A spokesman for Defense Minister Peeni Henare said the Defense Force is aware of four former staff members who have resigned to work at the academy.
Photo: NZDF/Supplied
Four former members of the New Zealand Defense Force have been warned that their decision to work for a South African flight school is likely to affect any future employment with the force.
The UK has cracked down on former military pilots working at South Africa’s Test Flight Academy, suspected of brokering pilots for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
A spokesman for Defense Minister Peeni Henare said the Defense Force is aware of four former staff who have resigned from working for the academy, likely to have jeopardized any future attempts to obtain national security clearance.
In October, the British government announced a crackdown on ex-military pilots working for intermediaries, including the Test Flying Academy of South Africa.
“One of the four individuals was spoken to, and this happened in October, as they were the only ones holding a security clearance with [the Defence Force] at that time,” a spokesman for the New Zealand Defense Forces told Reuters.
The academy previously responded to the British crackdown with a statement on its website, saying all its activities were legal. A previous contractor there, former US Navy pilot Daniel Edmund Duggan, was arrested in New South Wales in October at the request of the US government. His case will be in court this week. . He denies breaking the law.
The New Zealand Defense Force spokesman added that it had also briefed staff on October 23 about the academy, reminding them of their obligations to security and their security clearance under the Government’s Protection Security Requirements.
Henare’s office has asked for advice on the situation and whether more needs to be done. A spokesman said Henare was assured that the Defense Force had taken all practical steps to ensure there was no risk of confidential information being disclosed.
– RNZ / Reuters
