Several heads of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have had their terms extended, with chief of the ADF Angus Campbell and vice chief of the ADF David Johnston having their terms extended by two years.
In a press conference on the news, minister for defence Richard Marles acknowledged gender diversity was an area for Defence to improve upon when asked about the all-male news.
“It’s very important that the Australian Defence Force looks like Australia in terms of its diversity. And I know that in general Campbell’s time there has been a real emphasis on improving the diversity of the Defence Force so that it does look more like Australia, but there is a way to go.
“There’s not gender equality in terms of the numbers of representatives within our defence force right now, although, having said that, there are a rising number of women within the defence force. In due course though, we need to see that filter through to our most senior leadership,” Marles said.
The term of the chief of joint operations, Greg Bilton, has also been extended by two years by the government.
Further, three new chiefs of the forces have been announced by the government, each for a period of four years: rear admiral Mark Hammond as the new chief of Navy, major general Simon Stuart as chief of Army, and air vice-marshal Robert Chipman as chief of Air Force.
When asked about how the appointments relate to current Defence capabilites, Marles said the appointments were made with challenges such as the next generation of submarines in mind.
“We think that continuity will serve us well in terms of making sure that we can deliver those as quickly as possible because we cannot afford any more delay in terms of delivering Australia’s new submarine capability,” the minister commented.
The government thanked the outgoing chief of Navy, Michael Noonan, chief of Army Rick Burr, and chief of Air Force Mel Hupfeld for their contributions to the forces.
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