KEO.PLUS

During the four months that Arthur was away, the majority of his governmental duties were carried out by the Cabinet.

However, there were still some important matters that required Arthur’s review, as telegrams were not entirely secure.

Fortunately, the domestic situation in Australia was currently stable, and the majority of the matters were minor issues faced by the nation. These could be easily handled by the Cabinet.

This made things relatively easy for Arthur. After all, the members of the Cabinet were appointed by Arthur himself, and they had no power to defy his orders.

After processing all the government affairs, the elite German soldiers promised by William II officially arrived in Australia.

These German soldiers would stay in Australia for some time, helping the Australian Army improve their training and expansion.

Indeed, the Australian Army would be expanding once again.

This was inevitable, as the current scale of the Australian Army was still too small. Even with the additional 3,000 soldiers from the New Zealand Army, the total number of troops only amounted to 28,000.

This size of the force was barely enough for deployment within the federation, let alone for engaging in wars overseas.

After a meeting between Arthur and the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Defense of the Australia and New Zealand Federation officially announced the expansion of the army. This time, they would recruit 35,000 new soldiers, bringing the total number of the Federation Army to 63,000.

This expansion would primarily focus on increasing the size of the regular divisions.

Two new regular divisions would be added, namely the Second and Third Divisions of the National Defense Army.

These two divisions would follow the same organization as the First Division, consisting of three infantry regiments, one artillery regiment, and one cavalry battalion. Each division would have a total of nearly 16,000 troops.

Thanks to the excess of 1,000 recruits serving as reserve soldiers and officers during the previous expansion of the First Division, there were now enough old soldiers and reserve officers for this expansion.

When the expansion was completed, Australia would have three divisions with an army of up to 48,000 regular troops, 12,000 from the increased Guard, and the 3,000 stationed in the New Guinea Colony (one regiment), bringing the total number of troops to approximately 63,000.

To address the shortage of reserve officers brought on by the expansion, Arthur began training soldiers within the Australian Army early on and even established a small-scale military academy to select and cultivate officers from among the soldiers.

This recruitment drive caused a sensation across Australia and New Zealand, with large numbers of citizens from both countries participating.

Despite the current population of the Australian Federation being just over six million, this round of recruitment had strict requirements.

First, candidates had to be legally residing in the Australian and New Zealand Federation for at least five years.

Next, they must not have participated in any illegal activities and pass a simple loyalty and patriotism test before they could officially register for the recruitment drive.

Of course, registration alone did not guarantee successful selection. In addition to passing a basic background assessment, new recruits had to undergo a comprehensive physical and mental evaluation to ensure both their combat capabilities and their loyalty.

Australia, with a current population of 4,910,000, became one of the main recruitment areas this time.

New Zealand had a population of just 1.1 million and only planned to recruit 5,000 new soldiers.

As for the New Guinea Colony, the loyalty of the Indigenous Peoples could not be relied upon, and the Federation residents in the colony numbered only 40,000. Hence, there were no recruitment quotas for the colony.

For more than a month after the recruitment announcement, recruitment centers across Australia were packed.

This round of recruitment was warmly received by the vast majority of Federate residents, as the benefits for soldiers in the Australian Army, even for ordinary ones, were rare.

At present, the total per capita income in Australia had reached 35 Australian dollars, equivalent to 17 pounds.

The annual income of ordinary soldiers in Australia had risen to around 38 Australian dollars, not to mention the soldiers in the Guard Division, whose annual income had exceeded 45 Australian dollars.

This figure does not take into account the various benefits and subsidies for the soldiers during holidays. If these were included, the annual income of ordinary soldiers would exceed 40 Australian dollars.

This is why successive recruitment drives in Australia have been welcomed by all.

Apart from the prestige and popularity of Arthur in Australia and New Zealand, the excellent welfare of all Australian soldiers was also a major reason for people’s willingness to enlist.

Of course, apart from the daily welfare of soldiers, compensation and pensions for soldiers who died or were injured in the line of duty were also important issues that Arthur and the Ministry of Defense paid great attention to.

Families of fallen soldiers could receive a one-time compensation worth 50 times the annual per capita income in their area. In addition, the government would fund the education of their children up to adulthood or high school graduation.

Although they did not have direct access to universities, a high school education was quite excellent in those days.

During the annual university admissions, the children and families of fallen soldiers were often given better treatment. Under equal conditions, they would be given priority in the admissions process.

This essentially meant that if an individual became a national soldier, not only would they be taken care of, but even if they died in battle, their family would be provided with financial support and compensation.

Such a comprehensive pension system was rare even in Europe, as the vast number of casualties in the frequent wars in Europe could cripple even a victorious nation.

Not to mention the First and Second World Wars, when European casualties reached millions, if not tens of millions. Had a full pension system been implemented, countries would have gone bankrupt. This is the main reason why it was not until the end of World War II that comprehensive pension systems were properly established worldwide.

Australia’s relatively complete pension system also put many soldiers’ minds at ease.

Of course, the current absence of war threats to Australia was also a crucial factor. Other than injuries sustained during routine training, Australian soldiers currently faced no dangers.