Australia FactbookDraft
November 2026 Edition
Australia Factbook · National chapter / AUS
Military and Security
ⓘ
2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Sections in Military and Security
Military and Security
Military and security forces:159
Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force (2025)¶
note:the Australian Federal Police (AFP) is an independent agency of the Attorney-General’s Department; the AFP, state, and territorial police forces are responsible for internal security; the Australian Border Force (ABF) is under the Department of Home Affairs¶
Military expenditures:160
Military and security service personnel strengths:161
approximately 60,000 active ADF personnel (2025)¶
Military equipment inventories and acquisitions:162
the military's inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems; in recent years, the US has been the largest supplier of arms; the Australian defense industry produces a variety of land and sea weapons platforms; the defense industry also participates in joint development and production ventures with other Western countries, including the US and Canada (2025)¶
note:in 2023, the Australian defense ministry announced a new strategic review that called for the acquisition of more long-range deterrence capabilities, including missiles, submarines, and cyber tools; in early 2024, Australia announced a 10-year plan to more than double the number of the Navy's major surface combatant ships¶
Military service age and obligation:163
17 years of age (with parental consent; 18 years of age to deploy) for voluntary military service for men and women; no conscription (abolished 1972) (2024)¶
note 1:as of July 2024, New Zealanders who are permanent residents and have lived in Australia for at least 12 months could apply to join the ADF; from January 2025, eligible permanent residents from Canada, the UK, and the US were also to be allowed to apply¶
note 2:women have served in all roles, including combat arms, since 2013; in 2024, they comprised slightly more than 20% of the military¶
Military deployments:164
note:the number of Australian military forces varies by mission; since the 1990s, Australia has deployed more than 30,000 personnel on nearly 100 UN peacekeeping and coalition military operations around the World¶
Military - note:165
the ADF's missions include protecting Australia’s borders and maritime interests, responding to domestic natural disasters, and deploying overseas for humanitarian, peacekeeping, and other security-related missions; in 2024, it established a cyber command; the ADF regularly participates in bi-lateral and multi-lateral exercises with foreign militaries¶
Australia has been part of the Australia, New Zealand, and US Security (ANZUS) Treaty since 1951; Australia is also a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK¶
Australia has long-standing bi-lateral defense and security ties to the UK, including defense and security cooperation treaties in 2024 and 2013; the Australia-UK Ministerial Consultations (AUKMIN) is their premier bilateral forum on foreign policy, defense, and security issues¶
Australia also has a long-standing military relationship with the US; Australian and US forces first fought together in France in 1918 and have fought together in every major US conflict since; Australia and the US signed an agreement in 2014 that allowed for closer bi-lateral defense and security cooperation, including rotations of US military forces and equipment to Australia; Australian military forces train often with US forces; Australia has Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation¶
in 2021, Australia, the UK, and the US announced an enhanced trilateral security partnership called “AUKUS” which would build on existing bilateral ties, including deeper integration of defense and security-related science, technology, industrial bases, and supply chains, as well as deeper cooperation on a range of defense and security capabilities (2025)¶
Notes & sources
- Military and security forces. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military expenditures. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military and security service personnel strengths. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military equipment inventories and acquisitions. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military service age and obligation. Reference edition; observation: 2024. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military deployments. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
- Military - note. Reference edition; observation: 2025. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩