© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The Pentagon Building in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
By Kirsty Needham
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A possible intelligence leak by the United States was a “serious” incident, Angus Campbell, head of the Australian Defense Force, said on Tuesday, adding that the United States is engaging with its partners to understand the consequences.
Three US officials have said national security agencies are reviewing how they share their most sensitive secrets within the government and addressing the diplomatic fallout from the release of dozens of confidential documents.
“The issue of maintaining information security is critical to building national capacity and trust among allies and partners,” Campbell said in response to questions after a speech at the Lowy Institute.
In the speech, Campbell said the region was experiencing a major power contest that would last for some time, and Australia was focused on deterring conflict and deepening engagement with partners.
The AUKUS partnership with Britain and the United States for Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines was the most prominent example of engagement, he said, but Australia was also working with Pacific island and Southeast Asian nations.
Trends including large-scale military modernization, technological disruption and climate risks make the prospect of interstate conflict “less remote than it once was,” he said.
“Military capability within the region, both in range and lethality, is a challenge in all domains: sea, land, airspace and cyber,” he added.
Asked if Australia had a role in a conflict over Taiwan, Campbell said: “Anything that undermines the security, stability and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region in which we live is in Australia’s interest.”
He added: “The question might then arise as to what particular circumstance or setting encourages what form of interest and in what form of response.”
The war in Ukraine demonstrated that there was no way to predict how a conflict would play out, Campbell said.
“I encourage all parties in areas of international tension to find other ways to resolve that tension… A stable, secure, free and open Indo-Pacific for all nations is in Australia’s interest,” he said.