Military reminded core business is to use ‘lethal violence’ to defend Australia’s values and sovereignty – ABC News

Assistant Defence Minister Andrew Hastie has told military personnel their "core business" will always be the "application of lethal violence" and warned "mission clarity" is vital to their work.

The blunt directive from the former Special Forces officer came as Morrison government figures also took aim at the Australian Defence Force (ADF) after scantily clad dancers helped to formally commission the Navy's newest ship, a move one senior MP dubbed a "shitshow".

Mr Hastie, who was last year promoted to his frontbench role, outlined his vision for the defence force in a message to his West Australian constituents.

"Our military serves a vital role across Australian society, whether during pandemic, flood or fire," Mr Hastie wrote in his most recent electorate newsletter.

"But the ADF's core business will always be the application of lethal violence in the defence of our values, sovereignty and interests. We should never forget that."

The Liberal MP, who entered Federal Parliament in 2015, previously served in the elite Special Air Service Regimentfor five years, including deploying to the war in Afghanistan.

In his emailed newsletter, Mr Hastie arguedthat "mission clarity is vital in the profession of arms".

"Without it, confusion grows confusion about role, identity and purpose. And confusion is deadly on the battlefield, at sea or in an aerial dogfight," he said.

"Mission focus is the foundation of victory. It keeps everyone driving towards a singular purpose."

Senior Morrison government figures said the Assistant Minister's message closely aligned with the directives new Defence Minister Peter Dutton issued to the ADF's top brass during their initial meetings.

Inside government, there are frustrations over recent military decisions seen as too "politically correct", such as a 2018 directive banning soldiers from wearing "death"symbols.

Concerns are also growing over the Defence Department's ability to deliver on ambitious demands such as those set out in the multi-billion-dollar Naval Shipbuilding Program.

Liberal backbencher Phillip Thompson, who is also a former soldier, said ministers Dutton and Hastie were making sure the ADF was focused on its main tasks.

"Having Minister Dutton at the helm and leading our Australian Defence Force, we're bringing back our core values we've gone a little bit woke over the past few years and we can't afford to be doing that."

The Queensland backbencher arguedthe ADF hadlurched "too far to the left" with its social agenda in recent years.

"Our ADF shouldn't be left or right, they should be straight down the middle of what their job is, and their job is to defend our nation, our interests, our values, our sovereignty, but also when we go on operations, have an unapologetic aggression and violence to get the mission done."

Neil James from the Australia Defence Association backed MrHastie's comments on the military's "core business", but rejected Mr Thompson's claim the ADF was becoming too "politically correct".

"The whole point about banning stupid cartoon symbols in the defence force is to restore professionalism as a war fighting organisation," he said.

"It's not a case of political correctness, it's a case of getting rid of a stupid young fashion that detracts from the professionalism."

One recent incident that caused annoyance inside federal government ranks was Navy's decision last weekend to invite a local group of scantily clad dancers to perform a routine that included twerking.

"The dancers are beside the point we're meant to be a fighting force," one government frontbencher told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"A question worth pondering: what would Horatio Nelson think of this shitshow?"

The minister claimed, "many MPs have expressed surpriseat this ceremony to government".

Mr Thompson questioned the appropriateness of having dancers.

"Standards in the ADF, and definitely when commissioning a ship, should be a little bit higher than that," he said.

"We've got the CDF, we've got members of Parliament there, and the Governor-General's there,I don't think it's appropriate to be twerking".

The ADF later clarified that the Governor-General and Chief of Navy were not present for the dancers -both men arrived minutes later.

The ABC has confirmed the Chief of Defence, General Angus Campbell, was present and watched the dance routine.

In a statement, the ADF defended the use of dancers, which it described as engaging with the local community.

"HAMS Supply and the Royal Australian Navy are committed to working with Australians from all backgrounds in actively supporting local charities and community groups," it said.

In 2019, when he was an LNP candidate, Mr Thompson apologised for a 2012 tirade on social media threatening to harm Muslims.

Editor's note April 15, 2021: An earlier version of this story contained a video that included vision of the Governor-General and Chief of Navy. The ABC has since confirmed both men arrived minutes after the dance performance finished. The video has been updated to reflect this.

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Military reminded core business is to use 'lethal violence' to defend Australia's values and sovereignty - ABC News