Calls To Allow Foreigners To Enlist In Australia’s Military

The federal government is being called on to allow foreigners to enlist with the country’s military to help address the lingering recruitment crisis.

The opposition, along with leading military experts said the federal government should consider radical policy changes if it wants to achieve its goal of recruiting 18,500 uniformed personnel by 2040.

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Former senior defence officials said Pacific Islanders should be allowed to enlist in the Australian Defence Force and offered an accelerated pathway to Australian citizenship.

They added the invitation to enlist should be offered to citizens of other countries including New Zealand, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. 

Last week, the federal government released its defence strategic review which found the Defence Force is “facing significant workforce challenges.”

Opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie told the Age “with immigration about to increase, we should consider opening service in the ADF as an accelerated pathway to citizenship”.

“If someone is willing to fight and die for our country we should take them over a $5 million golden visa any day of the week,” he said.

Australia’s current policy states only Australian citizens are permitted to serve with exemptions granted on in “very rare and exceptional circumstances.”

The French Foreign Legion and the British army’s brigade of Nepalese Gurkhas are just two examples of other nations which allow foreigners to serve for their nation.

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