Former soldiers to face call-up obligations of ten years

New Australian Defence Force (ADF) recruits will be required to remain available for call-up for a decade after leaving service.

The ADF has been looking to lift its full-time and reserve numbers and a 2024 review found it could ask more from those leaving service.

The post-service commitment for new ADF personnel will double from October 1, with existing members able to opt-in.

New recruits entering the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will be required to remain "on the books" for ten years after leaving the military.

The ADF has doubled the "commitment period" required of all personnel from five years to ten, in an effort to grow the pool of people it can call upon in a crisis.

The requirement to remain in Australia's reserve forces has been in place for anyone entering the ADF since 2016.

The longer time frame will automatically apply to recruits from October 1, while existing personnel will be able to opt-in to ten years.

The commitment only requires members to stay at "service category two" — essentially an unpaid contingency reserve, with no service, training or other obligations other than a duty to respond if called up.

Defence has been looking for ways to lift the number of reserve personnel for some time and a 2024 review of reserves recommended making this change after warning the number who could be called upon was too low.

It estimated that the change would double the ADF's "contingent reserve" — people who are out of active service but could be called upon in a crisis — to close to 20,000 within five years.

There is also a sense within Defence that some former personnel feel the five year window is too short and they want the option to easily return to service for longer — even if they have been inactive for years.

Asked about the change, Defence Minister Richard Marles pointed to recent ADF recruitment figures as a positive sign for the military.

"We are seeing recruitment rates which we haven't seen for a very long period of time, so we are actually investing in our people, making the critical decisions."

Last week, the ADF announced its permanent headcount had reached more than 64,000 — a 25-year high.