“Our world is becoming increasingly uncertain so it’s important we take steps now to protect our people and our national interest over the coming decades,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
“You can’t flick a switch to increase your army,navy and air force overnight,growing the type of people and skills we need to face the threats of the future takes time,so we must start now so critical skills can be taught and experience gained.”
The commitment to increase the Defence workforce by an additional 18,500 to more than 100,000 (which includes about 20,000 civilian staff) follows Department of Defence advice,after the need for more boots on the ground was outlined in the 2020 Force Structure Plan.
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The parliamentary committee on foreign affairs,defence and trade also recommended last year that the federal government review the size of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to make sure a sustainable force was available for future military operations as tensions in the Indo-Pacific rise.
“With a full-time force of only 58,600 (and a much smaller number of frontline combat personnel) the Committee is concerned that the ADF is too small to credibly field sufficient rotational combat forces for protracted high-end combat operations,either as a lead or contributing nation,”the November report said.
Under the 2040 expansion plan,the navy will increase recruitment to work on the new nuclear submarines that were announced as part of a new partnership with the US and UK last year. The first submarine is expected to be in the water by 2040.