ADF official loses security clearance due to perceived allegiance to Israel

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Key Points

An ADF officer has been labelled a risk to security by ASIO due to undisclosed ties to Israel.
The officer made trips to Israel and attended firearms and tactical training funded by the Israeli government.
A tribunal has removed the officer’s security clearance, a decision the officer appealed.

A serving member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has had his security clearance stripped due to fears he is susceptible to foreign interference and exploitation.

The ADF officer, anonymised as HWMW, “demonstrated a higher level of loyalty to Israel than to the Australian Government,” an administrative review tribunal found.

“In ASIO’s assessment there are real concerns about the Applicant’s loyalty to Australia, his susceptibility to foreign influence and his compliance with security holder obligations which pose a risk to security,” it said in documents published last week and first reported by The Guardian.

ASIO stated that the officer, who is Jewish but not an Israeli citizen, failed to disclose to Australian officials training courses he had completed in Israel included self-defence, security, and firearms training.

The officer, who has served in the Australian military for 19 years, “stated he doesn’t view Israel as a foreign government”, and “stated on two occasions that he would provide classified or sensitive information to Israel if they asked for it,” the tribunal report said.

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“[The Applicant’s] inability to hold a security clearance at any level will likely adversely impact his ongoing employment with the Australian Army by restricting the subject matters and type of roles in which he is able to work,” ASIO said.

“It may also adversely impact on his future employment prospects as a prospective employee or contractor within the Commonwealth and various Australian state governments.”

Officer at risk of exploitation

HWMW signed up to the ADF in 2004 and later received security clearance to ‘top secret’ information in 2010.

He went on to volunteer with a Sydney community security group (CSG) from 2014 to 2023, an organisation that offers security and intelligence services to the Jewish community.

In 2016 and 2019, HWMW travelled to Israel to attend CSG training courses, organised by Ami-Ad, an association that promotes volunteerism within Jewish communities, and were funded by the Israeli government.

The tribunal found HWMW failed to disclose the nature of his travels to Israel and said his access to defence information was a “risk to security” for Australia.

“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.”

The tribunal also held concerns the officer could be recruited by Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency.

Army officer appealed the decision

HWMW was questioned by ASIO 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 and made a written statement dated 8 March 2024.

“The ADF is an organisation that embraces multiculturalism and the acceptance of all peoples regardless of their race, religion, or sex,” he wrote.

“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.”

The tribunal disputed this.

“The Applicant’s assertion that precluding him from holding a security clearance on the grounds of his Jewish faith and Jewish cultural identity would be discriminatory is incorrect,” it said.

“It is the Applicant’s past conduct which has raised security concerns in this case, not his Jewish faith or Jewish cultural identity.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declined to answer questions on the tribunal’s findings.

“I don’t comment on national security issues. I don’t comment on national security issues in press conferences,” he said on Monday.