© Getty Australiam army. Australian soldiers are being warned they will be immediately suspended from active duty, and possibly kicked out of the Army, if caught making white supremacist hand gestures.

The Army has issued an extraordinary directive to all unit commanders instructing them on how to deal with officers or soldiers found to be displaying racist "hand symbology" in photos.

It follows the increasing global usage of the so-called "white power" hand sign, in which the thumb and index finger touch, while the other fingers of the hand are held outstretched to roughly resemble a "W" and a "P".

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the overwhelming purpose of the hand gesture is still to signify "OK" but is now also widely used by white supremacists.

The ABC has obtained a document sent by Defence Forces Command last year warning any individual who engages in such behaviour has "no place in our Army".

© Getty Australian army. That warning came in the same month that the man charged over the Christchurch massacre made the white power symbol while being led into the dock of a New Zealand court.

"To date, two soldiers in the last week have made a white supremacy symbol in photographs," the directive sent in March 2019 reveals.

Unit commanders and "subordinate commanders" are instructed to initiate "suspension from duty action" if they have "sufficient material" to suspect an Army member has engaged in the activity.

Commanders are advised that "if, after considering evidence collected by investigation or fact-finding" they're satisfied that a gesture "associated with racial hatred or extremist hate groups" has been made, "termination action is to be initiated".

© Getty Australian army. Despite the crackdown, the Defence Department has told the ABC to date "no Army member has been terminated as a result of displaying a white supremacy symbol in public".

"An ADF member found to be associated with extremist ideologies will be investigated and potentially face administrative action," Defence said in a statement.

"Administrative action ranges from counselling through to termination of employment."

The Department has, however, confirmed one Army member has been disciplined "for contravening Defence values by making inappropriate hand gestures".

Several Army sources have told the ABC the disciplined member was a Lieutenant Colonel at the time, although Defence has declined to comment due to "privacy reasons".

One soldier, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed the Army's directive was considered very problematic because the "okay" gesture was too easily mistaken as a "white power" symbol.

Neil James from the Australia Defence Association says racist behaviour is extremely rare in the Army, which has a proud record of ethnic advancement.

"You've got to stamp out this idiocy and the best way to stamp out idiocy is to do it forcefully and early and I think they're to be applauded from that point of view."