posted on Nov, 18 2008 @ 05:51 PM
One would think if some thing is going on why would they let the Australian navy have time off ESP when world leaders have said some thing big is
going to happen.
Sorry if this is off topic
The Australian navy will get a two-month paid break over Christmas as part of a new strategy to cope with crew shortages and make sailors' jobs more
appealing to families.
The defence minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, said today that the navy, which is currently short of 2,020 personnel, will take leave from December 3.
It is hoped the shutdown will give overworked sailors a chance to rest while new recruitment options are considered.
Fitzgibbons said the number of sailors who will stay aboard docked ships will be scaled down to skeleton crews over the holiday period and all navy
ships not on operational deployments have been ordered home.
"We're doing a lot of work trying to find new and innovative ways both to retain skilled people and recruit new people," he said.
The navy currently has about 13,000 sailors in total.
Fitzgibbons said the two-month break was "just a way of saying thank you and encouraging them to stay in the service".
The shortage of troops is the biggest challenge facing the Australian defence force. The minister said making their jobs more family-friendly was part
of the solution.
Although Australia faces no apparent security threat, the opposition attacked the extended leave.
David Johnston, the opposition spokesman on defence issues, described the strategy as a government admission that it had failed to recruit sufficient
sailors.
"I've never seen a defence force charged with the protection of Australia saying we're going to have six to eight weeks off over Christmas because
we think it's a good thing for the mums and dads," Johnston said on ABC television.
However, the Deputy Chief Rear Admiral Davyd Thomas said the time off would not adversely impact national security.
"The stand down will not impact operations and is to ensure that our people who are not required on operations are able to take a meaningful period
of time off and spend time with their families," he said in a statement. "This is about nurturing our people and working smarter, not harder."
He added that 500 navy personnel would remain on active duty in the Middle East and patrolling Australian waters.