Australian Defence Force

Australian Defence Force
Flag of the Australian Defence Force
Current form1976 (ADF established)
Service branchesAustralian Army
Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Navy
HeadquartersPart of the Australian Defence Organisation
Leadership
Commander-in-ChiefGovernor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove as representative of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia
Minister for DefenceMarise Payne
Chief of the Defence ForceAir Chief Marshal Mark Binskin
Personnel
Military age16.5 years for selection process, 17 years to serve, 18 years to deploy on operations (2013)
Available for
military service		4,999,988 males, age 16–49 (2009 est.[3]),
4,870,043 females, age 16–49 (2009 est.[3])
Fit for
military service		4,341,591 males, age 16–49 (2009 est.[3]),
4,179,659 females, age 16–49 (2009 est.[3])
Reaching military
age annually		144,959 males (2009 est.[3]),
137,333 females (2009 est.[3])
Active personnel57,982[1]
Reserve personnel23,232 (Active)[2]
22,166 (Standby)
Deployed personnel2,241 (10 September 2015)
Expenditure
BudgetA$31.9 billion(2015–16)[4]
Percent of GDP1.92 percent[5]
Industry
Annual exportsSecret, but thought to be over A$600 million[6]

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It is made up of the Royal Australian Navy, the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Air Force and a number of joint groups.

At first the Australian Government set up three separate armed services. In 1976, the government decided to have a single military headquarters. Over time, the three services have combined headquarters, logistics and training camps.

The ADF is small, but uses a lot of technology. With 53,000 full-time active-duty service people and 20,000 part-time reserve forces, it is the largest military force in Oceania. It is much smaller than most Asian military forces. The ADF does not have enough people in some highly skilled areas, but it is still able to send forces in many regions outside Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Defence Portfolio Budget Statements 2014–15 (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. 2015. p. 22.
  2. ↑ Defence Issues 2014 (PDF). Commonwealth of Australia. p. 26. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Central Intelligence Agency. "CIA – The World Fact Book – Australia". CIA. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  4. ↑ "Minister for Defence – Budget 2015: Defence Budget Overview". 12 May 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Greene, Andrew (12 May 2015). "Budget 2015: Defence to receive $750 million boost to extend and expand overseas operations". Australan Broadcasting Corporation.
  6. ↑ "Defence and Security Overview". Austrade. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2011.

Other websites

Media related to Military of Australia at Wikimedia Commons