Starting January 1, the Australian Army will expand its recruitment policy to include eligible permanent residents from any country, according to Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. Traditionally, Australia has collaborated closely with the UK, US, Canada, and New Zealand in intelligence sharing through the Five Eyes alliance, with a focus on recruiting from these nations. However, the new policy aims to broaden the recruitment pool significantly.
The decision comes amid growing concerns in Canberra about Beijing’s assertiveness. A strategic review of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) last year highlighted the importance of “growth and retention of a highly skilled defence workforce” to address these concerns. In 2020, the previous government announced a funding increase of A$38 billion (£19.8 billion; $25.4 billion) to boost the number of uniformed personnel by 30% within two decades.
Minister Matt Keogh noted that low unemployment levels in Australia have made recruitment challenging, with recent figures indicating that the ADF is short by approximately 4,400 personnel. While Australia has a history of accepting small numbers of military transfers from allied nations, the new eligibility rules are designed to expand the pool of potential recruits.
Prospective recruits must meet ADF entry standards and security requirements, have been permanent residents of Australia for over a year, and must not have served in a foreign military in the previous two years. Additionally, they must be eligible for Australian citizenship, which they will be offered and “expected” to take up after 90 days of service, according to Mr Matt Keogh.
Opposition spokesman for foreign affairs, Simon Birmingham, expressed conditional support for the plan but criticized the government’s broader defence strategy, suggesting it was undermining confidence and morale within the defence force. “We want to see, ideally, Australians wearing the Australian uniform,” Simon Birmingham told Sky News Australia.
