Australia’s top intelligence official says a small but concerning number of former defence insiders are putting cash before country.
ASIO boss Mike Burgess revealed in his latest annual threat assessment his agency had been tracking veterans willing to sell their military training and expertise to foreign governments for several years.
But the issue has only come to public attention recently with media reports Western pilots had been approached by China to train its military.
“These individuals are lackeys—more ‘top tools’ than ‘top guns’,” Burgess said.
“Selling our war-fighting skills is not different to selling our secrets—especially when the training and tactics are being transferred to countries that will use them … against us or our allies at some time in the future.”…