Earlier this year I gave evidence during the final hearing block of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. For three years, the Royal Commission has heard evidence from serving and former-serving members, and their families. The Royal Commission has...
FORMER Army legal officer David McBride was jailed this week for the unlawful removal of highly classified documents and for releasing information contained therein. McBride’s supporters have compared him with the arch-narcissist Julian Assange, describing both as...
The refusal of the nation’s military leaders to accept responsibility for war crimes in Afghanistan has generated “anger and bitter resentment” among serving personnel and veterans that will take years to overcome, an independent panel has warned. The Afghanistan...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has recommended a raft of senior ADF leadership changes to the Governor-General. Vice Chief of the Defence Force Vice Admiral David Johnston AC, RAN, will be appointed as the new Chief of the Defence Force, replacing retiring Chief...
Vice Admiral David Johnston’s promotion to be Chief of Defence Force reminds me of the campaign slogan from the comedy series Veep, where “Vice-President” Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) runs for the top job under the banner “Continuity with Change”....
As it prepares Australia to defend itself in a contested region, the ADF has put the call out to young people to join—to achieve its goals, it needs to recruit 18,500 more people of serving age by 2040. Young people in Australia can seem an enigma to...
A cat has been set among the pigeons, with Curtin University academic Dr Alexey Muraviev calling for Australian policymakers to consider reinitiating conscription to defend the nation, but many young Aussies rightfully asked why. I know that the initial response from...
Minister for Defence Personnel Matt Keogh has confirmed that the Albanese government’s program of retention bonuses for Australian Defence Force personnel is working to help retain skilled personnel. Approximately 85 per cent of eligible personnel have accepted the...
The defence strategic review brings into sharp focus the challenges faced by Australia with respect to strategic policy, defence planning and resourcing over the coming decades. Its discussion of recruitment and retention of personnel for the Defence...
Defence Minister Richard Marles says the damning courtroom findings against disgraced former SAS Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith reveal the urgent need to implement all the findings of an inquiry into Australian soldiers’ conduct in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Richard...