Defence force recruitment has biggest surge in a decade
As of July, the permanent and full-time defence workforce reached just over 61,100 people.
Defence enlisted more than 7000 full-time personnel in 2024/25, which is the highest annual intake in more than 15 years, and a 17 per cent increase from 2023.
The federal government aims to reach 69,000 permanent defence force personnel by the early 2030s and has introduced targeted initiatives to address declining recruitment.
Significant investments had helped support current defence workers and grow the force for the future, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said.
"Throughout the near-decade the coalition was in office, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) grew by just 2000 people," he said.
"In 2025, the ADF is now growing again for the first time in almost four years, (and) while there is much more work to do, we are confident these positive trends will continue."
More than 75,000 applications to join the ADF were received in the past 12 months, the highest number in five years.
The government has invested in pay rises for critical skills and reformed the recruitment system to streamline the process.
Eligibility has also been expanded to permanent residents from the Five Eyes partner countries of Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
"Thanks to our recruitment and retention initiatives the ADF is seeing increased applications, enlistments and more people staying in service than we have in years," Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said.
"These efforts are complemented by our ongoing efforts to retain our personnel in service for longer, with improvements to how Defence personnel and their families are supported at work and at home."
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The Advertiser
10 hours ago
- The Advertiser
After years of backsliding, the ADF is growing again. What's behind the recruitment uptick?
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners. Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it's somewhat surprising to see there's finally been some progress. Recruitment has risen by 17 per cent over last year's figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1000 people short of the financial year target of 8105. Applications were also up by a whopping 28 per cent. So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what's behind it. In short, the recruitment drive is working. We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why. Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today - those in Gen Z - have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations. They also face greater mental health challenges that - rightly or wrongly - make many feel unsuited to serve their country. Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute. We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment. Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers. This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early. The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28 per cent in late July. In the United Kingdom, there was a 19 per cent rise in people joining the regular armed forces. And Canada's defence forces have just seen a 10-year high in recruitment, up by a staggering 55 per cent. So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily. For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting. Yet there is no evidence it's responsible for increased sign-ups. Our own security challenges - such as China's growing international assertiveness - are therefore not likely to be a driver here. Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what's behind the recruitment boost. Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on. One possibility is young people's attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason. This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary. Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride. It's also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost. It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry. It is conceivable these softened the ADF's reputation in the direction of Gen Z, signalling strong ethics and transparency. A recent survey from UNSW researchers, however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them. Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems it has. One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10 per cent of applicants are accepted. The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024. This included requirements around acne, outed as "stupid" by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse. With fewer soldiers on the front line, there's less need for high-level mental and physical stamina. Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the "war for talent" in an increasingly fierce labour market. This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package. These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10 per cent down to 7.9 per cent. There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply. According to Keogh, this generated some 500 extra applications. He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16-25 year olds: TikTok and video games. What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF's recruitment initiative has hit the mark. The range of measures - targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria - make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them. But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people. Given the force's target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there's some work still left to do. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners. Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it's somewhat surprising to see there's finally been some progress. Recruitment has risen by 17 per cent over last year's figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1000 people short of the financial year target of 8105. Applications were also up by a whopping 28 per cent. So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what's behind it. In short, the recruitment drive is working. We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why. Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today - those in Gen Z - have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations. They also face greater mental health challenges that - rightly or wrongly - make many feel unsuited to serve their country. Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute. We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment. Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers. This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early. The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28 per cent in late July. In the United Kingdom, there was a 19 per cent rise in people joining the regular armed forces. And Canada's defence forces have just seen a 10-year high in recruitment, up by a staggering 55 per cent. So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily. For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting. Yet there is no evidence it's responsible for increased sign-ups. Our own security challenges - such as China's growing international assertiveness - are therefore not likely to be a driver here. Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what's behind the recruitment boost. Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on. One possibility is young people's attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason. This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary. Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride. It's also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost. It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry. It is conceivable these softened the ADF's reputation in the direction of Gen Z, signalling strong ethics and transparency. A recent survey from UNSW researchers, however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them. Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems it has. One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10 per cent of applicants are accepted. The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024. This included requirements around acne, outed as "stupid" by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse. With fewer soldiers on the front line, there's less need for high-level mental and physical stamina. Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the "war for talent" in an increasingly fierce labour market. This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package. These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10 per cent down to 7.9 per cent. There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply. According to Keogh, this generated some 500 extra applications. He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16-25 year olds: TikTok and video games. What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF's recruitment initiative has hit the mark. The range of measures - targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria - make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them. But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people. Given the force's target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there's some work still left to do. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners. Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it's somewhat surprising to see there's finally been some progress. Recruitment has risen by 17 per cent over last year's figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1000 people short of the financial year target of 8105. Applications were also up by a whopping 28 per cent. So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what's behind it. In short, the recruitment drive is working. We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why. Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today - those in Gen Z - have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations. They also face greater mental health challenges that - rightly or wrongly - make many feel unsuited to serve their country. Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute. We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment. Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers. This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early. The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28 per cent in late July. In the United Kingdom, there was a 19 per cent rise in people joining the regular armed forces. And Canada's defence forces have just seen a 10-year high in recruitment, up by a staggering 55 per cent. So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily. For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting. Yet there is no evidence it's responsible for increased sign-ups. Our own security challenges - such as China's growing international assertiveness - are therefore not likely to be a driver here. Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what's behind the recruitment boost. Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on. One possibility is young people's attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason. This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary. Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride. It's also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost. It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry. It is conceivable these softened the ADF's reputation in the direction of Gen Z, signalling strong ethics and transparency. A recent survey from UNSW researchers, however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them. Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems it has. One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10 per cent of applicants are accepted. The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024. This included requirements around acne, outed as "stupid" by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse. With fewer soldiers on the front line, there's less need for high-level mental and physical stamina. Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the "war for talent" in an increasingly fierce labour market. This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package. These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10 per cent down to 7.9 per cent. There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply. According to Keogh, this generated some 500 extra applications. He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16-25 year olds: TikTok and video games. What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF's recruitment initiative has hit the mark. The range of measures - targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria - make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them. But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people. Given the force's target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there's some work still left to do. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners. Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it's somewhat surprising to see there's finally been some progress. Recruitment has risen by 17 per cent over last year's figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1000 people short of the financial year target of 8105. Applications were also up by a whopping 28 per cent. So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what's behind it. In short, the recruitment drive is working. We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why. Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today - those in Gen Z - have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations. They also face greater mental health challenges that - rightly or wrongly - make many feel unsuited to serve their country. Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute. We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment. Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers. This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early. The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28 per cent in late July. In the United Kingdom, there was a 19 per cent rise in people joining the regular armed forces. And Canada's defence forces have just seen a 10-year high in recruitment, up by a staggering 55 per cent. So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily. For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting. Yet there is no evidence it's responsible for increased sign-ups. Our own security challenges - such as China's growing international assertiveness - are therefore not likely to be a driver here. Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what's behind the recruitment boost. Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on. One possibility is young people's attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason. This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary. Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride. It's also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost. It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry. It is conceivable these softened the ADF's reputation in the direction of Gen Z, signalling strong ethics and transparency. A recent survey from UNSW researchers, however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them. Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems it has. One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10 per cent of applicants are accepted. The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024. This included requirements around acne, outed as "stupid" by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse. With fewer soldiers on the front line, there's less need for high-level mental and physical stamina. Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the "war for talent" in an increasingly fierce labour market. This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package. These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10 per cent down to 7.9 per cent. There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply. According to Keogh, this generated some 500 extra applications. He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16-25 year olds: TikTok and video games. What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF's recruitment initiative has hit the mark. The range of measures - targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria - make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them. But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people. Given the force's target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there's some work still left to do.
Canberra Times
12 hours ago
- Canberra Times
After years of backsliding, the ADF is growing again. What's behind the recruitment uptick?
Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! Be the first to know when news breaks. As it happens Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. Get the very best journalism from The Canberra Times by signing up to our special reports. As it happens Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. Get the latest property and development news here. We've selected the best reading for your weekend. Join our weekly poll for Canberra Times readers. Your exclusive preview of David Pope's latest cartoon. Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. Don't miss updates on news about the Public Service. As it happens Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. More from Defence This article first appeared on The Conversation Robert Hoffman is a professor of economics at the University of Tasmania. But as of July 1, the full-time ADF workforce was at 61,189 people . Given the force's target is 69,000 by the 2030s, there's some work still left to do. The range of measures - targeted advertising, better pay and conditions, or eligibility criteria - make it hard to tell which did the work. It may be a combination of all of them. What does all this tell us? As none of the underlying reasons why young Australians serve have changed since last year, it seems the ADF's recruitment initiative has hit the mark. He also suggested the biggest driver was embedding ADF recruitment adverts into the media frequented by the target group of 16-25 year olds: TikTok and video games. According to Keogh , this generated some 500 extra applications. There were more measures, such as improving the processing of applications, and allowing citizens of New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK to apply. These measures also explain why, as more new soldiers were recruited, fewer existing ones quit: attrition fell from about 10 per cent down to 7.9 per cent. This too has been done: better pay, study, housing and health support are all part of a A$600 million government package . Another suggestion was to make the ADF more competitive in the " war for talent " in an increasingly fierce labour market. This made sense as military roles are becoming more diverse . With fewer soldiers on the front line, there's less need for high-level mental and physical stamina. The ADF lowered medical requirements in 2024 . This included requirements around acne, outed as " stupid " by Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh. One example is mental and physical fitness standards. Commentators have argued mental health concerns can stop young people signing up. And stringent requirements mean less than 10 per cent of applicants are accepted . Military recruitment depends on the employer as much as on the employee. Has the ADF done something to make service more attractive? It seems it has. So what is it then? A recent survey from UNSW researchers , however, suggests that while these perceptions matter, there is limited awareness of the commissions and the issues that caused them. It is conceivable these softened the ADF's reputation in the direction of Gen Z , signalling strong ethics and transparency. It also could be that the image of the military has improved. We have had two high-profile commissions: the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide and the Brereton Afghanistan Inquiry. It's also unlikely fundamental values such as nationalism can change quickly enough to explain the sudden recruitment boost. This is not likely to be the case in Australia. If anything, there are indications to the contrary . Former army chief Peter Leary blamed poor recruitment and retention on falling national pride. One possibility is young people's attitudes. The US Army has singled out renewed patriotism among youth as a reason. Typically, military service is a steady gig in bad economic times. But price rises have been largely reined in, unemployment remains relatively low and consumer confidence has improved. Economic factors are unlikely to explain what is going on. Alternatively, we can look closer to home to see what's behind the recruitment boost. Our own security challenges - such as China's growing international assertiveness - are therefore not likely to be a driver here. For many young Germans, for example, the Ukraine war is deeply and personally affecting . Yet there is no evidence it's responsible for increased sign-ups. So are people joining the armed forces in response to geopolitical issues? Not necessarily. And Canada's defence forces have just seen a 10-year high in recruitment , up by a staggering 55 per cent. In the United Kingdom , there was a 19 per cent rise in people joining the regular armed forces. The German Bundeswehr reported a year-on-year recruitment uptick of 28 per cent in late July. This year, the United States army met its target of recruiting 61,000 troops annually several months early. Looking at comparable countries with volunteer defence forces, it turns out Australia is not alone in rising interest in military careers. We can make sense of the Australian figures by eliminating some possible explanations. The first is the idea that international conflict is driving recruitment. Economic factors play a role too. Low unemployment and a perception of better opportunities, work conditions and future prospects in the private sector also contribute. They also face greater mental health challenges that - rightly or wrongly - make many feel unsuited to serve their country. Some of reasons are cultural: young Australians today - those in Gen Z - have more circumspect attitudes to nation and duty compared to previous generations. We were commissioned by the ADF to examine declining recruitment. As of June last year, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges had signed up. We wanted to know why. Graduates at Duntroon Military College in Canberra in 2021. Picture by Karleen Minney In short, the recruitment drive is working. So what has changed to explain this turnaround? In order to maintain it and be better prepared for the security challenges Australia faces, we need to know what's behind it. Applications were also up by a whopping 28 per cent. Recruitment has risen by 17 per cent over last year's figure. This exceeds planned growth and reverses a steady decline over the past 15 years, albeit still falls around 1000 people short of the financial year target of 8105. Given talk of chronic shortages and a perennial recruitment crisis in Western volunteer forces, it's somewhat surprising to see there's finally been some progress. All other regional websites in your area The digital version of Today's Paper All articles from our website & app Login or signup to continue reading Subscribe now for unlimited access. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been facing a recruitment crisis for years. A lack of young people wanting to join has prompted a variety of responses from the force, including opening eligibility to some foreigners . Your digital subscription includes access to content from all our websites in your region. Access unlimited news content and The Canberra Times app. Premium subscribers also enjoy interactive puzzles and access to the digital version of our print edition - Today's Paper. Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List Login or create a free account to save this to My Saved List
The Australian
19 hours ago
- The Australian
The government's best major defence purchase
Mogami was selected over the German-made ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' MEKO A-200 because it was the more capable ship and the company had a better industrial plan, Defence Minister Richard Marles announced. As Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Euan Graham said before the decision was announced, he had been told the Japanese were 'ahead on every significant criteria except price'. The US is believed to have quietly supported the Japanese bid. The frigates will help secure Australia's maritime trade routes and vital northern approaches. It is a significant advantage that Japan offered to allocate a ship that was already in production to Australia, accelerating delivery of the first vessel. It is scheduled to be delivered in 2029 and operational in 2030. The program will cost $10bn over a decade, delivering three vessels to be built in Japan. The remaining eight will be built at the Henderson shipbuilding precinct in Western Australia. Japanese ambassador Kazuhiro Suzuki said the process would kickstart an advanced manufacturing boom in Australia, as Ben Packham reports. Before the decision was announced, Mr Suzuki said at least 12 major Japanese companies would invest in Australia if MHI's bid succeeded. While Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy previously said that the decision would be made on the basis of the frigates' design and the bidders' industrial plans, rather than geopolitical considerations, the selection also provides important strategic benefits. 'There's no other country in the world that is quite as aligned with Australia as Japan,'' Mr Marles said. The contract would cement Japan's quasi alliance with Australia (sometimes colloquially referred to as 'Jaukus''), Mr Suzuki said, adding: 'Japan and Australia held 39 joint exercises last year, including multilateral ones – roughly one in every nine days.'' The decision, which deserves the bipartisan support it has attracted, is the Albanese government's most important and best defence decision to date, as Greg Sheridan writes. It contributes to the strategic evolution of Japan as a major military and industrial power within the US alliance and gives life to the vision that Tony Abbott pioneered as prime minister by trying to partner with Tokyo to build Australia's future submarine. On that occasion, Japan lost out to France's Naval Group, which later lost the contract when the Morrison government committed to the AUKUS partnership, with nuclear-powered submarines. As China takes its military build-up across the Asia-Pacific region to a level unparalleled since World War II, dangerous times demand lethal defences. The Mogami frigate is designed to carry plenty of firepower. Mr Marles described it as a 'next-generation'' stealthy vessel, with 32 vertical launch cells capable of launching long-range missiles. It also has a highly capable radar and sonar. It was 'a general-purpose frigate capable of engaging in air warfare and undersea warfare', he said. News of the frigates comes a day after Mr Marles announced an improvement in the number of ADF recruitments and retention. Rarely has defence hardware and personnel mattered as much in peacetime. Purchasing the MHI frigates is an important step that paves the way not only for more defence spending, but judicious spending. Read related topics: AUKUS
