AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 287, 3 December 1929, Page 11

AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE

REORGANISATION PLANS SMARTER UNIFORMS PROPOSED Important decisions affecting the future defence policy and organisation of Australia were reached by th e Council of Defence, which held a meeting in Melbourne last week to discuss the position arising out of th e suspension by the Federal Ministry of compulsory military training, and to determine the course of action to be taken in future. The Defence Council consists of the Prime Minister, the Federal Treasurer, the Minister of Defence, and the principal military and naval officers. Immediately after the meeting, tho Prime Minister, Mr Scullin, issued the following’ statement:—We had a very full and interesting discussion of all the various points < view from representatives of the different arms of the service, freelv expressed. Tho council unanimously agreed to the maintenance of the same army organisation at present existing as a nucleus, enlistments under the voluntary system to begin immediately. The number of Bien necessary will be raised by voluntary enlistment, such a system being already provided under the present Defence Act. Future of the Air Force. “The question of maintaining a seperate organisation for the Air Force was a mutter that had previously been brought under the notice of the Minister for consideration, and the Defence Committe e was instructed to investigate and report to the Council of Defence. The question was postponed until the matter of aviation as a whole was under consideration. The use of civil aviation as an adjunct to air defence will also be reported on at a future meeting of the council/ ’ The nucleus organisation to which Mr Scullin referred is at present the skeleton force remaining out of Australia’s wartime army. It consists of four infantry divisions, two cavalry divisions, and three mixed brigades, and hu s a total strength of about 200,000 officers and men.

Until recently the force represented between a quarter and a third of the total war strength, but that strength was greatly depleted by the recent abolition of compulsory training. The nucleus itself is composed mainly of officers and non-commissioned officers, whose duty it would be in an emergency to train the new drafts of men. Later it was announced that tho drafting of details for the replacement of compulsory training by voluntary enlistment in the Commonwealth military forces, in accordance with the principles laid down by the Defence Council, is engaging the attention of the Army Board. All existing trainees will be asked to volunteer at once. The ranks will then be open to those who have completed their compulsory training and to former members of the A.I.F. who may be medically fit and of military age One of the chief tasks of the Army Board is to attract a sufficient number of young men to fill the ranks, and to provide the non-commis-sioned officers and junior officers. It is made clear that there is a distinction between volunteers and a voluntary enlisted army. The new defence forces will be voluntarily enlisted and, once enlisted, will be subject to the ordinary military discipline. The term of enlistment has not been decided yet, but it will probably be three years. Upon completion of whatever term is decided, the soldier may, under the present provisions of the Defence Act, voluntarily enlist for a further term. Embellishment of Uniforms The question of smartening the uniforms to make them more attractive was discussed some time before the change of plans wa 8 considered possible. The suggestion, it is understood, was for a general khaki background On a new design, but with distinctive colours on epaulets, cuffs and hat-bands. A.n effort, it was also suggested, would be made to have tho uniform tailored to fit. The present uniform is designed solely for convenience in the field, and not for smartness on parade. The Navy Board will invite all existing compulsory training members of the Royal Australian Naval Reserve to take the oath of voluntary service. No difficulty i g expected in obtaining the lull naval personnel for reserves. All the sea-going personnel is voluntarily enlisted.

A telegram from Melbourne, published in Sydney, states that, in spite of the Federal Ministry’s evident optimism regarding the ultimate success of the new system of defence by voluntary enlistment, a less hopeful view prevails among military officers and those who have had experience of military organisation. One critic expresses the opinion that the new venture would prove “a ghastly failure.” There is already a feeling in certain quarters that the substitution of voluntary service for compulsion will have the ef 4 feet of dividing the community into two opposing classes—military and non-military. There ic a feeling that the required number of enlistments will be difficult to obtain.