Fed: Nelson won't confirm planned boost to army numbers

AAP General News (Australia)
08-15-2006
Fed: Nelson won't confirm planned boost to army numbers

CANBERRA, Aug 15 AAP - Defence Minister Brendan Nelson has refused to confirm reports
that the army may be expanded by 20 per cent over the next decade to about 30,000.

He described predictions of the expansion today as "nothing more than speculation",
although the issue is tipped to come later today before federal cabinet's national security
committee for sign-off.

The government has been reviewing the size of the defence force as troops are stretched
across international deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and Solomon Islands.

Changes expected before the national security committee today include force expansion
and an easing of long-standing bans on the recruitment of young people with treatable
medical conditions such as asthma, or those who admit previous drug use.

They also include measures to enhance personnel retention rates including bonuses for
those with important skills and a more family friendly postings policy.

The Australian Army numbers around 25,000 fulltime personnel. It struggles to meet
current recruitment targets.

Dr Nelson foreshadowed changes late last month when he said he was finalising the defence
strategic policy for the coming decade.

Boosting the size of the military made sense, he said.

"When you look at our responsibilities in our region, our responsibilities to protect
our borders and then, of course, these global conflicts where Australia's values and interests
need to be protected, there is an argument for us to consider the size of our Australian
Defence Force," he said at the time.

He said the ADF received 80,000 recruitment inquiries a year and about 18,000 serious
applications.

"We're taking 7,000 when we need 8,000 and there's a variety of things that I am determined
to do which mean having better career management for people we bring in to the Australian
Defence Force, better management of military justice issues."

He said examining the long-term size of the ADF was an obvious task for the government.

Dr Nelson said about 4,000 of the 51,000-strong Australian Defence Force were currently
deployed overseas.

Australia has also been asked to contribute to a planned international peacekeeping
force for southern Lebanon.

AAP rp/pe/sd

KEYWORD: ARMY NELSON

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