Cash bonuses sees defence force hit largest size in a quarter of a century - 7NEWS

Personnel recruitment via financial incentives directly addresses one of the ADF's chronic weaknesses—force structure sustainability—at a time when AUKUS and Indo-Pacific posture require larger, trained crews. Largest force size in 25 years signals restoration of Defence's ability to field credible conventional deterrence, but the reliance on bonuses rather than structural wage reform may indicate persistent labour-market friction in defence recruitment.