the previous two years.

They must also be eligible for Australian citizenship, which they will be offered and “expected” to obtain after 90 days of service, according to Mr Keogh.

The opposition’s foreign affairs spokesman stated that while they were not opposed to the plan, the government’s defense strategy was hurting the defense force’s confidence and morale.

“We want to see, ideally, Australians wearing the Australian uniform,” Simon Birmingham told Sky News Australia.

Source: BBC