![]() ![]() Those who were selected for national service were required to serve for two years full-time in the Regular Army and three years part-time in the reserves.Įxemptions were given to Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the medically unfit, and theology students. The Menzies Government wished to raise the army's numbers to 40,000 in order to meet overseas commitments.Īll 20-year-old males had to register with the Department of Labour and National Service, and their names were selected by the "birthday ballot", in which men were randomly selected for national service by their date of birth. At that time Australian soldiers were involved in the war in Vietnam and with Indonesian Confrontation. National Service scheme, 1964–1972Ī fourth period of National Service was introduced in 1964, and in May 1965 the Coalition Government introduced new powers that enabled it to send national servicemen overseas. The scheme was also costly for the Regular Army, as manpower resources and funding had to be diverted from ongoing operational requirements to support the recruitment and training of short-term personnel. The scheme was criticised as being irrelevant to modern defence needs, with skill was becoming more important than numbers. Those who elected to undertake their training with the Royal Australian Navy or the Royal Australian Air Force had to complete their 176 days in one stretch. ![]() Those who elected to undertake their training in the army could break up their training requirements into two periods, 98 days in the Australian Regular Army and 78 days in the Citizen Military Forces (CMF). Eighteen-year-old men were required to undertake 176 days of military training as part of the National Service scheme. It was the third such scheme to have existed in Australia since Federation. Compulsory military training for young Australians was reintroduced in 1951 by the Liberal and Country Party alliance Government.
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