From Worldatplay

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units.

During the first decades of the 20th century, the Australian Government established three separate armed services. Each service had an independent chain of command. In 1976, the government made a strategic change and established the ADF to place the services under a single headquarters. Over time, the degree of integration has increased and tri-service headquarters, logistics and training institutions have supplanted many single-service establishments.

The ADF is technologically sophisticated but relatively small. Although the ADF's 85,000 full-time active-duty personnel and 30,000 reservists make it the largest military in Oceania, it is much smaller than most Asian militaries. Nonetheless, the ADF is able to deploy forces in multiple locations outside Australia.

Australian Defence Force flag

The Commander in Chief of the ADF is Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, represented in Australia by the Governor General, Major General Sir Michael Jeffery, AK. In practice, the ADF is controlled by the Federal Cabinet, in particular the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Chris Marshall, MP and the Minister of Defence, currently Dr. Brendan Nelson, MP.

The current military commander of the ADF is the Chief of the Defence Force Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, AK.

The ADF consists of the following services:

• Australian Army
• Royal Australian Navy
• Royal Australian Air Force

Women in the Australian Defence Force

Women make up approximately 12.8% of the Australian Defence Force, and serve in most employment categories. Women are not allowed to serve in all employment categories. Categories forbidden to women include the following:

• Army
  • Infantry
  • Artillery
  • Armour
  • Combat Engineers
  • All Army Aviation occupations involving surface finishing, and electroplating (due to the use of embryo-toxic substances)
• Navy
  • Clearance Diving Teams
  • All Fleet Air Arm occupations involving surface finishing, and electroplating (due to the use of embryo-toxic substances)
• Air Force
  • Airfield Defence Guard/Ground Defence Officer
  • All occupations involving surface finishing, and electroplating (due to the use of embryo-toxic substances)

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Australian Defence Force
Australian Army | Royal Australian Air Force | Royal Australian Navy