Unarmed forces
There is a wonderful old pub in Sydney called The Hero of Waterloo. Its sandstone walls, inglenook fireplaces and horse brasses are reminders of a bygone age. Beneath its worn flagstone floor, there is a tunnel leading to the nearby docks, on the harbour foreshore.
Two centuries ago, unsuspecting drunks would be bundled down this secret passageway by military press gangs. Befuddled by drink, they would have little idea what was going on until they sobered up the next day on a Royal Navy ship heading for foreign parts.
Now, in the 21st century, military recruiters in Australia still face some stiff challenges. They are finding it hard to convince young Australians of the benefits of a career in the army, navy or air force.
The lowest unemployment rate in a generation means there are plenty of career options for young people, and a series of high-profile cases of bullying in the armed forces has also put off prospective recruits. Levels of pay, and perks such as child care, lag behind the inducements offered by many civilian employers.
Recruiters have turned to e-mail and mobile phones to try to get their message across to the tech-savvy 'Generation Y' - today's teens. Unsolicited e-mails and text messages are sent to promising young graduates, describing the opportunities that await them as soldiers, sailors or fliers.
The defence department's official jobs website even has computer war games that portray life in the services as exciting and adventurous. One of these, Operation Thunderbolt, challenges budding pilots to 'fly' an FA-18 Hornet fighter jet. If they can get through 'basic fighter training', they can unleash the Hornet's formidable weaponry on enemy aircraft, then blast away at armoured personnel carriers driving through the desert.
Operation Allied Shield is a sniper-simulator game, while Operation Tiger involves piloting an armed reconnaissance helicopter through enemy territory.
Despite the lure of such games, the military was still 1,000 men and women short of its recruiting target of 7,500 in the last financial year. In a bid to make up the numbers, the army is looking overseas - announcing plans recently to poach up to 300 soldiers a year from the British army. Soldiers from other Commonwealth countries, such as Canada and New Zealand, will also be targeted.
No matter how desperate the Australian armed forces may become, however, a return to the old days of shanghaiing drunks from dockside pubs is unlikely to be revived. The barflies and beer drinkers at The Hero of Waterloo can relax.
