The ADF has a real fight on its hands.
But if Vice-Admiral Ray Griggs is to be believed, it is ready for the tough battle of changing a culture that shelters homophobic and bullying practices under the umbrella of honourable Australian mateship.
Ray Griggs is vice-chief of the ADF and his apology on Thursday to people who suffered soul-destroying abuse while in defence force care, was one of the more impressive expressions of remorse delivered during 40 public hearings by the royal commission into child sex abuse.
He was honest about the internal resistance to change in an institution built on the very traditions underpinning the abuse made public by the commission.
In the first week of the hearing, men who were recruits at HMAS Leeuwin in Perth and the Army Apprentice School in Balcombe, Victoria - facilities thousands of kilometres apart - told remarkably similar stories of being bashed, humiliated and anally raped with blunt instruments.
What was also similar was the "man-up" advice from officers and the fear of being labelled "dobbers" or "homos" - fear that served to keep abuse hidden.
One very telling story during the hearing was how in 1978 a 15-year-old apprentice at the Army School of Music at Balcombe had his left arm held by three bullies while a fourth heavy-bodied bloke fell on it to break it.
His assailants were punished but everyone treated them like "superstars" and the "wimp" muso dobber paid the price - he was sexually assaulted by eight boys who recruited a dog as part of the attack. Abu Ghraib sprang to mind.
"We are trying to move away from the culture that excludes and allows what has happened in the past, to a culture that includes," Vice-Admiral Griggs said on Thursday facing the men and women tortured and intimidated as children in the ADF's care.
Then he added: "Strangely, the senior leadership team has been very publicly criticised for this approach. We will not be bowed by this criticism and we will continue vigorously to pursue a path where we have a culture which is diverse and inclusive."
Vice-Admiral Griggs was frank as he talked about critics who oppose the ADF reforms as "political correctness".
During this hearing senior officers who ran HMAS Leeuwin or Balcombe spoke of time-honoured initiation traditions and "boys being boys" and seemed to struggle to digest the seriousness of what had happened on their watch.
Trouble is they have should have heard it before - the ADF has been publicly talking change for almost half a century.
The 1971 Rapke report into abuse at HMAS Leeuwin found an alarming level of bastardisation - an umbrella term referring to bullying, harassment, victimisation and illegitimate initiation.
Abuse continued at Leeuwin and what happened at Balcombe happened in the late 70s and 80s.
In 2000 when 15-year-old Ellie Tibble took her own life in Hobart because she was threatened with dishonourable discharge from ADF Cadets after being wrongly accused of having an affair with a senior instructor, there were inquiries, apologies and promises.
The girl's mother, Susan Campbell, gave evidence at the commission on Monday.
Ms Campbell told of meetings with the top brass and even a senate inquiry in 2004 which recommended the Defence Force take steps to draft and make regulations dealing with Australian Air Force Cadets (AAFC) to ensure the rights and responsibilities of cadets and staff were clearly defined.
She is still waiting for action to back the promises and ensure there is never another tragedy like Ellie's.
The three young women who were pressured into having sex by an NSW RAAF instructor while teen cadets in his care told the commission they did not know the rules. Neither did the instructor, Christopher Adams, who groomed them from the time they were 15.
Adams, 25, was jailed just six months ago for the abuse which happened in 2012.
Vice-Admiral Griggs told survivors: "Your stories are changing the ADF and they have strengthened the resolve of the senior leadership of the ADF to stamp out abuse in all its forms and in particular, child sexual abuse."
He said Defence was not going to shy away from its responsibilities.
Indeed, the establishment of the Defence Abuse Response Taskforce (DART) really did make it seem like the army was not ever going to shy away again.
DART was set up after the Skype scandal in 2011 where a 21-year-old army cadet secretly filmed himself having sex with a female cadet and broadcast it to their colleagues.
One of DART's important roles was to fund counselling for abuse survivors.
The counselling program expired on Thursday - the final day of the royal commission hearing.
Good luck Vice-Admiral Griggs.
