Commander's words
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| LTGEN K.J. Gillespie, AO DSC CSM |
This is an exciting time for me to serve as the Chief of the Australian Army. The first years of the 21st century have proved to be a demanding time for the men and women of our Army. The tempo of our global operations has challenged our personnel and material resources. But at the same time as we are providing force elements for current operations, we must also keep an eye on the future of our Army. And that future will be defined by our response to a convergence of three challenges.
Our first challenge is to continue to excel on operations.
Our second challenge is to ensure our Army remains capable, responsive and relevant now and into the future.
Our third challenge is to ensure that Army's structure and organisation is best suited to get the most from our existing capabilities, and to develop capabilities, as they are required.
Essential to meeting these challenges is the recruitment, training and retention of first class soldiers and officers. Our people are not just a fundamental input to capability – they are our capability. They are not a priority – they are the priority for Army. Our success or failure in responding to the three challenges will be determined by our ability to recruit sufficient numbers of quality men and women, train them in the requisite skills and trades, and then ensure we employ them in a manner that gives them meaning and a desire to remain in our Army.
Introduction
The Army is committed to providing the Soldiers and family members of the Australian Army with the best information possible about career opportunities in the Army. This website is part of the Directorate of Personnel - Army effort to provide quick access to personalised information that will help you make informed career choices that best meet your professional and personal life goals.
Army loses most of its regular people after four or twenty years service, followed by people after eight to ten years service. For reserve soldiers, it is less than three years. Army does not need to keep everyone forever but it does need to keep more people at their early periods of service. As a minimum, Army needs to retain more experienced soldiers and junior and senior non-commissioned officers (NCOs) for at least a posting longer than at present. Army also needs to increase the number of regular soldiers and NCOs who transfer to the active reserve while still current.
Army has a diverse group of people and improving retention will require action on a broad front including work rates and respite, clear roles and training resources, pay and conditions of service, career management and posting locations. Army will not be able to do everything, but it is committed to some positive action that recognises the value of its people. Members and commanders at all levels need the means to make the most of their leadership and potential. The immediate aim is therefore to improve access to information on conditions of service and career management. This site supports the Soldier Career Management Agency (SCMA)
and Directorate of Officer Career Management (DOCM) sites to give people better information when and where they need it.
Aim
The STAY ARMY web site is focused on assisting soldiers. It aims to make it easier to access information about careers and trade transfers by anyone in the chain of command who needs it. It is a reference source for a range of information for both full time and part time soldiers. It is intended to provide the soldier directly, or via the unit command and administrative framework, with the information he or she needs to make an informed decision about a future in the Army.
The site will also provide personnel with current information related to retention initiatives and bonuses approved by government.
DI(A) 149-3
"Soldiers may apply for a corps transfer or for reallocation if they believe such a change may be in the interests of their career progression or may improve their job satisfaction."
DI(A) 149-7
"Voluntary transfer between the forces of the Army offers an effective way for personnel to move between forces. The process will encourage members of the permanent force to continue service on a part time basis after leaving the permanent force. It will also encourage reserve personnel to consider transfer to the permanent forces."