By Lewis Jackson
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australia will launch a review into the obligations former Defence Force personnel have to protect state secrets, following revelations that Australians were among the tens of Western military pilots recruited to help train the Chinese military.
Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Wednesday a review into the policies and procedures governing Australian Defence Force personnel.
“For those who do come into possession of our nation’s secrets either through service in the Australian Defence Force or service in any other part of the Commonwealth, there is an enduring obligation to maintain those secrets,” he told a media conference.
“It’s important that we have the most robust framework possible that is in place to protect Australia’s information and protect our secrets.”
Marles said the Defence Department is participating in a joint-agency investigation alongside federal police and intelligence agencies into “a number of cases” relating to former military pilots allegedly training the Chinese military.
The federal government was committed to making any changes required to fix weaknesses in the current regime, added Marles.
(Reporting by Lewis Jackson; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
