Defence’s foolish gender agenda

I READ ( TB, 22/ 9) that Defence has an officer cadet who no longer wants to be female, but does not want to be male either, and that the Defence Academy staff are accommodating her.

Further, in the past five years Defence has spent more than $ 1 million on sex changes or similar for Australian Defence Force members.

Defence is there to defend Australia. To do this it uses, among other things, combat power, the elements of which are, firepower, manoeuvrer and morale.

If someone in uniform needs a sex change to maintain their morale they should have never been enlisted in the first place.

The Defence Department in general, and the boofheads in recruiting, need to take a hard look at themselves. There is only one thing for them to consider: “will everything I do today contribute to success on the battlefield ( or at sea, or in the air- sea gap, as the case may be)?”

It is hard to see how millions of dollars wasted on sex changes will contribute to success on the battlefield.

Defence rightly practises gender equity and promotes a high ethical standard, but this business has gone too far, and Defence must cut out the nonsense and uniformed leaders must show leadership and concentrate on their main task.

My 40 years ( to the day) serving in the Australian Army well qualifies the advice above. D. SOUTH,

Kelso.