Retirees receiving military superannuation pensions are struggling to maintain their standard of living because of inadequate indexation, writes Peter Criss, a retired RAAF air vice-marshal.
Australian defence force
Double standards from the ADF as ruling excuses gay cyber bullying
With gay marriage opponents pushing the line that everything is hunky-dory for gay people so please stop whinging, an ADF inquiry has given a free pass to anti-gay bullying and death threats.
Front-line women: if they’re good enough, they’re good enough
Yes, women will be theoretically free to fight on the front line. But comparatively few are likely to actually apply, and very few of those are likely to meet the physical and psychological standards required, writes blogger Geoff Lemon.
Women on the front line
Crikey media wrap: In the battle for equality, women have had an historic win, with the Defence Force finally opening up combat roles for females.
Defence: no longer untouchable, the ADF got mugged
For nearly two decades, Australia’s annual budget has been a bit of a ho-hum experience for Defence. But last night it got raided for the first time in years, says Graeme Dobell.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Women on the front line
Crikey readers have their say.
Media briefs: Soldiers outed on Facebook … five myths about the future of journalism …
Soldiers outed on Facebook, the BBC news chiefs admit that flying in big-name anchors to breaking news stories has — on occasion — been a waste of money and other media news.
ADF into the heat of battle
Stephen Smith could be described as a brave man — even a hero — in the real sense of the words rather than the debased usage much of the media and many militaristic politicos have adopted.
Why the force is with Stephen Smith
Stephen Smith has cleverly seized on the crisis of confidence in the ADF engendered by the ADFA scandal to push through a reform the military wants.
Women on the front line
Crikey media wrap: A sex scandal in the Defence Force has led to Australian women finally being allowed to fight on the front line and opened a conversation on misogyny and the culture of Australia’s defence force academies.
Political snippets: Australians frugal as personal lending finance decreases
That Australians are being cautious with their finances was shown again this morning.
Cadet film case: lessons to be learnt in the way it was reported
The biggest lesson in this case is that the whole matter could have been resolved in much more detail, much swifter and in a much more effective manner if the Commandant of ADFA had been allowed to explain the facts from the beginning, writes Neil James, executive director, Australia Defence Association
The dark side of mateship in Australian military ranks
Gender equity interventions alone cannot penetrate the hermetically sealed, and bullet-proof culture of group solidarity that soldiers are socialised into at training, writes sociologist and former military man Dr Ben Wadham.
Australia or Austria? The WikiLeaks mix-up
Crikey can reveal that the inability of US soldiers to differentiate between Austria and Australia helped trigger a major investigation by Australian authorities and potentially endangered Australian troops in Afghanistan. Luke Miller explains.
Why is the ADF’s amphibious fleet worn out?
The real story about the burgeoning deficiencies in defence force amphibious vessel capabilities is that both sides of politics are being less than correct historically when trying to attribute blame for it, writes Neil James, executive director, Australia Defence Association.
Defence procurement bungles: we’re without amphibious capability
Australia now has almost no amphibious capability to respond to emergencies in our region, writes James Brown, former military commander and Lowy Institute Military Associate.
Our new attack aircraft: the end of the JSF?
The appearance of two all new attack and defend aircraft have raised issues of substance for the Joint Strike Fighter program, and indicate that the US and its allies should carefully review their plans to maintain air superiority, reports Ben Sandilands.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Crikey apologises to The Franklin Mint
Crikey readers have their say.
Elite Oz soldiers in covert operations for top-secret Alliance Base
Elite Australian soldiers are involved in covert operations for the Americans in the “war on terror”, co-ordinated through the top-secret, Paris-based centre Alliance Base.
Iraq War Iraq War Logs: the Australian contingent
Crikey has started sifting through the nearly 400,000 US military records that make up Wikileaks’ Iraq War Logs and has identified over 60 reports as most likely referring to Australian troops, writes freelance writer Luke Miller.
Our moral duty to stay in Afghanistan
Everyone knows that much of Afghanistan’s current misery can be traced back to the willingness of the Soviets and the US to fund various groups of cut-throats during the cold war. We’re doing exactly the same today.
A reality check on Afghanistan
Transition of power in Afghanistan won’t just run on some pre-determined calendar schedule arranged by outside forces. This is a messy and difficult battle and Afghans still need training, writes Russell Robinson.
Support the Afghanistan troops by bringing them home
Australian troops could simply pack up and leave Afghanistan, as other countries have done, and no-one else will much notice or care. It’s a better idea than escalating the military action.
Let them serve: Defence drops ban on transgender soldiers
Chief of the Defence Force Angus Houston issued an instruction Monday revoking the policy that effectively banned transgender service members. The ADF is believed to be the last government agency that specifically fired employees for transitioning gender, writes Harley Dennett.
Australia starts punching in the right weight division
With long US-led wars involving Australian troops, our role in East Timor’s independence and China as a rising military power in Asia, Brian Toohey examines where Australia’s power now stands in the Asia-Pacific region.
