Chief of Army’s message

There are 4 strategic priorities set for our Army: trust, readiness, thrift, and telling our story. They ensure that Army learns from the past, meets the challenges of today and sets the conditions for the future.

Trust

Trust is the foundation of Army and the profession. Members must work each day to build and maintain trust in the teams, with the communities, the Government and the key allies and partners. Army builds trust by living the values – this is how everyone, individually and collectively, translates the values in how we think, what we say and what we do – today and every day. Army personnel must all embrace the responsibilities and accountabilities of the profession.

Readiness

Warning time is a thing of the past. Army must be ready to ‘fight tonight’. At the same time, the operating environment demands that Army re-wires for continual adaptation – this will ensure relevance and survival tomorrow. All Army personnel have responsibilities to build and maintain readiness. Everyone must know their part and do their job - they must prepare themselves, their families and their teams mentally, practically and spiritually for the demands of service and operations.

Thrift

The nation entrusts Army with significant resources: people, time, machines, money and facilities. It is Army's duty to ensure that they are utilised thriftily: applying diligence, accountability and economy. The value of the resources in achieving the mission must be maximised. Seldom do we have everything we need - this is not new and it comes with the opportunity to innovate. The standard is clear: “do the very best you can, with what you have, wherever you are.”

Telling our story

The story of Army is an important part of Australia’s story. The story connects Army with its past, gives meaning to the service today and inspires the next generation of Australian soldiers. Army personnel must engage with the community. Be honest, authentic and respectful of those who have gone. Be humble about the present and optimistic about the future.

"We are an Army in the community and an Army for our nation."