iscover
Recruitment and retention have long been a challenge facing the Australian Defence Force, with the Defence Annual Report 2024–25 reinforcing this fact.
Official recruitment targets still sit high in response to an increasingly contested strategic environment; however, with enlistment pipelines struggling to keep pace and experienced members leaving, Australia’s defence capability is at a critical point.
The 2024–25 numbers pointed to a larger trend that while additions across the ADF still remain higher than separations, the line is thin and not where it needs to be to reach the goals set out in the 2022 Defence growth plan, as well as the annual National Defence Strategy targets.
Defence Annual Report 2024–25: Recruitment and retention numbers
The report indicated a range of trends surrounding the permanent Defence workforce numbers.
Notably, the 2024–25 period saw the largest increase in permanent full-time personnel, increasing by 17 per cent compared to 2023–24, and was the highest annual intake since 2009–10.
Applications to join the ADF were also strong, marking the highest number in five years at 75,000 applications.
The total Australian Defence Force headcount rose by 1,664 personnel, driven by 6,228 new additions, outpacing 4,562 separations.
However, despite increases in overall numbers, all three branches continue to experience significant separations. Army noted the highest numbers of separation at over 2,500 personnel in the period, compared to 1,022 for the Navy and 970 in the Air Force.
In total for the year 2024–25, the Air Force saw the strongest growth, increasing by 824 personnel, followed by the Army (462 personnel added) and Navy (378 personnel added).
The report also analysed ADF membership by location, finding NSW accounting for 25,425 personnel, closely followed by Queensland with 24,335. Victoria followed with 10,312 personnel, while Western Australia (7,449) and South Australia (5,798) maintained smaller cohorts. This is expected to rise as both these states continue to play an increasingly important role in national defence strategy.
“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,” Defence Minister Richard Marles said on these numbers last July.
“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.”
What does this mean for national growth?
There have been a multitude of initiatives over the past few years (and governments) to encourage Defence growth, such as former prime minister Scott Morrison’s 2022 plan to increase the ADF workforce to over 100,000 by 2040 under a $38 billion initiative.
More recently, the 2024 Defence Workforce Plan is the Albanese government’s initiative aiming to shift short-term recruitments to a long-term, system-wide workforce increase. The plan is designed to support the broader National Defence Strategy by ensuring Defence has the skilled, sustainable workforce needed for an “integrated, focused force”.
Modernising recruitment systems, widening eligibility pathways and better aligning workforce supply with future capability needs are some of the ways that across all plans and governments, ADF recruitment numbers are set to increase and separation to decrease.
So, is Australia on track to meet these goals?
While enlistments are high, the ADF still fell short of its specific annual recruitment target by approximately 1,000 members.
However, the upwards trajectory of recruitment and interest in joining the ADF may make the 2025–26 numbers compare drastically to the report; we’ll have to wait and see.
Defence industry growth continues to be at the forefront of many federal and state government initiatives, with sector growth in industrial capacity strengthening as Australia continues investment into sovereign capabilities and multinational defence pacts.
Final thoughts
While the Defence Annual Report 2024–25 highlighted positive recruitment trends, the ADF remains at a critical juncture; persistent high separations across all branches and the failure to meet specific annual targets underscore the complexity of the workforce crisis.
Ultimately, achieving national growth goals will require more than short-term gains. It needs sustained, long-term strategic investment to ensure Australia maintains the resilient and capable force necessary for its evolving strategic environment.
Get involved with the discussion and let us know your thoughts on what you would like to see from Australia’s political leaders in the comments section below or get in touch at
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Defence Connect a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Defence Connect as a preferred news source.
