SYDNEY: Australia on Tuesday decided to allow non-citizens to join its armed forces as the sparsely populated country struggles to meet recruitment targets.
Defence Minister Richard Marles said that from July, the new eligibility criteria would allow permanent residents, who have been living in Australia for 12 months to join the armed forces.
He added that citizens from Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States would be favoured.
Australia has a vast area but its population is just around 26 million.
Canberra has increased defence spending in recent years, buying jets, fighting vehicles and fleets of submarines to meet mounting tensions in the region.
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But it has struggled to find enough mariners, pilots and troops to operate and maintain them.
Experts also warn that few Australians do not have uniforms to meet even current requirements.
According to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the Australian Defence Forces have about 90,000 personnel, including reserves. China’s military has an estimated two million personnel.
Marles said growing the Australian Defence Force was necessary to meet the nation’s security challenges through the next decade and beyond.
