Australian army chief urges soldiers to adapt amid dispute over Labor’s defence overhaul

Australian army chief Lt Gen Simon Stuart and his New Zealand counterpart Maj Gen John Boswell at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Wellington, New Zealand. Stuart has told his troops to expect ‘challenges’ after the government’s defence overhaul. Photograph: NZDF/Reuters

The chief of the army has urged soldiers to adapt to “the rapidly changing character of war” amid a growing political dispute over the Albanese government’s major defence overhaul.

In a video message to reassure soldiers, Lt Gen Simon Stuart acknowledged they could face “some challenges” in modernising but said he was confident the army was up to the task.