Royal Australian Navy
Australian Army
Royal Australian Air Force
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is responsible for the defence of Australia and is supported by the Department of Defence and several other civilian agencies. The Australian Defence Force maintains 60 major bases and many other facilities across all the states and territories of Australia.
The ADF is technologically sophisticated but relatively small, however, it is supported by a significant budget by worldwide standards and is able to deploy forces in multiple locations outside Australia. Australian soldiers have fought in both World Wars and numerous allied conflicts, including being involved in many peacekeeping exercises, one of the more noteworthy being the aid they provided in the independence of East Timor.
All Australian troops are remembered each year on Anzac Day, 25 April, the anniversary of the first landing of Australian 'Diggers' at Gallipoli during the First World War.
Since the late 1980s, the Government has increasingly called upon the ADF to contribute forces to peacekeeping missions around the world.
Australian War memorial, Canberra, ACT
Women first served in the Australian military during World War II. Since 1992 Australia has allowed gay men and lesbians to serve openly.
Australia's formal military agreements include the ANZUS Alliance with the United States of America, the Closer Defence Program with New Zealand and the Five Power Defence Arrangements with Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The Australian Defence Force consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a number of 'tri-service' units.
The ADF is highly capable of defeating direct attacks on Australia by conventional forces, though such attacks are highly improbable at present.
