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The Guardian
25-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australian army officer stripped of security clearance over Israel loyalty leaves defence force
An officer in the Australian army, stripped of his security clearance because Asio believed he was more loyal to Israel, has left the Australian defence force. In February, Guardian Australia revealed the man had his clearance revoked after the administrative review tribunal (ART) upheld Asio's assessment that he was not of 'appropriate character and trustworthiness to hold any security clearance'. At the time of the ART decision, the man was in the inactive reserve pending administrative action but Guardian Australia understands he has now left the ADF. The man, anonymised in the ruling as HWMW, had told Asio interviewers he did not view Israel as a foreign government and that he would share classified information with the Israel Defense Forces if asked. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Asio said the officer, who is Jewish and had served 19 years in the Australian military, withheld information from Australian officials about training courses he undertook in Israel – where he is not a citizen – in 2016 and 2019, which included self-defence, security and firearms training. The training was for a Sydney community security group (CSG) – an organisation that provides security and intelligence services to the Jewish community – in which he volunteered between 2014 and 2023. The officer had said in cross-examination that withholding the information was not a lie but not a 'complete disclosure'. HWMW told interviewers the CSG training he did could be considered a 'natural recruiting pool' for the Mossad, which would probably be aware of the courses. The Greens senator and defence spokesperson, David Shoebridge, questioned defence officials in Senate estimates in February on whether there had been any review undertaken of ADF members who may have undertaken similar training by CSG 'that makes them incredibly susceptible to recruitment by a foreign government'. In a response tabled in the Senate this week, defence stated all security clearance holders have their suitability to hold the clearance reviewed on a regular basis, and an assessment of external loyalties is a key part of this process. 'Security clearance holders are required to report foreign contacts, in addition to a range of other issues that may impact their suitability to hold a clearance,' the department stated. Shoebridge said on Friday the department had failed to answer his question on whether a review of CSG groups had been undertaken. 'This should have been a simple exercise, having discovered an ADF member undertook secret training associated with a foreign government, then the exit should have been rapid,' he said. '[In defence] overarching loyalty to the US and its allies is seen as normal and entirely consistent with Australia's national interest. 'It is not, and this shows again the lack of genuine independence in so much of our defence and foreign policy.' The Asio director general, Mike Burgess, told Senate estimates in February that the case raised 'potential concerns' but said: 'I want to be clear here on the public record – there is nothing wrong with the community security groups'. He said, however, that it was important for people to be transparent about their involvement with the groups in overseas training. '[CSGs] perform a decent function, an important function, especially in times like this, [the] training they might provide to help provide security to members of the Jewish community is fine,' Burgess said. 'Of course, there is an element of that that in some cases it may be the case that that training done overseas in Israel might present an opportunity.'
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Officer stripped of security clearance over Israel loyalty still in Australian defence force
An officer in the Australian army who was stripped of his security clearance because Asio believes he is more loyal to Israel is still in the Australian defence force – but in the inactive reserve, 'pending administrative action', parliament has heard. On Monday, Guardian Australia revealed the man had been stripped of his security clearance after the administrative review tribunal upheld Asio's assessment that he was not of 'appropriate character and trustworthiness to hold any security clearance'. The chief of army, Lt Gen Simon Stuart, confirmed in response to questions in Senate estimates about the case from the Greens senator David Shoebridge that the man was still in the army. 'The member is in the inactive reserve, pending administrative action,' Stuart said on Wednesday. 'The member's status in terms of their service [is] they've been moved from one service category to another. The service category is best described as inactive, so that's the action that has been taken thus far in relation to the advice that we've been provided.' The man, anonymised in the ruling as HWMW, had told Asio interviewers he did not view Israel as a foreign government and that he would share classified information with the Israel Defense Forces if they asked. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Asio said the officer, who is Jewish and served 19 years in the Australian military, withheld information from Australian officials about training courses he undertook in Israel – where he is not a citizen – in 2016 and 2019 which included self-defence, security and firearms training. The training was for a Sydney community security group (CSG) – an organisation that provides security and intelligence services to the Jewish community – in which he volunteered between 2014 and 2023. The officer had said in cross-examination that withholding the information was not a lie but not a 'complete disclosure', and later said it was to save himself from interrogation and questioning. Shoebridge on Wednesday asked whether the ADF had undertaken a review for any other members that may have done similar training with any CSG, but officials said the question would be taken on notice, amid concerns about national security and what information could be shared. HWMW had told interviewers the CSG training he did could be considered a 'natural recruiting pool' for the Mossad, which would probably be aware of the training courses. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Asio's assessment found HWMW also failed to comply with confidentiality requirements, telling the head of the Sydney CSG after his first interview that he had told Asio about the Sydney CSG. In his second interview, HWMW said he did not view this as a breach of confidentiality because the person was already aware HWMW was meeting with Asio. The Asio director general, Mike Burgess, told Senate estimates on Tuesday night that the case raised 'potential concerns' but said: 'I want to be clear here on the public record – there is nothing wrong with the community security groups'. He said, however, that it was important for people to be transparent about their involvement with the groups in overseas training. '[CSGs] perform a decent function, an important function, especially in times like this, [the] training they might provide to help provide security to members of the Jewish community, is fine,' Burgess said. 'Of course, there is an element of that that in some cases it may be the case that that training done overseas in Israel might present an opportunity. And my best advice to anyone involved in that is to be public and not hide anything and everything will be fine.'
Express Tribune
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Australian Defence Force officer HWMW loses security clearance over Israel loyalty
Listen to article An Australian Defence Force (ADF) officer has had his security clearance revoked after the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) determined he posed a security risk due to his alleged loyalty to Israel. The officer, identified as HWMW, was found to have withheld information about his training in Israel and his possible susceptibility to exploitation by Israeli intelligence services, including Mossad. ASIO's assessment, published by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, stated that HWMW's actions demonstrated poor judgment and failure to meet the requirements for holding a security clearance. The tribunal found that his loyalty to Israel above Australia made him vulnerable to foreign influence, posing an unacceptable risk to national security. The officer's poor security practices, including his failure to disclose security-relevant information, led to the conclusion that no conditions could mitigate the risks posed by his continued access to sensitive information. The officer, who served in the ADF for 19 years, had attended security and firearms training courses in Israel in 2016 and 2019. These courses were organised by a group linked to the Israeli government and led by former Israeli Security Agency members. The officer stated that these courses were a "natural recruiting pool" for Mossad. He also admitted to not fully disclosing the extent of his involvement in these training courses during his security clearance process, citing an intention to avoid interrogation. During interviews with ASIO, HWMW claimed that his loyalty to Israel was tied to his Jewish identity and that he viewed serving in the ADF as a way to contribute to Australia while still maintaining a connection to Israel. He said he joined a Sydney community security group (CSG) between 2014 and 2023, which provided security services to the Jewish community, with the intention of protecting the local Jewish population. ASIO's findings concluded that the officer was at risk of being influenced by Israeli intelligence due to his demonstrated loyalty and failure to disclose pertinent information. The tribunal upheld the decision to revoke his security clearance, stating that his continued access to classified information would present a security risk. The officer, who had been granted access to classified materials up to Top Secret, has previously served in roles with the New York Police Department and in the protection details for former U.S. presidents. His appointment to the ADF was made in 2004, and his clearance was upgraded to Top Secret in 2010. In a statement to the tribunal, the officer said his goal in joining the ADF was to demonstrate his commitment to Australia, though he acknowledged his failure to provide full disclosure regarding his training in Israel. The decision to revoke his security clearance highlights ongoing concerns about the potential for foreign influence within Australia's national security apparatus.
The Guardian
23-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Australian Defence Force officer stripped of security clearance over loyalty to Israel
An officer in the Australian Army has been stripped of his security clearance because Asio believes he is more loyal to Israel than Australia, and at risk of being exploited by the Mossad. The man told Asio interviewers he did not view Israel as a foreign government and that he would share classified information with the Israel Defense Forces if they asked for it. Asio said the officer, who is Jewish and served 19 years in the Australian military, withheld information from Australian officials about training courses he had undertaken in Israel – where he is not a citizen – which included self-defence, security and firearms training. In a decision published by the administrative review tribunal last week, Asio said the officer, anonymised as HWMW in tribunal documents, was not of 'appropriate character and trustworthiness to hold any security clearance'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'HWMW is vulnerable to influence or coercion to enable acts of espionage or foreign interference by Israeli Intelligence Services due to his loyalty to Israel,' the tribunal found. 'By virtue of HWMW's demonstrated poor judgement, poor security practices, failure to comply with the obligations of a security clearance holder, his vulnerability to influence or coercion by the Israeli Intelligence Services, and HWMW's demonstrated loyalty to Israel above the Australian government, ASIO assesses if HWMW were to continue to hold any level of security clearance, he would pose an unacceptable and avoidable risk to security.' Asio said it considered lowering the man's security clearance level, to restrict his access to sensitive information, but said 'due to HWMW's demonstrated loyalty to Israel and poor judgement by withholding security-relevant information during the security clearance process, no such conditions could adequately mitigate the risk of Mossad exploitation to enable acts of espionage or foreign influence'. HWMW joined the Australian defence forces in 2004. In 2008, he obtained a negative vetting 1 security clearance – allowing access up to classified resources up to Secret. This was upgraded to negative vetting 2 – Top Secret access – in 2010. He joined a Sydney community security group (CSG) as a volunteer between 2014 and 2023. The CSG is a community organisation that provides security and intelligence services to the Jewish community. HWMW travelled to Israel in 2016 and in 2019, to participate in CSG training courses, which included tactical planning, self-defence and firearms training. The courses run by an organisation called Ami-AD, an association promoting volunteerism in Jewish communities, and financed by the Israeli government. The trainers on the course were former members of the Israel Security Agency, he said. He said he believed the training courses were a 'natural recruiting pool' for the Mossad. HWMW was interrogated by Asio officers in security assessment interviews in 2020 and 2022. In 2023, the director-general of security issued an Asio 'Adverse Security Assessment' on the officer recommending the revocation of his security clearance. HWMW appealed against the decision to the tribunal. HWMW told Asio: 'Zionism is an essential theme within Judaism. Judaism mandates the loyalty of a Jew to his people and to the Land of Israel.' He said most Australian Jews do not volunteer to serve in the Australian Defence Force, but rather the Israel Defense Forces. He said he volunteered to serve in the ADF 'as I felt a strong sense of belonging to Australia and I wanted to give back to the country and demonstrate the importance of serving here in Australia as opposed to the IDF'. 'It seems that events have now turned on me.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion In his interviews, HWMW said the purpose of his travel to Israel was for 'community leadership' courses. Under cross examination, HWMW maintained 'there was no lie in that' but conceded 'it wasn't a complete disclosure'. He later said, 'I provided a truth, it's not the full truth … it was only to save myself from interrogation and questioning.' He said his failure to disclose his participation in CSG training courses 'was an error on my part … and if I had my time again I would provide the full information'. In a written statement to the tribunal HWMW said the ADF was a multicultural organisation that accepted 'all peoples regardless of their race, religion, or sex'. 'Allowing Jews to serve within the ADF must come with an understanding that the Jew will have a level of loyalty for the Jewish Nation and for [the] State of Israel.' He said if the ADF preferred not to enlist or commission Jews, 'it would then be argued that this policy may be discriminatory to the Jewish People'. He told the tribunal he only ever joined the Community Security Group 'to play a role safeguarding the local community from attacks, so that my children, my family and the broader Jewish community can continue to be a thriving proud Jewish community in Australia, and a community loyal to Australia'. The tribunal supported Asio's decision to revoke the officer's security clearance, saying the adverse security assessment was affirmed.
