|
Canberra: Australia's defence forces are over-stretched and in urgent need of reinforcements if the country is to maintain its overseas commitments, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said yesterday.
A close ally of the United States, Australia has almost 4,000 soldiers, sailors and air crews serving overseas, with forces in Iraq and Afghanistan and seven other deployments, with the military at its busiest operational tempo since the Vietnam War.
"The defence organisation is under significant pressure in maintaining this tempo and the requirement for future deployments is likely to continue for some years," Fitzgibbon said in a speech to a strategic policy think-tank yesterday.
"Our forces are over-stretched," he added.
His comments are the first time the government has said its military can no longer sustain its high workload, and are a shift from the former conservative government, which said the defence forces could cope with its commitments.
Australia has about 51,000 military personnel, supplemented by about 20,000 reservists, but is struggling to fill its recruitment targets due to a booming economy and unemployment at record lows.
Australia has about 1,500 troops in and around Iraq, and about 1,000 in Afghanistan, as well as 750 on the ground to help maintain peace and order in East Timor.
Australia also has troops in the Solomon Islands, and small numbers deployed with multi-national forces in the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, and with UN forces in the Sudan and in the Middle East.
Fitzgibbon said that meant up to 12,000 defence personnel would be involved in the deployment cycles over the coming year, either preparing to go overseas, returning from a mission or being involved in an operation.
At the same time, Australia is trying to raise two new army battalions, and find sailors for new air warfare destroyers, submarines and amphibious ships.
"If we don't soon begin to make more progress on the recruitment and retention front, we will not be able to meet future challenges with success," Fitzgibbon said.
Fitzgibbon has promised to pull about 550 soldiers out of Iraq at the end of their deployment.
|
