A message from the Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison, AO, to the Australian Army following the announcement of Defence investigations into allegations of unacceptable behaviour by Army members.

JUST two of the 3100 women in the Australia Army have taken up the highly publicised opportunity to join the Infantry.

And both of them are in the Army Reserve.

Since internal transfers to front line units opened to women in January 2013 just 63 females defence members have applied to join combat units.

And 15 of them are from the permanent force and 48 are reservists.

The bulk of the those who have transferred to combat units have joined the armour, artillery and engineering trades.

BATTLE WON: Frontline ban lifted for women soldiers

WOMAN ON FRONTLINE: Meet Army medic Jacqui de Gelder

Despite the low take-up rate Army Chief Lieutenant General David Morrison talked up the cause during a Senate Estimates hearing yesterday saying that the Reserves were leading the way.

He said women comprised 14 per cent of the Reserve ranks and for the first time in the Army’s 113-year history a woman was in command of a Brigade.

‘We are making some really good headway in terms of overall diversity in the army but the Reserve in many respects is leading the way,’ Lieutenant General Morrison said.

Defence Chief General David Hurley said the women pioneering the combat shift were being deliberately shielded from public view by the top brass.

‘We think that would put more pressure on them,’ he said.

New recruits will be eligible to apply to join frontline units from 2016.

COMMENT BELOW: Should women be on the military frontline?

Female recruiting rates remained low with the Navy leading the way with 18.4 per cent female staff compared with 14.4 per cent across Defence.

Defence Secretary Dennis Richardson told the Senate that women comprised 40 per cent of the civilian workforce — well below the public service rate.

‘We are not where we ought to be,’ he said.

The Senate also heard that seven military exercises with Indonesia had been cancelled or postponed since the relationship hit the rocks last year following revelations that Australian spied on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife.

The doomed exercises included three involving elite special-forces units.

Mr Richardson also revealed that four per cent or about 1000 defence public servants had spouses or partners in the military.

Another 500 had partners in the Reserves.