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Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles and Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh have celebrated a sharp rise in Defence Force recruitment, improved retention and a full-time permanent workforce now exceeding 61,000 personnel.
New figures show the ADF is growing for the first time in nearly four years, with FY2024–25 seeing the highest intake of permanent full-time personnel since 2009–10. In total, 7,059 recruits joined the ADF over the past year – a 17 per cent increase on the previous year.
As of 1 July 2025, the ADF’s permanent workforce stands at 61,189 personnel – surpassing its growth target for the year and reversing years of stagnation. Applications to join the ADF have also surged, with more than 75,000 received in 2024–25 – the strongest demand in five years and up 28 per cent on the previous year.
Equally critical, separation rates have dropped markedly. The ADF-wide separation rate has fallen to 7.9 per cent – well below the 10-year average, representing a significant turnaround from the rates inherited by the Albanese government in 2022.
These results mark the success of targeted reforms introduced by the government under the 2024 National Defence Strategy and the 2024 Defence Workforce Plan, which together provide a clear and credible path to build a Defence workforce of 69,000 permanent personnel by the early 2030s.
Minister Marles said the government’s efforts were already reversing years of decline under the previous government, saying, “It is essential that Australia has the Defence Force it needs to help protect its strategic interests, and that is why we have made significant investments to support our current Defence workforce and grow it for the future.”
“When the Albanese government came to office, we inherited a personnel crisis. Throughout the near-decade the Coalition was in office, the ADF grew by just 2,000 people. In 2025, the ADF is now growing again for the first time in almost four years. While there is much more work to do, we are confident these positive trends will continue,” the Deputy Prime Minister added.
Minister Keogh said the government’s efforts were paying dividends in both attracting and retaining members of the ADF, adding, “Thanks to our recruitment and retention initiatives, the Australian Defence Force is seeing increased applications, enlistments and more people staying in service than we have in years.”
The government said a stable and growing Defence workforce is essential to delivering the capabilities outlined in the National Defence Strategy, particularly as Australia faces the most “challenging strategic environment” in decades.
