Brendan Nelson has agreed to an advertising blitz to lift recruitment for the Australian Defence Force:

New ads encouraging people to enlist in the defence forces will hit television screen next month as part of a massive recruitment drive. Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says the government decided to increase the Australian Defence Force’s advertising budget to help it reach its recruitment targets. Dr Nelson said the government would significantly increase the amount of money spent on advertising and promoting the ADF, and change the focus of the campaigns.

Source: More funding for recruitment ads: Nelson – Breaking News – National – Breaking News

I don’t suppose it occurred to the government that perhaps numbers were down because people don’t want to be sent into war zones on the whim of a prime minister.

The Iraq adventure has done untold damage to the ability of the defence force to attract people. The government will blather on about a tight job market, but in the end it’s the poor judgement of John Howard that has led to this problem.

The mess in the Iraq is the worst job ad you could hope for when it comes to recruitment for the ADF. People understand the different roles that can be undertaken in the ADF and there are some admirable examples of interventions at a national and international level.

However, the risk of being sent to participate in the invasion and occupation of a war like Iraq surely puts many people off. Especially as they understand that the Iraq war was inspired by the less than honourable motives of leaders in the US, UK and Australia.

The image of a career in the defence force has been damaged by members of the government themselves, and until they start to admit they were wrong about the war, WEE don’t see many people rushing to join up.

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