Enlisted personnel numbers in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have grown for the first time in years, with the number of applications rising and retention rates improving.
Defence recruited 7,059 full-time personnel in 2024/25—the highest annual intake in more than 15 years, and a 17 percent increase on the result for 2023.
At the same time, the rate at which people left the ADF dropped to a decade low of 7.9 percent. These trends resulted in a net gain of 2,000.
As of July, the permanent and full-time defence workforce reached just over 61,100 people.
That represents significant progress towards the federal government’s goal of filling 69,000 permanent positions by the early 2030s.
But they come at a cost—retention bonuses of $40,000 (US$25,900) were announced late last year to encourage already employed individuals to sign on for another three years, at a total cost of $600 million.
The size of the ADF remains more than 2,500 fewer than the government was aiming for before it reduced its workforce targets in the March budget, and meeting its 69,000 target is essential to ensuring it can crew and maintain the navy’s future submarines and frigates.
Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles talked up the result, saying significant investment had helped support current defence workers and grow the force for the future.
He also pointed to the fact that during the nine years 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, [and] while there is much more work to do, we are confident these positive trends will continue,” he said.
The government has invested in pay rises for critical skills and reformed the recruitment system to streamline the process.
More than 75,000 applications to join the ADF were received in the past 12 months, the highest number in five years, but the eventual recruitment of less than 10 percent of those applicants shows that most are still dropping out.
Meanwhile, the government’s plan to recruit citizens and permanent residents from its Five Eyes partners has resulted in just three applications from New Zealand.
Officials are also working through issues surrounding the recruitment of Pacific Islanders, including whether they should be required to become Australian citizens. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka recently predicted that recruits from his country could provide the entire 8,000 needed to meet the government’s 2030 target.
“Thanks to our recruitment and retention initiatives, the ADF is seeing increased applications, enlistments, and more people staying in service than we have in years,” Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh said.
“We’re now making sure that our eligibility requirements match the more than 300 different types of roles that are available in the Defence Force.”
He said recruiters had used “smarter” advertising, using platforms such as TikTok and computer game sites to reach potential recruits.
