Australian Defence Force: Japan, Australia share military recruitment struggles
As Australian and Japanese soldiers learn how to fight alongside each other in the North Australian bush, their leaders face a common dilemma: How to recruit young people. DETAILS.
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As Aussie and Japanese soldiers learn how to fight alongside each other in the North Australian bush, the leaders of both nations find themselves facing a common dilemma: How to recruit young people and keep them in uniform.
Last month, 300 troops from the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force (JSDF) joined their Aussie and US Marine counterparts in North Queensland ahead of Exercise Talisman 2025, which will be the largest instalment in the activity’s 20-year history.
The occasion follows Japan’s commitment to have a regiment deployed to Darwin in tandem with the 2000-strong US Marines who also call the Top End home.
However, while the foreign military influx helps those training on the ground, in the background officials in Tokyo and Canberra are simultaneously battling an ongoing recruitment and retention crisis which threatens to cripple their respective forces.
During NT Defence Week, it was revealed Darwin’s 1st Brigade had a manning of approximately 2000 soldiers – less than the total number of US Marines posted to the Northern Territory.
Similarly, brigades in Townsville and Brisbane are also undermanned.
Despite the Morrison Government having set a lofty goal of fielding 80,000 personnel by 2040, the ADF have failed to meet its recruitment target for consecutive years.
In a bid to keep troops in-house, the ADF offered financial bonuses worth up to $50,000 if soldiers extended their service contract.
Further, Defence Minister Richard Marles opened the doors for applicants from New Zealand, the UK, US and Canada to join the ADF in an attempt to ramp up recruitment.
Dwindling recruit numbers have also led to a significantly top-heavy organisation, with a recent Portfolio Budget Statement revealing that, within the Australian Army, there was a star-commander for approximately every 280 troops – including senior officers.
Japan, coming to grips with an ageing population, have made sweeping reforms to make a career in the military more appealing.
In December 2024, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced more than 30 allowances would be rolled out for personnel, as well as pay increases and improved benefits, such as private rooms and expanded Wi-Fi access aboard major vessels and bases.
The roll out came after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba revealed Japan’s military manning was operating at around 90 per cent – a figure he described as “an extremely serious issue”.
By contrast, Washington D.C. have enjoyed a healthy flow of youngsters keen to sign up.
The US Army alone achieved its 2025 recruiting goals a full four months early.
As of this year, the US Armed Forces has more than 1.2 million activity military personnel.
When asked about the spike last week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a change in political direction was behind the boost.
“Across the board, the spirit of our country, (there’s a) willingness and desire to serve, because they see leadership that believes in the country that’s going to have their back, that says, ‘We want you to be warriors’,” he said.
“We’re not doing this politically correct garbage anymore - we’re doing war fighting, we’re training, we’re preparing, we’re focused on (getting) back to basics, and the young people of America have responded, and they’ll continue to respond.”
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Originally published as Australian Defence Force: Japan, Australia share military recruitment struggles
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