Ads on TikTok and video games drive 15-year surge in defence force enrolment
The Australian Defence Force has been plagued by a recruitment and retention crisis in recent years, but in the past financial year, the military enlisted 7059 permanent personnel, the highest annual intake since 2009.
The full-time ADF workforce has now reached 61,189, slightly below its authorised strength of 62,700 permanent members but significantly up on previous estimates.
More than 75,000 people applied to join the ADF in the past year, the highest number in five years and a 28 per cent increase on the previous year.
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Defence Minister Richard Marles said the military was now on track to reach a target of 69,000 personnel by the early 2030s.
'In 2025, the ADF is now growing again for the first time in almost four years,' Marles said.
'While there is much more work to do, we are confident these positive trends will continue.'
Under the previous Coalition government, the ADF grew by 2000 people over nine years in office, he said.
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The Advertiser
a day 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
a day 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
