Up to a quarter of Australian Defence Force personnel are not medically fit for deployment, officials have acknowledged during a Senate Estimates hearing.
Defence Chief of Personnel Lieutenant General Natasha Fox told the hearing on Thursday that more than 75 per cent of ADF members were classified as deployable, leaving as many as 25 per cent outside that category.
“We have over 75 per cent of the ADF are actually in a deployable military employment classification. So up to 25 per cent are not,” Lieutenant General Fox said.
The figures were disclosed after independent senator David Pocock questioned defence officials about claims that a growing number of personnel were unfit for deployment.
The admission comes as the Australian Defence Force also faces concerns about protecting troops and military facilities from potential attacks within Australia.
Apparently unidentified drones have repeatedly breached airspace restrictions near Williamtown, north of Newcastle, where Australia’s main RAAF base for F-35 fighter jets is located.
The Albanese Government introduced legislation this week to create exclusion zones around about 170 military bases. The proposed laws would allow the bases to shoot down incoming drones if necessary.
