New Australian Army Recruting Standards
Australian military
Nelson seeks Dad's Army
Gerard McManus
March 26, 2007 12:00am
Article from: www.heraldsun.com
AUSTRALIA is to adopt a Dad's Army" recruiting campaign,
with soldiers as old as 56 able to sign up to defend the nation.
And Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said yesterday the compulsory retirement age for members of the ADF would be lifted from 55 to 60.
Dr Nelson said the ADF's recruitment age was to be raised from 51 to 56 with a multi-million-dollar campaign to start in a fortnight.
Older recruits without a year 10 school certificate would also be considered, he said, and initial training would be slashed from 31 weeks to six.
The ADF had failed to meet any recruitment targets for years, despite spending tens of millions in failed advertising and recruitment campaigns, but Dr Nelson said more money had to be spent.
Dr Nelson, who had previously dropped other barriers to enlistment such as former drug use and tattoos, said older troops would not necessarily be on the front line.
"We're not . . . talking about 55-year-olds jumping out of helicopters with full packs on with the special forces," he told the Nine Network yesterday.
"But there are a whole variety of jobs in the Australian military which can and should be undertaken by people in a uniform.
"And we know there are many people in their 40s, people like myself at my age, for example, who really want to spend the rest of their working lives making a real difference."
Labor defence spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said the ADF should be smarter, not older.
"Success in improving recruitment and retention will come not through lowering standards and raising retirement ages, but by improving conditions of employment," he said.
The Howard Government wants to lift army numbers by 20 per cent over the next decade.
The ADF has servicemen and women in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the South Pacific.
Nelson seeks Dad's Army
Gerard McManus
March 26, 2007 12:00am
Article from: www.heraldsun.com
AUSTRALIA is to adopt a Dad's Army" recruiting campaign,
with soldiers as old as 56 able to sign up to defend the nation.
And Defence Minister Brendan Nelson said yesterday the compulsory retirement age for members of the ADF would be lifted from 55 to 60.
Dr Nelson said the ADF's recruitment age was to be raised from 51 to 56 with a multi-million-dollar campaign to start in a fortnight.
Older recruits without a year 10 school certificate would also be considered, he said, and initial training would be slashed from 31 weeks to six.
The ADF had failed to meet any recruitment targets for years, despite spending tens of millions in failed advertising and recruitment campaigns, but Dr Nelson said more money had to be spent.
Dr Nelson, who had previously dropped other barriers to enlistment such as former drug use and tattoos, said older troops would not necessarily be on the front line.
"We're not . . . talking about 55-year-olds jumping out of helicopters with full packs on with the special forces," he told the Nine Network yesterday.
"But there are a whole variety of jobs in the Australian military which can and should be undertaken by people in a uniform.
"And we know there are many people in their 40s, people like myself at my age, for example, who really want to spend the rest of their working lives making a real difference."
Labor defence spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said the ADF should be smarter, not older.
"Success in improving recruitment and retention will come not through lowering standards and raising retirement ages, but by improving conditions of employment," he said.
The Howard Government wants to lift army numbers by 20 per cent over the next decade.
The ADF has servicemen and women in Iraq, Afghanistan, East Timor and the South Pacific.
posted by 10 men at 1:42 PM
1 Comments:
Great idea but for Gods sake dont take any "suspect" characters in the name of diversity. They dont need weapons training. Trips back and forth to Pakistan for "weddings" are all they need to strip an AK47 in the dark under two minutes.
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