Revitalising Defence Recruitment: A Return to Dedicated Recruiting Centres
eWise blog – Contributor
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is facing a significant recruitment crisis. Currently, only 80 per cent of the 69,000 personnel needed to meet future challenges have enlisted. In response, the government has proposed allowing some foreign citizens to join to fill the shortfall.
There are two primary reasons for the current recruitment difficulties. One is economic—low unemployment and the perception of better opportunities, work conditions, and long-term prospects in the private sector. The other is cultural: a declining sense of national identity and willingness among Generation Z to serve their country, particularly within certain demographic groups.
The Need for a New Approach
Recruitment efforts must address the motivations of today’s young Australians, the primary pool of potential enlistees. Research into Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2008, has highlighted significant differences from previous generations. Raised in a digital world dominated by social media, many in this cohort exhibit higher levels of anxiety and depression, which can be barriers to military service.
Furthermore, military careers are often perceived as detrimental to mental well-being, particularly in light of findings from the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide. Stricter mental health entry standards may have reinforced this perception, deterring potential recruits.
Additionally, financial considerations play a crucial role in recruitment. Many younger Australians are highly aware of pay and conditions, comparing ADF salaries and benefits against those offered by private sector employers.
Waning National Pride and Its Impact
A more troubling factor in the recruitment crisis is the declining level of national pride among young Australians. Studies show a steady drop in those who identify as “very proud” of their nationality. In 1981, 70.3 per cent of Australians expressed strong national pride. By 2018, this had declined to 60.8 per cent, with only 41.6 per cent of twentysomethings feeling the same way.
Similarly, willingness to fight for Australia has dropped. In 1981, 69 per cent of Australians in their twenties said they would defend the nation, compared to 65 per cent of those over 70. By 2018, these numbers had reversed, with only 44 per cent of young Australians willing to fight, while 59 per cent of older Australians remained committed.
This shift is partially due to changing cultural narratives. Traditional patriotism and a sense of duty have been weakened, replaced by a more globalist perspective in schools and universities. The once-common belief in “my country, right or wrong” has been diluted, with historical scrutiny of military actions further eroding confidence in service.
The Moral Imperative and Gen Z Recruitment
While traditional nationalism may be on the decline, many young people are drawn to causes they perceive as morally important. The ADF’s evolving role in humanitarian efforts, disaster relief, and peacekeeping missions could serve as a strong recruitment motivator. Generation Z is deeply invested in social values such as environmental protection, diversity, and equity.
Rather than solely appealing to duty and patriotism, recruitment campaigns must also highlight opportunities for personal growth, skill development, and career advancement. Gen Z values work that aligns with their ideals and provides intrinsic rewards beyond financial incentives.
The Path Forward: Returning to Dedicated Recruiting Centres
To reverse the recruitment crisis, Defence must overhaul its approach. The recent National Defence Strategy acknowledged the need for “a fundamental transformation of Defence’s recruitment and retention system.”
Proposed reforms have included raising pay and bonuses, easing recruitment processes, reducing medical requirements, increasing the maximum recruitment age, and modernising military culture to be more appealing to younger Australians. However, one of the most crucial steps is returning to a system of dedicated Defence Recruiting Centres.
For decades, recruiting centres played a crucial role in engaging potential enlistees, offering a direct, personalised pathway to enlistment. Their closure and the outsourcing of recruitment have led to inefficiencies and reduced engagement. Reinstating these centres would allow for better targeted outreach, hands-on mentorship, and stronger connections with local communities. Face-to-face engagement is particularly important for overcoming misconceptions about military life and reinforcing the value of service.
A reinvigorated recruitment strategy must focus on a combination of patriotism, personal development, and career opportunity, reinforced by a dedicated recruitment infrastructure. By doing so, the ADF can once again become an attractive and viable career choice for young Australians, ensuring the nation remains well-defended into the future.
Several other reasons for people not enlisting. Look at some of the allied books/articles written during the Suicide and Suicidality Royal Commission and read how people were treated when they had issues, during and after their Defence Service. In my 30 years in the RAAF, I did not experience what many did but some of the leadership I experienced was tragic, although those involved thought they were excellent. But reading what others went through when they asked/cried out for help was disgusting. I actually wrote to the Commission indicating that any prospective person thinking of applying, if they had read any of that literature, would reverse their thoughts and tell the same to anyone in earshot. I still hold that view.
Another issue is current political policy of multiculturalism. That is, retain your own identity but live here. I am the son of folk who came to Australia in 1952. Australia has been good to me and I would like to think I did my share in my service in the RAAF. But years ago people came to Australia for a better life and they still do, but they many now want to retain their identity. Wrong. If you come here, you become an Australian with our values and standards. And embrace them. That patriotism has slipped, as mentioned in the article. I became an Australian in 1961, so did my parents (now deceased). What I see now is people coming to our shores and even people with long standing (thousands of years) saying “the country owes me” or “what can I get from the country?”
A basic mindset also starts in our school system for the last 20 or so years. Kids are from a very early age are taught “I have this right” and “you can’t touch me or I will call the police”. Nowhere near as much the teaching of “I am accountable for my actions” or “I have the responsibility for …”. Kids live under their parents’ roof and need to comply with what is fair and reasonable. Sure some parents are unreasonable but if a kid lives under my roof (my youngest is long gone) then I have an expectation of a level of compliance with my rules. If the kid does not like my rules, then as a teenager can they leave but, if over 14 years of age, the laws are such that I cannot force them back into my house.
The same should apply if they choose to leave. Then if “the grass is not so green on the other side’, then they would be told, you made your choices, you wear the consequences. You are not coming back under my roof for three months. That night I might have the “mother of all arguments” with my wife, but tough. When are the kids, and the government, going to realise that good actions/decisions have good consequences, bad actions/decisions have their own.
If a parent was to approach me now with a problem teenager, I would talk to mum/dad first and then talk to the teenager with mum and dad present. I would say it reasonably but I would say it.
Look at many young drivers on the road these days. They drive like “I have the right to be here and don’t get in my way”. Others – well that’s their problem. Doesn’t apply to all P platers but just look around – there’s heaps with that view.
PS. Will now climb down from my soapbox.
Good move but:
1. Is there likely to be a hold-up between making the application and actually signing the bottom line?,
2. I am not convinced that the so-called Gen Z is any less interested in real life adventure, nationalism, making things blowup, and shooting different sorts of weapons, or beginning a career in trades and other skills;
3. Who would want to join a warrior organisation that encourages men to become women or vice-versa? Especially when for “diversity’s” sake the transitional (?) person is promoted in order to satisfy such “diversity”?
4. Research has shown that trauma can be experienced by training as well as by service in war zones it is true but, despite platitudes by the military that these issues are sympathetically dealt with by the hierarchy, it is not true in many cases. Potential enlistees who know these problems via the media and from experiences related to them in various ways may very well be persuaded not to join.
6. I don’t know of many people who joined the service to become wealthy. Maybe the adventure, causing things to go “bang” and close comradeship may be better motivators than moolah.
7. I am unconvinced that soldiers generally agree that they serve to provide assistance to the civil power alone. Such activity may be fulfilling but the soldiers themselves recognise that this is not what they joined for; they are more interested in “getting out there” to learn the trade of being a warrior.
8. Further to 7. above, greater opportunity should be provided for training in multiple terrains, weather and climate. Instead of sending small groups of soldiers overseas to compete in military skills for glory, why not send larger units to foreign climes to practice adaptability, adventure, and satisfaction of overcoming unfamiliar territory and difficult experiences? Travel opportunity? And more skills added for leaders as they ascend the ladder.
9. Although out of the purview of the above article, retention rates would be assisted by some of the suggestions above also. As would the trimming down of the General club and over-employment of senior officers. What is the current rate of command to troop numbers?
5. Fairly recent exposees of how the military supports their warriors in active war zones, as shown by the accused “war criminals” and contempt for their service could be a pretty good argument for the interested not to enlist.
6. “Traditional patriotism and a sense of duty have been weakened, replaced by a more globalist perspective in schools and universities. The once-common belief in “my country, right or wrong” has been diluted, with historical scrutiny of military actions further eroding confidence in service”
Where is the evidence for this statement? There is also research that suggests that the young people have become more conservative in their political/moral attitudes and that this demographic provided a large portion of Trump voters.