Hundreds of foreigners will be recruited to Australia’s navy, army and air force as the federal government looks to Five Eyes allies to fill a shortage.
The recruitment drive came as our newest military assets arrived, also from overseas.
A trio of supersonic stealth fighters from the US have touched down at Williamtown RAAF Base to complete a fleet of 72 new F-35As.
“The platform brings lethality, it brings survivability, and it brings a technology that increases Australia’s air combat capability by a huge amount,” Air Commodore Peter Robinson, Air Combat Group Commander, said.
Now, overseas defence imports will extend from strike jets to soldiers, sailors and pilots.
From January 1, Americans, Britons and Canadians will be able to enlist in the ADF, provided they’ve lived here for 12 months and haven’t served in a foreign army for the past two years.
Those who get in will have to apply for Australian citizenship.
It’s a pathway that’s been open to New Zealanders for six months.
Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said he expects around 350 enlistments across those Five Eyes nations this financial year.
The invitation could also be opened to Pacific Island nations.
Defence is short about 4000 workers, with the government admitting damage has been done locally by the airing of systemic cultural problems at the royal commission.
“Sadly, whenever we have a leaking boat we fill the holes with Play-doh and then ignore the reason for the hole,” former Army officer Dr Glenn Kolomeitz said.
Shadow Home Affairs minister James Paterson said the government needs to look at why Aussies are not joining up.
“The government’s got to look deeply at the pay and conditions and treatment of our service personnel to examine why so many are leaving and why so few choose to join,” he said.
