<Tr> <Th> History </Th> <Td> Military history of Australia </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Ranks </Th> <Td> Australian Defence Force ranks and insignia </Td> </Tr> <P> The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia . It consists of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and a number of' tri-service' units . The ADF has a strength of just over 80,000 full - time personnel and active reservists, and is supported by the Department of Defence and several other civilian agencies . </P> <P> During the first decades of the 20th century, the Australian Government established the armed services as separate organisations . Each service had an independent chain of command . In 1976, the government made a strategic change and established the ADF to place the services under a single headquarters . Over time, the degree of integration has increased and tri-service headquarters, logistics and training institutions have supplanted many single - service establishments . </P>

What is the role of the australian defence force