Australian Defence Force (ADF) defends Australia and its interests throughout the world, but especially in the Asia-Pacific region. The ADF is made up of Australia's three armed services: the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The services are small in size, but they are the most combat capable and technologically advanced in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.
The services are formed on an all-volunteer basis. About 50,000 men and women serve in the ADF full-time. The Army has a regular strength of about 24,000; the RAN, about 12,000; and the RAAF, about 14,000. In addition, the Army has about 21,000 reservists; the RAN, about 1,200; and the RAAF, about 2,200.
