The
Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the
military organisation responsible for the
defence of
Australia. It consists of the
Royal Australian Navy, the
Australian Army, the
Royal Australian Air Force and a
number of 'tri-service' units.
During the first decades of the 20th century, the
Australian Government established
three separate armed services. Each service had an independent
chain of command. In 1976, the
government made a strategic change and established the ADF to place
the services under a single headquarters. Over time, the degree of
integration has increased and tri-service headquarters, logistics
and training institutions have supplanted many single-service
establishments.
The ADF is technologically sophisticated but relatively small.
Although the ADF's 53,000 full-time active-duty personnel and
20,000
reservists make it the
largest military in
Oceania, it is much
smaller than most Asian militaries and suffers from shortages in
some categories of skilled personnel. Nonetheless, the ADF is able
to deploy forces in multiple locations outside Australia.
Role
Legal standing
The ADF's legal standing draws on the Executive Government sections
of the
Australian
Constitution. Section 51(vi) gives the
Commonwealth Government the power to
make laws regarding Australia's defence and defence forces. Section
114 of the Constitution prevents the States from raising armed
forces without the permission of the Commonwealth and Section 119
gives the Commonwealth responsibility for defending Australia from
invasion and sets out the conditions under which the government can
deploy the defence force domestically.
Section 68 of the Constitution sets out the ADF's command
arrangements. The Section states that "the command in chief of the
naval and military forces of the Commonwealth is vested in the
Governor-General as
the
Queen's representative."
The Constitution does not mention the Air Force as aircraft had not
been invented when it was written. Subsequent legislation places
the Air Force under the same command structure.
In practice, the Governor General does not play an active part in
the ADF's command structure and the elected
Australian Government controls the
ADF. The
Minister for
Defence and several subordinate ministers
exercise this control. The
Minister acts on most matters alone, though the National Security
Committee of
Cabinet considers
important matters. The Minister then advises the Governor-General
who acts as advised in the normal form of
executive government.
Current priorities
In 2000, the Australian Government developed a
white paper to guide all aspects of its defence
policy. The White Paper sets out and explains the ADF's priorities.
The paper states that the ADF has three priorities. The first of
these priorities is to maintain the capability to defend Australian
territory from any credible attack, without relying on help from
the combat forces of any other country. The second priority is to
contribute to the security of Australia's immediate neighbourhood
through working with neighbouring countries and participating in
United Nations-sanctioned
peacekeeping operations. The third priority for
the ADF is to contribute to international coalitions of forces
outside of Australia's immediate neighbourhood where Australian
interests are engaged. The ADF is also responsible for contributing
to coastal surveillance and responding to emergencies, including
natural disasters.
Australia's National Security. A Defence Update
2007 reviewed national security policies. This document states
that "because of the increasing complexity of the international
security environment, Australia must prepare for a range of
possible events, both close to home and further afield, with
lessened forewarning of crises.". To meet these events it is argued
that the ADF must be capable of acting independently within
Australia's region to
deter or defeat
threats to Australia's territory and interests. This includes
possessing a capability to conduct military operations at short
notice. The document also states that the ADF must be able to make
a significant contribution to international coalition operations
outside Australia's region. The ADF is not expected to be capable
of acting independently outside this region, however.
The
Defending
Australia in the Asia Pacific Century: Force 2030 white
paper was released in May 2009 by the MoD under Fitzgibbon. It laid
out a plan for an enlarged navy to allow Australia to conduct
independent military operations. The changes included a doubling of
the submarine force to 12 boats of greater capability than the
Collins, replacing the Anzacs with a more capable frigate class and
other improvements for offshore maritime warfare. The paper also
concluded that 100 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters would be
needed.
History
Formation of the Australian Defence Force
Australia has maintained military forces since
federation as a nation in January
1901. Upon Federation, the Australian Government established the
Australian Army and Commonwealth
Naval Force. In 1909, the Government established the
Royal Australian Navy, which absorbed
the Commonwealth Naval Force. The Army established the Australian
Flying Corps in 1912 although this separated to form the
Royal Australian Air Force in
1921. The services were not linked by a single chain of command, as
they each reported to their own separate Minister and had separate
administrative arrangements. The three services saw action around
the world during
World War I
and
World War
II.
The importance of
'joint' warfare was
made clear to the Australian Military during
World War II when Australian naval, ground and
air units frequently served as part of single commands. Following
the war, several senior officers lobbied for the appointment of a
commander in chief of the three
services. The government rejected this proposal and the three
services remained fully independent. The absence of a central
authority resulted in poor coordination between the services with
each service organising and operating on the basis of a different
military doctrine.
The need for an integrated command structured received more
emphasis during
the
Australian military's experiences in the Vietnam War. In 1973,
the Secretary of the
Department of Defence,
Arthur Tange, submitted a report to the
Government that recommended
the unification of the separate departments supporting each service
into a single Department of Defence and the creation of the post of
Chief of the Defence Force Staff. The government accepted these
recommendations and the Australian Defence Force was established on
9 February 1976.
Defence of Australia era

Australian soldiers lead a column of
American troops during Exercise Kangaroo '89, which was held in
northern Australia.
Until the 1970s, Australia's military strategy centred on the
concept of 'forward defence', in which the role of the Australian
military was to cooperate with Allied forces to counter threats in
Australia's region. In 1969, when the United States began the
Guam Doctrine and the British withdrew
'
east of Suez', Australia developed a
defence policy emphasising self-reliance of the Australian
continent. This policy was the
Defence of Australia Policy.
Under DOA, the focus of Australian defence planning was to protect
Australia's northern maritime approaches (the 'air-sea gap')
against enemy attack. In line with this goal, the ADF was
restructured to increase its ability to strike at enemy forces from
Australian bases and to counter raids on continental Australia. The
ADF achieved this by increasing the capabilities of the RAN and
RAAF and relocating regular Army units to
northern Australia.
At this time, the ADF had no military units on operational
deployment outside Australia.
In 1987, the ADF made its first operational
deployment as part of Operation
Morris Dance, in which several warships and a rifle company
deployed to the waters off Fiji
in response
to the 1987 Fijian coups
d'état. While broadly successful, this deployment
highlighted the need for the ADF to improve its capability to
rapidly respond to unforeseen events.
Since the late 1980s, the Government has increasingly called upon
the ADF to contribute forces to peacekeeping missions around the
world. While most of these deployments involved only small numbers
of specialists, several led to the deployment of hundreds of
personnel.
Large peacekeeping deployments were made to
Namibia
in early 1989, Cambodia
between 1992
and 1993, Somalia in 1993, Rwanda
between 1994
and 1995 and Bougainville
in 1994 and from 1997 onwards.
The
Australian
contribution to the 1991 Gulf War was the first time Australian
personnel were deployed to an active war zone since the
establishment of the ADF.
Although the warships and clearance diving team deployed
to the Persian
Gulf
did not see combat, the deployment tested the ADF's
capabilities and command structure. Following the war the
Navy regularly deployed a
frigate to the Persian Gulf or Red Sea to enforce the
trade sanctions imposed on Iraq.
East Timor and after
In 1996,
John Howard led the
Liberal Party's election campaign
and became Prime Minister. Subsequently, there were significant
reforms to the ADF's force structure and role. The new government's
defence strategy placed less emphasis on defending Australia from
direct attack and greater emphasis on working in cooperation with
regional states and
Australia's allies to manage
potential security threats. In line with this new focus, the ADF's
force structure changed in an attempt to increase the proportion of
combat units to support units and to improve the ADF's combat
effectiveness.
The ADF's experiences during the
deployment to East Timor in
1999 led to significant changes in Australia's defence policies
and to an enhancement of the ADF's ability to conduct operations
outside Australia. This successful deployment was the first time a
large Australian military force had operated outside of Australia
since the Vietnam War and revealed shortcomings in the ADF's
ability to mount and sustain such operations.
In 2000, the Government released a new Defence White Paper,
Defence 2000 - Our Future Defence Force that placed a
greater emphasis on preparing the ADF for overseas deployments. The
Government committed to improve the ADF's capabilities by improving
the readiness and equipment of ADF units, expanding the ADF and
increasing
real Defence
expenditure by 3% per year. In 2003 and 2005, the
Defence
Updates emphasised this focus on expeditionary operations and
the result has been an expansion and modernisation of the
ADF.
Since 2000, the ADF's expanded force structure and deployment
capabilities have been put to the test on a number of occasions.
Following
the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the United States, Australia committed a
special forces task group and an
air-to-air refuelling aircraft
to operations in Afghanistan
, and naval warships to the Persian Gulf
as Operation
Slipper. In 2003, approximately 2000 ADF personnel,
including a special forces task group, three warships and 14
F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, took part in
the
invasion of
Iraq.
Later in
2003, elements of all three services deployed to the Solomon Islands
as part of the Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. In late 2004, over
1000 ADF personnel deployed to Indonesia in Operation Sumatra Assist following
the 2004 Indian
Ocean earthquake
. In May 2006, approximately 2000 ADF personnel
deployed to East
Timor
in Operation Astute
following unrest between elements of the Timor Leste Defence
Force.
Current operations
In September 2008 around 3,500 Australian Defence Force personnel
were deployed on overseas operations. An additional 450 to 500
personnel were also deployed on domestic maritime security tasks.
While these deployments have placed pressure on some elements of
the military, and particularly the Army, the ADF is not currently
'overstretched'.
The ADF currently has one large scale deployment in the
Middle East.
The ADF's contribution to the international coalition against terrorism
in Afghanistan
is the largest ADF deployment, with 1,550 personnel
being deployed to the country and a further 830 personnel deployed
across the Middle East in support of Operation Slipper. About 100 personnel
are also deployed to or near Iraq
in Operation Catalyst protecting the
Australian Embassy in Baghdad
. The
ADF also maintains three small contributions totalling 52 personnel
to peacekeeping operations in the Middle East and Africa.
ADF units are currently deployed on two operations in Australia's
immediate neighbourhood.
Approximately 750 personnel, most of whom
form part of the joint Australia-New Zealand International Security
Force, are deployed to East
Timor
on peacekeeping duties as part of Operation Astute. A rifle company
group of 140 personnel is also deployed in the Solomon Islands as
the ADF's contribution to the
Regional
Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands.
Future trends
Australia's changing security environment will lead to new demands
being placed on the Australian Defence Force. Although it is not
expected that Australia will face any threat of direct attack,
terrorist groups and tensions between
nations in
East Asia pose threats to
Australian security. The unstable governments in many South Pacific
countries may lead to some of these countries becoming
failed states in the future. Such failed states
may require military-led interventions to restore
civil government.
Australian demographic
trends will put pressure on the ADF in the future. Excluding
other factors, the aging of the Australian population will result
in smaller numbers of potential recruits entering the Australian
labour market each year. Some
predictions are that population aging will result in slower
economic growth and increased government expenditure on pensions
and health programs. As a result of these trends, the aging of
Australia's population may worsen the ADF's manpower situation and
may force the Government to reallocate some of the Defence budget.
In addition, the current labour shortages across much of the
Australian economy may
frustrate the ADF's expansion plans and delay the introduction of
new equipment.
The increasing cost of defence equipment also poses a challenge to
the ADF. The
Australian Strategic
Policy Institute estimates that the cost of purchasing and
operating the equipment in the
Defence Capability Plan may
exceed the projected Defence Budget. If additional resources are
not made available to correct this funding shortfall the government
may be forced to reduce the ADF's size.
The ADF has developed strategies to respond to Australia's changing
strategic environment and population base. These strategies include
expanding the ADF and introducing new equipment in order to
increase Australia's
strategic weight. To
maintain Australia's qualitative lead over neighbouring states the
ADF intends to introduce new technologies and maintain the high
quality of Australian military training. The ADF is also seeking to
develop and implement improved military tactics based upon the
integration of technology and better cooperation between the
services.
Current structure
The Australian Defence Force and
Australian Department of
Defence together make up the
Australian Defence
Organisation (ADO). A
diarchy of the
Chief of the
Defence Force and the Secretary of Defence administers the ADO.
The ADF is the military component of the ADO and consists of the
Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army and the Royal
Australian Air Force (RAAF).
The Department of Defence is staffed by both
civilian and military personnel and includes
agencies such as the
Defence Intelligence
Organisation (DIO), the
Defence Materiel Organisation
(DMO) and the
Defence Science and
Technology Organisation (DSTO). The DMO purchases and maintains
defence equipment. The DSTO provides science and technology support
to the defence forces.
Command arrangements
The
Chief of the
Defence Force (CDF) is the most senior appointment in the ADF.
The CDF commands the ADF under the direction of the
Minister of Defence and is
notionally the equal of the Secretary of Defence, the most senior
public servant in the Department of Defence. The CDF is the only
four-star officer in the ADF and is a
General,
Admiral or
Air Chief Marshal. Hugh White, a prominent
academic and former Deputy Secretary in the Department of Defence,
has criticised the ADF's current command structure. White argues
that the Minister plays too large a role in military
decision-making and does not provide the CDF and Secretary of
Defence with necessary and sufficient authority to manage the ADO
effectively.
Under the current ADF command structure the day-to-day management
of the ADF is distinct from the command of military operations. The
services are administered through the Australian Defence
Organisation, with the head of each service (the
Chief of Navy,
Chief of Army and
Chief of Air Force) and the
service headquarters being responsible for raising, training and
sustaining combat forces. The Chiefs are also the Government's
principal advisor on matters concerning the responsibilities of
their service.
While the individual members of each service ultimately report to
their service's Chief, the Chiefs do not control military
operations. Control of ADF operations is exercised through a formal
command chain headed by the
Chief of Joint
Operations (CJOPS), who reports to the CDF. As part of this
structure each service is organised into an administrative
headquarters (Navy, Army and Air Force headquarters) which supports
the service Chief and an operational command (Fleet Headquarters,
Land Command and Air Command) which report to the respective
service Chief but are responsive to CJOPS.
The Navy and Army also have a training command which reports to the
head of the respective service (the RAAF's Training Group has
formed part of Air Command since 2006). Several 'joint' operational
task forces also report to CJOPS. In practice, when ADF units
deploy on exercises or operational deployments they are temporarily
re-assigned from their respective service to the relevant
operational headquarters.
Other countries with integrated military command structures
comparable to Australia's include Canada (
Canadian Forces), Britain (
British Armed Forces) and New Zealand
(
New Zealand Defence
Force).
Joint combat forces
Operational command of the ADF is exercised
by Headquarters Joint Operations
Command
(HQJOC), which is located in Canberra. This
command was initially established as Headquarters Australian
Theatre in 1997 and was re-designated in 2004. The Vice-Chief of
Defence Force has the additional responsibility of Chief of Joint
Operations, directing the JOC.
The ADF has a number of permanent joint operational commands
responsible to the Vice-Chief of Defence Force. Joint Logistics
Command is responsible for managing the ADF's logistics, which it
achieves through regional Joint Logistics units and contracts with
private companies.
Special Operations
Command currently draws almost exclusively from the Army and is
responsible for all of Australia's
special forces assets.
Northern Command, headquartered
in Darwin
, is responsible for operations in Northern Australia and has elements of
the three services under its command at all times. The ADF
also has two Deployable Joint Force Headquarters; one is based on
the Army's
1st Division
headquarters and the other on the Navy's Commodore Flotillas
headquarters. The designation of these headquarters are DJFHQ
(Land) and DJFHQ (Maritime), respectively. Temporary joint task
force headquarters are also often formed during deployments and
exercises.
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the
naval
branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAN operates over
50 vessels, including
frigates,
submarines,
patrol
boats and auxiliary ships. The RAN is one of the most modern
navies in the Pacific and is responsible for defending Australian
waters and undertaking operations in distant locations.
There are two parts to the RAN's structure. One is an operational
command, Fleet Headquarters, and the other is a support command,
Navy Systems Command. The Navy's assets are administered by seven
Force Element Groups (FEGs), which report to the
Commander Australian Fleet. The
seven FEGs are: Australian Navy Surface Combatants Force,
Amphibious Warfare Forces along with the Afloat Support Force,
Naval Aviation Force,
Australian Navy
Submarine Force, Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Forces,
Australian Navy Patrol Boat
Force and the
Australian Navy
Hydrographic Force.
Australian Army

The Australian Army's structure in
2009
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. While the
Australian Army is principally a
light
infantry force, it is currently being 'hardened and networked'
and expanded to enable it to conduct higher-intensity
operations.
Land
Command is the authority responsible for the operations of
Australian land forces and has its headquarters in Sydney
. The
organisation of the Australian Army's combat forces is as follows.
A Mechanised Brigade
1
Brigade , a Light Infantry Brigade
3 Brigade, a motorised Brigade
7 Brigade, six
Army Reserve brigades, an aviation
brigade and a logistics brigade. The Army's main tactical
formations are
battlegroups
formed around the headquarters of a
battalion-sized formation.
The Australian Army is capable of fielding up to nine battlegroups
(one armoured, two cavalry, five infantry and one aviation), though
it would not be feasible to deploy all nine battlegroups
simultaneously. The 'hardened and networked' Army initiative will
add two further battlegroups. The six Army Reserve brigades suffer
from serious shortfalls in personnel and equipment and are not
capable of being deployed as formed units or providing full
strength sub-units at short notice.
While the Australian Army has two
divisional headquarters, only one (the
1st Division) is deployable
as the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters (Land). The Headquarters
of the
2nd Division
performs administrative functions only and supports the five Army
Reserve brigades located outside the state of Queensland. The
Australian Army has not deployed a divisional sized formation since
1945 and does not expect to do so in the future.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the
air force branch of the Australian Defence Force.
The RAAF has modern
combat and
transport aircraft and a network of
bases in strategic locations across Australia.
Unlike the other services, the RAAF has only a single operational
command,
RAAF Air Command, which
includes the
Air Force Training
Group. RAAF Air Command is the operational arm of the RAAF and
also consists of the
Air Combat
Group,
Air Lift Group,
Surveillance and
Response Group,
Combat
Support Group and
Aerospace Operational
Support Group. Each group consists of a number of
wings.
The RAAF has
seventeen
flying squadrons; four combat squadrons, two maritime patrol
squadrons, five transport squadrons, five training squadrons
(including three
operational
conversion unit) and one
Airborne Early Warning
& Control squadron, which is currently forming. A large
number of ground support units support these flying squadrons,
including three expeditionary combat support squadrons, three
airfield defence squadrons
and communications, radar and medical units.
Logistic support
The Australian Defence Force's
logistics are managed by the Defence
Material Organisation and the Joint Logistics Command. The DMO was
created in 2000 by merging the ADF's Support Command Australia with
the Department of Defence's Defence Acquisition Organisation and
National Support Division. The DMO purchases all forms of equipment
and services used by the ADF and is also responsible for
maintaining this equipment throughout its life of type.
The DMO is not responsible for directly supplying deployed ADF
units; this is the responsibility of the Joint Logistics Command
and the single service logistic units. These units include the
Navy's Systems Command and replenishment ships, the Army's
17th Combat Service Support Brigade
and Combat Service Support Battalions, and the RAAF's
Combat Support Group.
The increasing role of the
private
sector forms an important trend in the ADF's logistics
arrangements. During the 1990s many of the ADF's support functions
were transferred to the private sector to improve the efficiency
with which they were provided. Since these reforms most of the
'garrison' support services at military bases have been provided by
private firms. The reforms
also led to many of the ADF's logistics units being disbanded or
reduced in size.
Private firms have increasingly been contracted to provide critical
support to ADF units deployed outside Australia. This support has
included transporting equipment and personnel and constructing and
supplying bases. The ADF's use of contractors to support military
operations is not as extensive as that of the United States and
British militaries, however, and there may be scope for further
'outsourcing'.
Military intelligence
The Australian Defence Force's
intelligence collection and analysis
capabilities include each of the services' intelligence systems and
units, two joint civilian-military
intelligence
gathering agencies and two strategic and operational-level
intelligence analysis
organisations.
Each of the three services has its own intelligence assets. RAN
doctrine states that "all maritime units" contribute to the
collection of intelligence and many of the RAN's ships are capable
of collecting communications and electronic transmissions. The
Collins class submarines are
particularly effective in this role. The Army's intelligence units
include the 1st Intelligence Battalion, 7th Signals Regiment
(Electronic Warfare), three
Regional Force Surveillance
Units and the
Special Air Service
Regiment. The RAAF's intelligence assets include the
Jindalee Operational Radar
Network and other air defence radars,
AP-3
Orion and
RF-111
aircraft and
No. 87 Squadron.
The
Defence Intelligence and
Security Group within the Department of Defence supports the
services. This Group consists of the
Defence Imagery and
Geospatial Organisation (DIGO),
Defence Signals Directorate
(DSD) and
Defence
Intelligence Organisation (DIO). The DIGO is responsible for
geospatial intelligence and producing maps
for the ADF, the DSD is Australia's
signals
intelligence agency and the DIO is responsible for the analysis
of intelligence collected by the other intelligence agencies. The
DIO and the Joint Operations Intelligence Centre within
Headquarters Joint Operations Command are responsible for analysing
the information collected and disseminating this analysis to the
relevant sections of the ADF and the Australian Government.
Personnel

Two members of a RAN boarding team
prepare for a training exercise in 2007
The Australian military has been an
all-volunteer force since
the abolition of conscription in
1972. Both women and men can enlist in the ADF, although there
are some restrictions on the positions that women may fill.
Recruits must be either Australian citizens or permanent residents
eligible for citizenship. The minimum age for recruits is 17 and
the retirement age is 60 for permanent personnel and 65 for
reservists.
Personnel numbers
In the 2007–2008 financial year the ADF had an average strength of
53,167 permanent (full-time) and 20,340 active reserve (part-time)
personnel. In addition there are approxiamately 25,000 inactive
members of the Standby Reserve. The Army is the largest service,
followed by the RAAF and RAN. In that time, the ADO also employed
an average of 15,057 civilian members of the
Australian Public Service and 620
professional service providers. Average levels for the financial
year were as follows:
| Service |
Permanent |
Active Reserve |
Total |
| Navy |
12,935 |
1,795 |
14,730 |
| Army |
26,611 |
15,892 |
42,503 |
| Air Force |
13,621 |
2,653 |
16,274 |
| Total |
53,167 |
20,340 |
73,507 |

The average permanent strengths of the
services between 1990 and 2006.
Under current government policies the ADF will expand to 57,000
full time personnel, requiring around 6,500 recruits each year.
While ADF membership decreased by 891 personnel between 2003–2004
and 2005–2006, it expanded by 361 personnel over 2006-07. In the
2006–2007 financial year the ADF enlisted 4,955 permanent personnel
and 2,893 reservists. These numbers fell short of recruitment
targets, representing 84% of the permanent force recruitment target
and 89% of the reserve force target. Regardless this represented an
overall improvement on the achievements against the targets for the
2006–2007 financial year (84% and 77% respectively), however.
11.2% of ADF personnel left the military during 2006–2007. Figures
for 2007–2008 were better with the ADF expanding by 1,663
personnel. Total enlistments included 7,074 permanent personnel,
702 short service Gap Year personnel, and 2,540 reservists. These
numbers still fell short of recruitment targets however,
representing 77% of the permanent force recruitment target and 93%
of the reserve force target. Separation rates were also lower
though, with 9.8% of ADF personnel leaving during 2007–2008.
Regardless, the ADF continues to suffer serious shortfalls in some
categories of skilled personnel. The Navy and Army are short of
medical personnel, engineers, linguists and junior personnel with
technical qualifications. The RAAF states that its personnel
situation is sound. The strong civilian labour market is one cause
of these shortages. The ADF's high operational tempo is another
cause, with the disruption frequent deployments cause to family
life being a common reason why ADF personnel decide to leave the
military.
The Government has introduced new policies to increase recruitment
and reduce the ADF's separation rate. These policies include
reforms to speed the recruitment process, the relaxation of some
minimum standards for recruits and the introduction of retention
bonuses for personnel in critical positions and with important
skills. The 2007–2008 Commonwealth Budget also provided increased
funding to advertise the ADF as an employment option and attract
apprentices to the services. In June 2007 Air Chief Marshal Houston
told a
Senate inquiry that these
reforms appear to have increased the number of recruits joining the
ADF. The increased enlistments have caused in some difficulties,
however, with the
Army Recruit Training
Centre being too small to accommodate the larger numbers of
recruits.
Training
Individual training of Australian servicemen and women is generally
provided by the services in their own training institutions. Each
service has its own training organisation which manages this
individual training. Where possible, however, individual training
is increasingly being provided through tri-service schools.
Military
academies include HMAS
Creswell
for the
Navy, Royal Military College,
Duntroon
for the Army, and the Officer Training School -
RAAF Base
East Sale
for the Air Force. The Australian
Defence Force Academy
is a Tri-Service university for officer cadets of
all services wishing to attain a university degree through the
Australian Defence Force. Navy recruit training is conducted at
HMAS
Cerberus
, Army
recruits are trained at the Army Recruit Training Centre
and Air Force recruits at RAAF Base Wagga
.
Women in the ADF

A member of the Army's 26th Transport
Squadron with her truck
Women first served in the Australian military during World War II
when each service established a separate female branch. The RAAF
was the first service to fully integrate women into operational
units, doing so in 1977, with the Army and RAN following in 1979
and 1985 respectively. The ADF initially struggled to integrate
women, with integration being driven by changing Australian social
values and Government legislation rather than a change in attitudes
within the male-dominated military.
The number of positions available to women in the ADF has increased
over time. Although servicewomen were initially barred from combat
positions, these restrictions began to be lifted in 1990. In 2006
approximately 97% of employment categories in the ADF were
available to females as well as males. The only positions which
women are currently excluded from are those in which there is a
high probability of 'direct combat', which includes all
infantry positions and other positions in which
there is a high probability of
hand
to hand combat. As a result, while almost all positions in the
Navy and Air Force are open to women, women are excluded from a
high proportion of Army positions.
Despite the expansion in the number of positions available to
women, there has been only limited growth in the percentage of
female permanent defence personnel. In the 1989–1990 financial year
women filled 11.4% of permanent ADF positions. In the 2005–2006
financial year women occupied 13.3% of permanent positions and
15.6% of reserve positions. During the same period the proportion
of civilian positions filled by women in the Australian Defence
Organisation increased from 30.8% to 40.3%. The percentage of
female members of the Australian
labour
force increased from approximately 41% to 45% between June 1989
and June 2006. In 2008, the defence minister Fitzgibbon has
instructed the ADF to place a greater emphasis on recruiting women
and addressing barriers to women being promoted to senior
roles.
Defence expenditure and procurement

Australian defence expenditure between
1989–90 and 2006–2007 in constant 2004–2005 dollars.
The Australian Government allocated to the Australian Defence
Organisation in the 2007–2008 financial year. This level of
expenditure is equivalent to approximately 2.0% of Australian
Gross Domestic Product and
9.3% of the Government's planned expenditure over the 2007–2008
financial year. In the 2006–07 budget, the Government announced
that it would continue to increase real Defence spending by at
least 3% each year until 2015–2016. The
Australian Labor Party promised
during the
2007
Federal election campaign to maintain defence spending if
elected to office, which occurred.
In relative terms, Australia's defence expenditure as a proportion
of GDP is greater than that of most developed Western nations, but
is smaller than the proportion allocated to defence by Australia's
larger neighbours. Australia's defence spending ranked among the
countries of the world as an absolute amount is the 13th highest.
However, as Australia's GDP is larger than those of its neighbours,
Australia actually spends more on Defence in dollar terms.
The
2006–16 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) identifies the
ADF's procurement needs over the next nine years. The projects in
the DCP had a total value of A$51 billion at the time the Plan was
published.
The largest projects that the DCP sets out are the replacement of
the RAAF's combat aircraft (almost certainly with up to 100
F-35 Lightning II aircraft—the
purchase of which will be the most expensive acquisition program
ever undertaken by Defence.), the
air warfare destroyer project, the
replacement of the RAAF's maritime patrol aircraft, the replacement
of the RAN's anti-submarine helicopters, the replacement of the
ADF's entire fleet of field vehicles and the purchase of two
large amphibious
ships. Other significant purchases that the DCP sets out
include the purchase of
MRH-90 transport
helicopters for the Army and Navy and
M1A1
Abrams tanks to reequip the Army's
only armoured
regiment.
The ADF has also been funded to purchase equipment that the DCP
will not provide. These include the acquisition of 24
F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter aircraft,
four
C-17 Globemaster III
transport aircraft and the equipment needed to implement the
'Hardened and Networked Army' initiative. The ADF has also
commenced planning for the
submarines which
will replace the Collins class boats in the mid 2020s.
Current equipment
While the Australian Defence Force seeks to be a high-technology
force, much of its equipment is approaching obsolescence and is
scheduled to be replaced or upgraded in the near future. Australia
does not
possess weapons of mass
destruction and has ratified the
Biological Weapons Convention,
Chemical Weapons
Convention and
Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty.
Although most of the ADF's weapons are only used by single service,
there is an increasing emphasis on commonality. The three services
use the same small arms and the
FN
Herstal 35 is the ADF's standard hand gun, the
F88 Austeyr the standard rifle, the
F89 Minimi the standard light support weapon, the
FN Herstal MAG-58 the standard light machine
gun and the
Browning M2HB
the standard heavy machine gun.
The Royal Australian Navy operates a large number of ships and
submarines. The Navy's 12 frigates are its most capable surface
combatants. The four
Adelaide class frigates
(which are currently being upgraded) provide the RAN's surface
offensive capability, while the eight
Anzac class frigates are
general purpose escorts. The RAN's submarine force has six
Collins class submarines,
which currently rank among the most effective conventional
submarines in the world. There are currently 14
Armidale class patrol boats for
border security and fisheries patrol duties in Australia's northern
waters. The RAN's amphibious force comprises two
Kanimbla
class Landing Platform Amphibious, the Landing Ship Heavy
HMAS Tobruk and six
Balikpapan class Landing
Craft Heavy. The Navy's minesweeping force operates six
Huon class
minehunters, two of which are currently operating as patrol
boats, and three auxiliary minesweepers. An auxiliary tanker, a
fleet replenishment ship, and six survey vessels support these
combatants. The Fleet Air Arm has 35 helicopters in service.

An ASLAV leading a column of other
Army vehicles
The Australian Army is primarily a
light
infantry force equipped with equipment which may be carried by
individual soldiers. However, the Army's equipment includes a
substantial quantity of armoured vehicles and artillery. Moreover,
the Army is introducing additional armoured vehicles into service
as part of the 'hardened and networked army' initiative. The Army's
armoured,
mechanised and
motorised units are currently equipped
with 59
M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks,
700
M113 armoured personnel carriers (of which
431 are to be upgraded), and 257
ASLAV
armoured reconnaissance vehicles. 737
Bushmaster Infantry Mobility Vehicles are
being introduced into service (including 12 which will be used by
the RAAF). The Army's artillery holdings consist of 349 105 mm
calibre towed guns, 36 155 mm towed howitzers, 296 81 mm
mortars and 30
RBS-70 surface-to-air
missiles.
Australian Army
Aviation is equipped with 91 helicopters, including 14 of the
22
Eurocopter Tiger armed
reconnaissance helicopters which have been ordered and two of the
46 new MRH-90 transport helicopters.
The Royal Australian Air Force operates combat, maritime patrol,
transport and training aircraft. The combat aircraft force
comprises 19
F-111 bombers and 71
F/A-18 Hornet fighters. The maritime patrol
force is equipped with 19 recently upgraded
AP-3C Orion aircraft. The air transport force
operates 24
C-130 Hercules, 14
DHC-4 Caribou and
4
C-17 Globemaster IIIs. The
RAAF operates three
Bombardier
Challenger and two
Boeing
Business Jet 737 aircraft as
VIP transports. Five
Airbus KC-30B
Multi-Role Tanker Transports will be introduced into service
from 2009. The RAAF also operates 67
Pilatus PC-9, 33
Hawk 127 and eight
Beechcraft B300 King Air training
aircraft. The RAAF has ordered six
Boeing 737 AEW&C aircraft with one
option which are currently scheduled to first enter service in
2009, but will not be fully operational until 2010. 24
F/A-18E/F Super Hornets have also
been ordered to avoid a capability gap between the retirement of
the F-111s in 2010 and the expected arrival of the F-35s in 2013.
Twelve of the Super Hornets will be modified during production to
allow them to be upgraded to
EA-18G
Growler standard at a later date.
Current bases
The Australian Defence Force maintains bases in all the
states and territories of
Australia.
While most of the Army's permanent force
units are based in northern
Australia, the majority of Navy and Air Force units are based
near Sydney
, Brisbane
and Perth
. Few ADF bases are currently shared by
different services. The only permanent ADF base outside Australia
is located at
Royal Malaysian Air
Force Base Butterworth.
The
administrative headquarters of the ADF and the three services is
located in Canberra
alongside the main offices of the Department of
Defence and Defence Materiel Organisation and the interim
headquarters of Joint Operations Command. JOC and the other
operational headquarters will be co-located near Bungendore,
New South Wales
as part of the Headquarters Joint Operations
Command Project.
The Royal
Australian Navy has two main bases; Fleet Base East
in Sydney and Fleet Base West
near Perth. The Navy's operational
headquarters, Fleet Headquarters, is located adjacent to Fleet Base
East.
The
majority of the Navy's patrol boats are based at HMAS
Coonawarra
in Darwin,
Northern Territory
with the remaining patrol boats and the
hydrographic fleet located at HMAS Cairns
in Cairns, Queensland
. The Fleet Air
Arm is based at HMAS Albatross
near Nowra, New South Wales
.
The Australian Army's regular units are concentrated in a small
number of bases, most of which are located in Australia's northern
states.
The Army's operational headquarters, Land
Command, is located at Victoria Barracks
in Sydney. Most elements of the Army's three regular
brigades are based at Robertson
Barracks near Darwin, Lavarack Barracks
in Townsville, Queensland
and Gallipoli Barracks
in Brisbane. The Deployable Joint Force
(Land) Headquarters is also located at Gallipoli Barracks.
Other
important Army bases include the Army
Aviation Centre
near Oakey, Queensland
, Holsworthy Barracks
near Sydney, Woodside
Barracks near Adelaide, South Australia
and Campbell Barracks in
Perth. Dozens of
Army
Reserve depots are located across Australia.
The Royal Australian Air Force maintains a number of air bases,
including three which are only occasionally activated.
The RAAF's
operational headquarters, Air
Command, is located at RAAF Base Glenbrook
near Sydney. The Air Force's combat aircraft are based
at RAAF Base
Amberley
near Ipswich, Queensland
, RAAF Base
Tindal
near Katherine, Northern Territory
and RAAF Base Williamtown
near Newcastle, New South Wales
. The RAAF's maritime patrol aircraft are
based at RAAF Base
Edinburgh
near Adelaide and most of its transport aircraft
are based at RAAF Base
Richmond
in Sydney. RAAF Base Edinburgh is also home
to the control centre for the
Jindalee Operational Radar
Network.
Most of the RAAF's training aircraft are
based at RAAF Base
Pearce
near Perth with the remaining aircraft located at
RAAF Base
East Sale
near Sale, Victoria
and RAAF Base Williamtown. The RAAF also
maintains a network of bases in northern Australia to support
operations to Australia's north.
These bases include RAAF Base
Darwin
and RAAF Base Townsville
and three 'bare
bases' in Queensland
and Western Australia
.
Domestic responsibilities
The Australian Defence Force has a number of domestic
responsibilities. In most of these tasks the ADF supports the
relevant civilian authorities. These responsibilities are typically
undertaken by specialised elements of the ADF, though the services'
combat elements can be deployed within Australia in response to
major emergencies.
The ADF makes a significant contribution to Australia's domestic
maritime security. ADF ships, aircraft and
Regional Force Surveillance
Units conduct patrols of northern Australia in conjunction with
the
Australian Customs
Service. This operation, which is code-named
Operation Resolute, is commanded by the
Border Protection
Command which is jointly manned by members of the ADF and
Customs. Approximately 450 personnel were assigned to Operation
Resolute in July 2007.
While the ADF does not have a significant nation-building role, it
provides assistance to remote
Indigenous Australian communities.
Since 1996 the Army has regularly deployed engineer units to assist
remote communities. Under this program a single
engineer squadron works with one
community for several months each year to upgrade the community's
infrastructure and provide training. The ADF has also taken part in
the intervention in remote Northern Territory Indigenous
communities since late June 2007. The ADF provides logistical
support to the
Northern
Territory Emergency Response Task Force and has helped assess
the communities' needs.
The ADF shares responsibility for
counter-terrorism with civilian law
enforcement agencies. Under the Australian National
Counter-Terrorism Plan the
State and Territory police and
emergency services have the primary responsibility for responding
to any terrorist incidents on Australian territory. If a terrorist
threat or the consequences of an incident are beyond the capacity
of civilian authorities to resolve the ADF may be
'called out' to provide
support. In order to meet its counter-terrorism responsibilities
the ADF maintains two elite
Tactical Assault Groups,
the
Incident
Response Regiment, and a company-sized high readiness group in
each
Army Reserve brigade
and the
1st Commando Regiment.
While these forces provide a substantial counter-terrorism
capability, the ADF does not regard domestic security as being part
of its 'core business'.
Foreign defence relations

Australian, British and United States
C-17 Globemasters and aircrew in Britain during 2007.
The Australian Defence Force cooperates with militaries around the
world.
Australia's formal military agreements
include the ANZUS Alliance with the United
States of America, the Closer Defence Program with New Zealand and
the Five Power Defence
Arrangements with Malaysia
, Singapore
, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Australia is currently developing closer security ties with Japan.
ADF activities under these agreements include participating in
joint planning, intelligence sharing, personnel exchanges,
equipment standardisation programs and joint exercises. Australia
is also a member of the
UKUSA
signals intelligence gathering agreement.
Two countries, Singapore and the United States, maintain military
facilities in Australia.
Two Republic of Singapore Air
Force pilot training squadrons are based in Australia; 126
Squadron at the Oakey Army Aviation Centre
and 130 Squadron at RAAF Base Pearce. The
Singapore Army also uses the
Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area in
Queensland for annual large-scale exercises.
Two
United States intelligence and communications facilities are
located in Australia; the Pine Gap
satellite tracking station near Alice Springs
and Naval Communication
Station Harold E. Holt near
Exmouth,
Western Australia
. Pine Gap is jointly operated by Australian
and United States personnel and Naval Communication Station Harold
E. Holt has been an exclusively Australian-operated facility since
1999.
In
early 2007 the Australian Government approved the construction of a
new unmanned US communications installation at the Defence Signals
Directorate facility near Geraldton, Western Australia
. The
United States Military also
frequently uses Australian exercise areas and these facilities have
been upgraded to support joint Australian-United States
training.
The ADF provides assistance to militaries in Australia's region
through the Defence Cooperation Program. Under this program the ADF
provides assistance with training, infrastructure, equipment and
logistics and participates in joint exercises with countries in
South East Asia and Oceania. The
Pacific Patrol Boat Program is
the largest Defence Cooperation activity and supports 22 patrol
boats operated by twelve South Pacific countries.
A performance audit of the Defence Cooperation Program conducted in
2001 found that while Defence does not adequately monitor the
Program's performance, it was "valued highly by participating
countries". Australia also directly contributes to the defence of
Pacific countries by periodically deploying warships and aircraft
to patrol their territorial waters. Under an informal agreement
Australia is responsible for the defence of
Nauru.
Assessment of capabilities
The Australian Defence Force's capabilities enable it to carry out
a range of tasks. The size of the force that the government can
deploy differs according to the likelihood of high-intensity combat
and the distance from Australia. In overall terms, Dr. Mark Thomson
of the
Australian
Strategic Policy Institute assesses the ADF's size and
capability as being typical for a
Western nation with Australia's economic and
population base.
The ADF has probably the most capable air and naval capabilities in
the
South-East Asia region. However,
the small size of the Army and the age of much of the RAN and
RAAF's equipment constrains Australia's ability to make large-scale
deployments or engage in high-intensity combat. The ADF's personnel
shortages may also limit its ability to quickly conduct new
deployments.
The ADF is highly capable of defeating direct attacks on Australia
by conventional forces, though such attacks are highly improbable
at present. The ADF's intelligence gathering capabilities should
enable it to detect any attacking force before it reaches
Australia. Once detected, the RAN and RAAF would be able to defeat
the attacking force while it was still in Australia's maritime
approaches. The Army and RAAF are also capable of defeating small
raiding forces once they are detected. The ADF currently maintains
sufficient forces to meet its domestic security and
counter-terrorism responsibilities.
The ADF does not currently possess the resources that a prolonged
large-scale deployment with high-intensity warfare would require.
Although the RAN and RAAF are capable of deploying significant
numbers of capable ships and aircraft, these forces are neither
large nor modern enough to operate independently in a high-threat
environment and would typically make up a small part of a larger
international coalition force. Due to its relatively small size and
lack of firepower the Army's capability for high intensity warfare
presents is even more limited than that of the other
services.
As a result of these limitations, the ADF is capable of providing
only relatively small, but high-quality, 'niche' forces for high
intensity warfare. Such forces include the Navy's submarines, the
Army's special forces and the RAAF's Orion aircraft. However, the
ADF's logistic capabilities are insufficient to independently
supply such forces deployed in areas distant from Australia. As a
result, the ADF can only contribute forces to high intensity
warfare outside of Australia's region when larger coalition
partners provide logistical support.
The ADF is highly capable of undertaking peacekeeping operations
around the world. The Navy's frigates and transport ships, the
Army's light infantry battalions and the RAAF's transport aircraft
are well-suited to peacekeeping. The ADF has the capability to
undertake peacekeeping and low-intensity warfare operations
independently in Australia's region and can sustain such
deployments for a lengthy period. It is also capable of leading
international peacekeeping forces in the Asia-Pacific region.
Although the ADF's capacity to participate in high-intensity
warfare is limited, the Government does not presently require that
the military possess such capabilities. The information released in
the
Defence Annual Report indicates that the ADF
consistently meets most of the readiness targets which are set by
the Government. The ADF's performance in meeting the Government's
requirements improved between 2000–01 and 2005–06, with the
majority of these targets being met. The only readiness targets to
be consistently missed over this period were those set for the Army
Reserve and the Army's logistic support forces.
Notes
- Khosa (2004). Page 4; Australian Attorney-General's Department
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution
Act.
- Khosa (2004). Page 4.
- Australian Department of Defence (2000). Defence 2000 - Our Future Defence Force.
Australian Department of Defence, Canberra. Pages 46–53.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007a). Australia's National Security. A Defence Update
2007. Australian Department of Defence, Canberra. Page
10.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007a). Pages 26–27.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007a). Pages 27–29.
- Defence White Paper
- Horner (2001). Page 55.
- Horner (2001). Page 42.
- Horner (2001). Page 44.
- Horner (2001). Page 47.
- Horner (2001). Page 65.
- Tewes, Rayner and Kavanaugh (2004).
- Horner (2001). Page 72.
- Horner (2001). Pages 225–227.
- Horner (2001). Pages 228–255.
- Horner (2001). Pages 231–237.
- Australian Army (2008). Page 81.
- . See also Australian National Audit Office (2002). Management of Australian Defence Force
Deployments to East Timor. ANAO, Canberra.
- Thomson (2005b). Page 11.
- Thomson (2006a). Pages 7–8.
- Australian Minister for Defence media release ADF Head Home from Aceh. 24 March
2005.
- Australian Department of Defence. Global
Operations. Accessed 16 September 2008.
- Thomson (2007). Page 11.
- Australian Department of Defence. Operation Slipper. Accessed 19 July 2009.
- Australian Department of Defence. Catalyst. Accessed 19 July 2009.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007a). Pages 13–23.
- Ken Henry (2005) 'Australia's Defence to 2045: The Macro-economic
Outlook' in Defender, Spring 2005. Page 19.
- Henry (2005). Pages 22–23.
- Thomson (2006a)
- Australian Department of Defence (2006a). Submission to the Joint Joint Standing Committee on
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Inquiry into the Economic,
Social and Strategic Trends in Australia’s Region and the
Consequences for Our Defence Requirements. Australian
Department of Defence. Canberra. Pages 11–14.
- Khosa (2004). Page 14.
- Horner (2001). Page 187.
- Horner (2001). Page 139.
- Australian Department of Defence (2004). Defence 2004–05 Annual Report - Chapter
5. Accessed 11 December 2006.
- Australian Minister for Defence media release New Special Operations Command. 5 May
2003.
- Horner (2001). Pages 146–148.
- Kathryn Spurling (2001). '1991–2001: The Era of Defence Reform'
in The Royal Australian Navy. A History, David Stevens
(editor), Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Page 278.
- Sea Power Centre - Australia (2005). The Navy Contribution to Australian Maritime
Operations (RAN Doctrine 2 - 2005). Defence Publishing
Service, Canberra. Page 41.
- Royal Australian Navy (2006) Australia's Navy Today. Page 3.
- Sea Power Centre - Australia (2005). Pages 33–36.
- Royal Australian Navy. Force
Element Groups. Accessed 3 July 2009
- Australian Army The
Hardened and Networked Army. Accessed 17 December 2006.
- Australian Department of Defence (2006). Defence 2005–06 Annual Report - web only
section. ADF Units and Establishments. Accessed 4 May
2007.
- Australian Army The
Hardened and Networked Army. Accessed 4 May 2007.
- Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
(2000). From Phantom to Force: Towards a More Efficient and
Effective Army. The Parliament of the Commonwealth of
Australia, Canberra. Pages 124–125.
- Horner (2001). Page 195.
- Jane's World Air Forces. Issue 24 August 2006. Jane's
Information Group. Coulsdon. Pages 23–26.
- Australian Minister for Defence Press Release, 26 February
2004. Defence Invests in Pilot Safety. Accessed 7
July 2007.
- Horner (2001). Page 278–279.
- Defence Directory [1] Joint Logistics Command. Accessed 7
November 2007.
- Horner (2001). Page 273.
- Horner (2001). Pages 265–279.
- Mark Thomson (2005). War and Profit: Doing business on the
battlefield. Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
Canberra. Pages 30–32.
- Thomson (2005). Pages 33–34.
- Horner (2001). Page 150.
- Sea Power Centre - Australia (2005). Page 56.
- Australian Department of Defence (2006). Defence 2005–06 Annual Report - web only
section. ADF Units and Establishments. Accessed 6 May
2007.
- Australian Government (2006) The Australian Intelligence Community.
Agencies, functions, accountability and oversight.
- Australian War Memorial. Conscription. Accessed 16 December 2006.
- Minister Media Release Media Release 027/2007. Accessed 08 November
2007.
- Australian Department of Defence (2008). Pages 99–100.
- Compiled from Khosa (2004) pages 40–41 and Australian Department of Defence annual reports
- Thomson (2006). Page 4.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007b). Pages 132-133.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007b). Page 136.
- Australian Department of Defence (2008). Pages 99–109.
- Prime Minister of Australia media release, Reforms to Boost ADF Recruitment and Retention,
15 December 2006.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007). Portfolio Budget Statements 2007–08. Pages
100–102.
- Backlog leaves Army recruits waiting for training.
ABC News. 23 May 2007. Accessed 22 July
2007.
- Horner (2001). Page 281.
- Horner (2001). Pages 294–301.
- Horner (2001). Pages 321–324.
- Joan Beaumont (2001). Australian Defence Sources and
Statistics. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. Page 357.
- Australian Parliamentary Library Women in the armed forces: the role of women in the
Australian Defence Force. Accessed 16 December 2006.
- Defence Jobs Frequently Asked Questions - Gender
Restrictions. Accessed 16 December 2006.
- Khosa (2004). Page 52.
- Khosa (2004). Page 52 and Australian Department of Defence
(2006). 2005–06 Defence Annual Report. Page
281.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force, Australia.
- Khosa (2006). Page 88.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007). Portfolio Budget Statements 2007–08. Page
19.
- Australian Department of Defence (2006). Portfolio Budget Statements 2006–07. Page
3.
- Thomson (2005). Page 6.
- Defence Materiel Organisation (2006). 2006-16 Defence Capability Plan: Public Version.
DMO, Canberra. Page iii.
- Borgu (2004). Page 10.
- Defence Materiel Organisation (2006). Page 141.
- Thomson (2006). Page 9.
- Thomson (2005b). Pages 9–10.
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2005).
Weapons of Mass Destruction: Australia's Role in Fighting
Proliferation. DFAT, Canberra. Accessed 29 December
2006.
- Khosa (2004). Page 23.
- Davies (2008). Page 2.
- Tom Frame (2004). No Pleasure Cruise. The Story of the
Royal Australian Navy. Allen & Unwin, Sydney. Pages
284–285.
- Royal Australian Navy (2006) Australia's Navy Today.
- Khosa (2004). Pages 22–23.
- Press release issued by the Minister for Defence Bushmaster Bonanza for Bendigo, 18 August
2007.
- Khosa (2004). Page 22.
- Australian Department of Defence (2007). Page 167.
- Current aircraft figures from Australian Department of Defence
(2007). Pages 177-179.
- Jane's Defence Weekly, 7 February
2007.
- Australian Minister for Defence media release Announcement of the Australian Government's
Decision to Acquire 24 F/A-18F Block II Super Hornet Multi Role
Aircraft, 6 March 2007.
- See page 42 of Australian Department of Defence 2005–06 Defence Annual Report - Web
Section for the locations of the main ADF bases and
training areas.
- Australian Department of Defence, Headquarters Joint Operations Command Project - Project
Purpose. Accessed 25 May 2007.
- Royal Australian Navy (2006). Pages 44–47.
- Australian Department of Defence 2005–06 Defence Annual Report - Web
Section. Page 42.
- Australian Department of Defence. Operation
Resolute. Accessed 4 July 2007.
- Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Indigenous Affairs
media release Army celebrates 10 years of service to Indigenous
communities. 17 November 2006.
- Australian Department of Defence Operation Outreach. Accessed 16 December 2007.
- The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (2004).
Protecting Australia Against Terrorism.
DPMC, Canberra. Pages 52–53.
- Andrew Smith and Anthony Bergin (2006). Australian domestic security: The role of
Defence. Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
Page 13.
- Khosa (2004). Page 74.
- Australian Department of Defence (2002). Force 2020. Australian Department of Defence,
Canberra. Page 7.
- Beaumont (2001). Page 457.
- Scramble.nl Republic of Singapore Air Force. Accessed 7 April
2007.
- Khosa (2004). Page 85.
- Australian National Audit
Office (2001). Defence Cooperation Program. Audit Report
No.32 2000–2001. ANAO, Canberra. Pages 9–10.
- Central Intelligence Agency CIA World Fact Book - Nauru. Accessed 29 May
2007.
- Thomson (2005). Page 10.
- Thomson (2003). Page 17.
- Gregor Ferguson 'People and Logistics is the Key'.
Australian Defence Magazine, June 2007. Page 18.
- Thomson (2003). Page 16.
- Smith and Bergin (2006). Page 15.
- Thomson (2003). Pages 13–14. See also Horner (2001) page
202.
- Palazzo (2004). Page 267.
- Thomson (2003). Pages 14–16.
- Thomson (2006). Pages 26–27.
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Australia's Maritime Strategy in the 21st
century. Australian Parliamentary Library Research Brief
no. 4 2004–05.
- Thomson, Mark (2003) Pay Your Money & Take Your Pick: Defence
Spending Choices for Australia. Australian Strategic
Policy Institute, Canberra.
- Thomson, Mark (2005). The Cost of Defence. ASPI Budget Brief 2005–2006. Australian
Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
- Thomson, Mark (2005b). Punching above our weight? Australia as a middle power. Australian
Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
- Thomson, Mark (2005c). 'Easier Said Than Done: At the Six-year Mark in
Remaking the ADF' in Defender, Winter 2005.
- Thomson, Mark (2006). Your Defence Dollar: The 2006–07 Defence
Budget. Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
Canberra.
- Thomson, Mark (2006a). Defence Budget 2006/07: 'Planning on Hope or
Pessimism' in Defender, Winter 2006.
- Thomson, Mark (2007). The final straw: Are our defence forces
overstretched?. Australian Strategic Policy Institute,
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- Thomson, Mark (2007a). 2007 Defence budget summary.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Canberra.
External links