Recognising a need to adapt to a changing security environment, Australia has been taking creative approaches to strengthen its defence. One of these strategies is the possible recruitment of more foreign recruits—especially from the Pacific Islands—which could be one way of addressing this gap. The Australian Defence Force (ADF) hopes to ramp up its numbers to 80,000 by 2040. In order to realize this goal, they must take a broader recruiting approach. Derek Levy, a Papua New Guinean soldier, has a central role in this negotiation. He has been an instructor with the ADF. His rich journey and perspectives will no doubt inform attempts to build Pacific Islanders into Australia’s broader military apparatus.
Prior to this, from 2021–2023, Derek Levy was an instructor at the School of Military Engineering in Sydney. He spent three years in this position while seconded to the ADF. At present he holds the rank of Colonel and commands an engineer battalion in the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF). Now, as an active-duty soldier from one of America’s Pacific Islander nations, he has a decidedly different perspective. His insights would dramatically improve the recruitment strategies that Australian officials are toying with.
The push for recruiting Pacific Islanders includes collaboration with Australian firms like PeopleIN, led by former British Army officer Ross Thompson. His business brings on seasonal labourers from the Pacific Islands through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme. As recently as last year, Thompson shared this strategy with the 2022-23 Australian parliament. This Gurkha strategy, with its root in Smith’s Gurkha model, underscores these parallels of Nepal’s recruiting merits and possible recruitment from Pacific nations.
The Gurkha Model and Recruitment Strategy
Colorful history These fearless fighters have a colorful past, having long been an integral part of the British Army. He noted that around 25,000 young men of Nepal compete each year for a spot with the Gurkhas. Adopt only one percent of them.
“You would have an initial registration, then a selection process with the regions of PNG, and then cut that down to a final stage selection that would be in Port Moresby,” – Ross Thompson
Thompson elaborated on the new proposed selection process. This process will have several steps in order to ensure that candidates meet the requisite levels of fitness, medical and aptitude standards. Each phase would correspond with articulated gaps within the ADF, allowing recruits—those most qualified—to be filtered toward the roles where they’re needed most.
“Each stage would have a fitness, medical and aptitude element, and the aptitude element would get tied back to the gaps in the ADF and the roles it needs to fill,” – Ross Thompson
This holistic approach is a smart way to tackle the personnel shortage. It does more than that. It’s instrumental in getting recruits equipped for success in service in the ADF. By concentrating on state-specific picks, Thompson thinks it can help recruitment efforts more efficiently while encouraging local involvement.
Perspectives from Experts on Pacific Islander Recruitment
The concept of recruiting Pacific Islanders into the ADF has garnered support from experts like Jennifer Parker, an associate at the Australian National University’s National Security College. She shares the excitement for these creative, innovative initiatives, but she stresses that intent should not outweigh impact.
“One of the arguments we’ve often heard is that these young, fit Pacific Islanders come from warrior cultures and it’s natural to recruit them into our army,” – Jen Parker
Parker’s testimony raises poignant issues about recruitment policies. He calls for caution to head off issues such as brain drain, confusion over citizenship situations and wage differences between new Australian and offshore recruits.
“If your own citizens won’t join your own defence force, there’s a moral question everyone needs to start asking as opposed to looking for a quick-fix solution to recruit South Pacific Islanders,” – Jen Parker
Parker advocates for structured recruitment policies that ensure fairness and equity for each recruit. He thinks these policies further serve to instill pride in military service.
“I think the focus should be on recruiting units as opposed to individuals with a policy that if they serve in Australia, they return home after service,” – Jen Parker
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
As Australia embarks down this new path to strengthen its self-defence capabilities, it is confronted with many hurdles. Constitutional amendments may be necessary to adjust recruitment rules requiring foreign recruits to apply for Australian citizenship within 90 days of joining the ADF. Home affairs officials in Port Moresby said Australia was looking to recruit up to 8000 Papua New Guineans. Ironically, this request is primarily intended to strengthen Australia’s military defenses.
Derek Levy’s account from his time working in Australia sheds some light on the attractiveness of serving in the ADF. He recalls his years as an instructor with great affection and said Australia “felt like a second home.”
“Australia felt like a second home. I never got homesick and the standard of employment was the pinnacle of what I saw,” – Derek Levy
Levy’s passion for service in the military sinks home in Pacific Islander cultures where loyalty and service are cherished attributes. Taking on the protection of young future shock troops’ job possibilities by integrating foreign military could provide high wage fast track employment.
“It would be an employment opportunity with the pride of wearing a uniform,” – Derek Levy
Levy readily concedes that reasons for serving can be worlds apart for Australians and Pacific Islanders.
“That’s the opposite of the ADF right now, where the young generation (of Australians) don’t want to join the army. For us it’s different. We do it for loyalty,” – Derek Levy
