Australia faces the most complex and challenging strategic environment since the Second World War. It demands a coordinated, whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach to Australia’s defence.

The National Defence Strategy calls for a widening of eligibility criteria to enable more people to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF) including developing options, where appropriate, to recruit non-Australian citizens; streamlining and improving the recruiting system; and encouraging personnel to serve longer through retention initiatives.

Under the Strategy, Defence will adopt a more focused approach to its international engagement. These efforts will protect Australia’s economic connection to the world and help shape a region that is peaceful, stable and prosperous.

Australia’s alliance with the United States remains fundamental to our national security. The Albanese Government is committed to deepening and expanding Australia's defence cooperation with the United States, and working together with the United Kingdom under the auspices of AUKUS. The government is also deeply focused on enhancing Australia’s defence relationships across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, as well as in the Indian Ocean and North Asia regions. 

The 2024 Integrated Investment Program (IIP) sets out the specific defence capabilities the Government will invest in to give effect to the Strategy. It provides a generational uplift in Defence’s capabilities and reflects a coherent, logical and affordable plan to transition the ADF to an integrated, focused force.

Together, the Strategy and IIP provide a blueprint to deliver an ambitious transformation of the ADF to ensure it is positioned to safeguard Australia’s security and contribute to regional peace and prosperity for decades to come.