‘The Challenges to the Australian Army Profession’: an address by Chief of Army LTGEN Simon Stuart

On 25 November 2024, Lieutenant General Simon Stuart AO DSC, delivered a lecture at the ANU National Security College, outlining the challenges and opportunities facing the Army profession. This is the second of four planned lectures, with the first having been delivered at Land Forces 2024 in September. 

LTGEN Stuart, who also recently joined Head of College Professor Rory Medcalf on the National Security Podcast, emphasised the need to cultivate and nurture the Army profession across what he envisions as the ‘three pillars of the modern Army profession’ – jurisdiction, expertise and self-regulation. He stressed the need to balance tradition with innovation and adaptation to the modern battlefield, noting that “our profession must adapt to the realities of today’s era, not adhere to the dogmas of the past.” 

LTGEN Stuart called for a renewed effort to inspire young Australians to join the Army, underlining the importance of highlighting the unique opportunities and personal growth that military service offers: “I believe we can inspire more young Australians to serve. The problem is that we – both the Army and society – are finding it hard to explain the intangible benefits of service.” 

In his concluding remarks, LTGEN Stuart reiterated why the Army must continue to uphold its ethical principles, stressing that “we must foster a culture in our Army that ensures our soldiers are resilient in combat, not just to the physical and mental impacts of war, but also morally, against war’s inherently corruptive nature.” 

LTGEN Stuart then joined Professor Rory Medcalf for a brief Q&A session where he took comments and questions from the audience.