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In a move to fill the personnel shortage in the defense forces, Australia will begin recruiting foreign nationals from a handful of countries.

Foreign nationals from the U.S., U.K., Canada and New Zealand, who have been permanent residents of Australia for more than a year and have not served in a foreign army in the previous two years, will be eligible to apply.

Recruitment will open up for New Zealand nationals from July and for others from January next year, BBC reported. The recruits will be expected to accept Australian citizenship within 90 days of joining the forces.

Government figures point to a shortage of 4,400 persons in the Australian Defense Force (ADF), but recruitment tends to get difficult due to low unemployment.

Australia has also been concerned by security challenges posed by China. A review of the ADF had revealed threats in the Indo-Pacific region due to Chinese expansion. And, the ADF requires "growth and retention of a highly skilled defense workforce" to counter these security challenges.

Minister for Defense Richard Marles said, "The changes to eligibility requirements were essential to meet the nation's security challenges through the next decade and beyond."

In 2021, Australia signed the AUKUS pact with the U.S. and U.K., which is a defense alliance aimed at countering the China military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia also shares an intelligence network with the U.S., U.K., Canada and New Zealand called Five Eyes, since World War II.

Recruitment from other countries will be considered in future, but the government has no such immediate plan, Marles stated in Parliament, ABC News reported.

Minister for Defense Personnel Matt Keogh said, under the new recruitment plan, 350 persons would be joining annually. The defense forces follow a foreign transfer program, under which 70 persons join ADF annually.

The Coalition, however, called it a failure on the part of the government.

"We should be seeing more Australians have the confidence to sign up," Shadow Foreign Minister Senator Birmingham said. "Why don't people have the confidence to sign up and wear the uniform with pride? Because of a dysfunction in defense policy that has been mired in review after review after review."