Australia must ‘assume the worst’ after drone breach at country’s top fighter jet base

Urgent changes to Australian law are needed to protect military bases from potential drone threats, a former senior Australian Defence Force (ADF) officer has warned after a serious security breach at one of the nation’s most sensitive defence sites. Multiple unidentified drones entered restricted airspace above RAAF Base Williamtown near Newcastle in July, with authorities still unable to determine who was operating them or why they were there. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Drones breach Australia’s top fighter jet base Former ADF senior officer Jennifer Parker said the incident was “concerning”, warning Australia needs to strengthen legislation to better protect military bases from threats. “As much as we don’t know exactly what these drones were doing, you should always assume the worst and protect against that,” Parker said. RAAF Base Williamtown is one of Australia’s most strategically significant air force defence installations and is home to the nation’s F-35A Joint Strike Fighters, among some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. “There will be a lot of interest ... It does sound like they were conducting intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, but that’s not clear. And to be honest, whenever a drone enters a base, you should be concerned about what it might be carrying,” she said. “Any time you have drones on your base, you would be trying to minimise what they could collect.” Mystery drones breach restricted airspace The incidents occurred between July 11 and 13 with “multiple confirmed Unmanned Aircraft Systems” recorded flying in restricted airspace above the base. According to reports from The Daily Telegraph, the ADF does not know who was operating the drones or why they entered the no-fly zones. Commanders at the base were told “to ensure window blinds are closed” to protect against the potential release of sensitive information. The drones were not shot down, and the incident was referred to the NSW Police Counter-UAS Unit. A Defence spokesperson said the department was aware of the report in the vicinity of the base but refused to comment any further. “Defence employs robust, layered security measures to protect its personnel, establishments and capability,” the spokesperson said. “For operational security reasons, Defence does not comment on specific arrangements or measures in place at its establishments.” Push to change legislation Earlier this year the federal government announced a $7 billion investment over the next decade into counter-drone capabilities, but questions remain over how widely the technology has been rolled out across Australian military bases. Parker said the technology needed to be deployed quickly across defence installations as drones increasingly posed both intelligence-gathering and physical threats. She noted that even where the technology was available, existing legal restrictions could prevent the ADF from shooting down drones around its bases. “We need to change our legislation provisions to allow the ADF to employ these capabilities around our bases,” she said. While Parker acknowledged there could be an innocent explanation for the Williamtown incursions, she said authorities could not afford to operate on that assumption. ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has repeatedly warned that ADF personnel and bases are targets for intelligence collection. For Parker, the Williamtown breach demonstrates the threat Australia needs to be prepared for regardless of who was ultimately behind the drones. “Many countries are keen to know what our ADF capabilities are and how we intend to employ them,” Parker said. “Our bases are increasingly going to come under pressure from intelligence collection and, potentially in the future, threats. We need to think about how we protect them.” It is understood the NSW Police Counter-UAS Unit is investigating the incident.