‘National pride’ missing key to national defence – Peter Leahy
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A paper prepared by the Returned & Services League of Australia’s Defence and National Security Committee contends that Australia is suffering from a decline in national patriotism that is impacting on ADF recruitment and retention.
FILE PHOTO (2021): Darcy Elbourne waves the Australian flag in the driveway of his home as Army personnel head out to conduct relief and recovery tasks during Operation NSW Flood Assist in Taree. Photo by Corporal Sagi Biderman.
Committee Chair and former Chief of Army Lieutenant General Peter Leahy said that within the current ADF strength of around 58,000 there were significant personnel shortages across all elements of the force and at most levels of rank, seniority and skill – apart from generals and equivalents.
“To resolve the situation the Australian government has approved an ambitious workforce plan to increase the Defence workforce by 18,500 to more than 101,000 by 2040,” General Leahy said.
“That means recruitment needs to lift from approximately 5500 annually to 9000 a year and permanent ADF service retention increased from around seven years to around 12 years.
“These targets will be very hard to achieve,” he said.
“Australia’s defence is already at risk due to delays in acquiring the capabilities needed to meet the clear and present danger.
“Now a failure to meet new recruiting and retention targets for the ADF may further jeopardise our security.
“What if we have a war and the equipment isn’t there and there aren’t enough motivated and trained people in uniform?”
General Leahy said there was something else at play, describing the biggest issue about who will fight for Australia as a decline in national pride and a dilution of an Australian identity and culture.
“Surveys such as the Scanlon 2023 Social Cohesion Report identified a declining sense of pride and belonging in Australia.
“It also reported a declining trust in government and an increasing concern for equality.
“Let’s be old fashioned and call this loyalty to Australia, a commitment to serving the nation and a sense of patriotism.
“Military service is about purpose, values and loyalty.
“It is about service and sacrifice and contributing to something bigger than yourself.
“The decline in national pride is not surprising as some seek to denigrate the ADF and the notion of service to the nation, perhaps evidenced by the active debate about the legitimacy of Australia Day.
“There are too many identities and too many flags.
“Whether it harks back to place of origin or some narrow interest-motivated sentiment, too many people and groups want special treatment and consideration.
“It doesn’t leave much space for ‘Australia’.
“What is our sense of being Australian if it is not about being part of a team and committing to the group and contributing to something bigger than yourself?”
Peter Leahy says Australia’s future security will depend on our ability to have the right equipment and the right people at the right time.
“At present both are at risk,” General Leahy said.
“As well as improving the mechanics of recruiting, the more important task is to restore a sense of pride and belonging in Australia and a desire to serve the nation.
“This is perhaps the most important job for the government – and it needs to get to work.”
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Try recruiting the left wing crew from Parliament House and the toadies from the Department of Defence into the Army Reserves- they may eventually understand what it means to effectively serve their country with pride.
I served in the RAAF for 20 years, retired as F/Sgt. Enjoyed my time and the people I met and worked with, were, in the main outstanding.
I noted in the article itself that shortages existed at all ranks with the exception of Generals or equivalent, does this suggest too many chiefs and too few Indians?
The issue of retention and recruitment has been a bugbear for a long time but seems to have peaked post Brereton. Not to forget the introduction of rainbow morning teas and associated activities, (to my mind that was a huge blunder) which if reports of increased discharge rate could perhaps point to the “woke” introduction contributing to the cause.
Overall, one thing is certain ,if the leaders do not demonstrate loyalty and support to those beneath them there will certainly be little loyalty given in return and the life of a serviceman/woman will deteriorate to the point where military service becomes just another job.
The shortage of young Australians currently occurring was identified as a risk 30 years ago. The birth rate then set Australia up to not have enough recruits for health, defence, education and policing to name just a few areas. The Government of the day started on a program of increasing the Australian birth rates and immigration. It occurs to me that neither has actually worked, and while we have had a plethora of woke leaders and poltical pawns for the past 10 years, Defence has lost its status and way as an organisation which serves to protect the people and the Australian way of life.
When I first joined the ADF in 1974, you went to the Defence Careers Information Centres. Now it is the Job Information Centre. It is poor form where it is cheaper to hold functions in private facilities and not Defence Messes.
Where is the Espirit de Corps? Using Defence is the last political tool in the box of tricks for Government to manage second party agressors. But now these second parties are using third party state funded agressors to do their was fighting. They are uniformed, well resourced and idiologic. Our Government places out Defence Members in harms way, usually oversees to prevent incursion into territorial Australia. The Woke leaders then have the temerity to question those brave people’s actions without due process or support. They ignore what we know as the fog of war and the impact on each and every individual.
If I knew then, what I know now, I would have not chosen Defence as a “Career”or way of life.
Allegiance betrayed by Government inaction over High Treason during Vietnam War.
My wife and four children lived in married quarters in South Windsor opposite the primary school. These were Housing Commission and other residents there were civilians who were anti-Vietnam,
spat on me when I wore my uniform to town, treated my wife with insults and chided my children at the school gate, demoralizing so that I didn’t feel they were safe when I flew out on duty. The Government should have charged the inciters with High Treason because it was demoralizing especially when the Postal Union refused to deal with mail for Vietnam.
Until the Government restores fidelity to their Veterans, enlistment will suffer!
I recently listed to an ABC news cast on problems with recruitment into the ADF. Young folks expressing interest to enlist then wait 6 months or more to hear about the enlistment process is farcical.
Two areas where ADF need to withdraw from outsourcing: all ADF recruitment and all base security.
I regularly visit the US and note: (a) their service personnel wear uniforms in public unlike our troops who are told it may be unsafe to do so (b) their base security carry arms (loaded) and guard duty is seen as a part of rostered work unlike our bases which are controlled by private contractors often with staff who could be ‘profiled’ as potential enemies.
ADF recruitment is a repetitive failure and there must be capability within ADF to fix a broken process.
We also need to stop the woke bullshit that started under Gen Morrison and has been leveraged and expanded by every commander since then.
Our ADF should have the sole focus of being the most effective and lethal fighting force possible…not a captive audience for diversity, equity and inclusion and any other social experiments senior commanders dream up..
You are surprised why there is a lack of people signing up. Where do we start? Let’s look at the job itself . It’s primary role should be the defence of our home soil. Not in other peoples wars in other places of the world killing other peoples sons and hopefully not getting killed in the process. You take young men at an age before their personalities are set, then basically tech them how to kill others and not get themselves killed in the process. Then when they’re broken or their time is up they get dumped. Regardless of physical and mental injuries acquired along the way. Meanwhile their mental is dismissed , out of sight out of mind. I’m a veteran who served overseas and our government turned their backs on us. My father a Vietnam veteran had his share of issues and they came home with him. We grew up with it. My twiin and I both served and deployed overseas. Our government sold 9,000 of us short. I have told both of my sons to never sign up , and the only time to join would be if we were physically being attacked on Australian soil. Young people aren’t stupid, it’s not they aren’t patriotic but who wants to kill people or get killed in someplace for someone else’s agenda.
I totally agree with all the comments thus far. The other major issue Leahy didn’t address is the slack recruitment procedure run by a private company. My grandson is keen to join the ADF ie RAAF, he’s had his application in now for 4 months. So far no response, this not an isolated incident. Another example: 2 Years ago Grandson No. 2 wants join the Army, I take him to an information night at Wollongong Recruitment centre. About 12 others there, a RAAF Sgt and RAN leading seaman there for the presentation they gave a very general overview with no detail. They mainly talked about what they had done in the system which was totally irrelevant. I’m getting a bit under the collar after 40 minutes being an ex army WO2 I’m getting a little upset at this crap presentation so start asking pointed questions about the Conditions of Service, recruit training physical fitness requirements etc etc. They skirted around all my questions, very unprofessional. I you ran a ‘pink’ over them you would send them back to Junior Leader course. We walked out at the end really pissed off, Captain lurking out in front office all smiles expecting to sign grandson up but as I approached I said “crap presentation sir’ and left. needless to say grandson decided against joining he knew more on the subject than the dare I say shoddy presenters
I am not surprised. National pride is something that needs to be brought back into schools. When I was in primary school we used to sing the national anthem. We had an Australian flag in the hall. It seems these days the focus is now on all sorts other things, being proud of being Australian doesn’t seem to be high on the agenda.
I am a former soldier in the ADF.
I have been out for some time now and remember the pride I felt serving my adopted country. I was brought over as a baby by my Australian mum.
I had the chance to serve in USA and chose my mother’s native country as I would not have seen her again if I joined USA mil at the time we were very close mates really. I couldn’t let a mate down. I knew even then how important mateship was at 17years old.
I became a Commando at the near end of my time and she was so very proud of me. I served in General Reserve for 13months and ADF Reg for 8years. I can say my short career was what made me the man I am now.
To address the problem of retention and recruitment….
The breriton report didn’t help matters. No soldier wants to be thrown under the bus.
How can we trust a government that does that.
I don’t blame our youth for not wanting to join . It’s hard dirty work and when your deployed you do the job you have signed up for. That’s not always an easy task.
We pride ourselves on mateship and loyalty to one another through thick and thin that’s the Aussie Digger.
We don’t always like what we are ordered to do, however we follow those orders.
The idea of pride is inherent with Aussie Ethos.
We fight for the mate beside us not the government that sent us to hell and back. But we are a loyal lot.
Befriend us or suffer the wrath.
Hard men I worked with. The Best Australia had to offer.
The government needs to step up and show it’s there for us to back us up when things don’t go to plan.
The best laid plans go to sh#t on the first contact. Things don’t always turn out well.
Be proud to be Aussie and never forget who watches your six
This is political and culture-war spin disguised as “news”. It is absolutely possible to be Australian and hold other identities. To purport that minorities are “stealing” nation pride and that has resulted in a recruitment crisis is overstated and alarmist. GEN Leahy would do well to reflect the complexity of factors which drive military recruitment: unemployment rate, ADF Careers marketing campaigns, and the national sentiment towards the ADF.
These things aren’t “fixed” by homogenous culture and patriotism.
Excellent points very well made – and I agree with you.
Brian Hartigan
CONTACT Editor
This is a political reply from someone who offers no actual retort but a lot of buzz words such as found in Canberra and politics.
Holding Australian identity should be at the forefront of most people living here. If you have no pride in where you live, work, raise a family, why would you ever want to improve that place or do anything hard for it?
I would venture that Gen Leahy may have more insight into the issue than you due to the nature of his job. At least we know what that is compared to a tag that states “educated citizen”. How dare the wrong sort have an idea that does not align with the good speak of benevolent idiot PM and the other morons in Canberra. The complexity of factors you mention are potentially one part of the problem but not the most. I joined and served for many reasons, half of which aren’t in your statement. I would like to see more information and referenced just so you can make a more definitive statement rather than some standard twaddle
About time we stand firm on what really keeps us safe in our everyday lives be proud too be Australian