A wakeup call !

Terrorism uses rapidly evolving new tactics to overcome obstacles. 9/11 was a case in point. Nobody had previously even thought of hijacking passenger aircraft and using them as weapons to destroy buildings and kill thousands of people.

Our security people have just uncovered a plot to storm Holsworthy army barracks in southern Sydney for the purpose of killing as many soldiers as possible before they themselves were killed.

It seems that this is simply a variation on a theme, a different target but similar tactics to the intrusion in Mumbai when ten terrorists managed to hold the centre of the city to ransom and kill over a hundred innocent people, targeted because they were not of the Muslim religion.

The terrorists planning the Sydney attack were from an organization called " Al Shabaab ", located in Somalia. They were Australian citizens recruited by firebrand Islamic clerics fomenting jihad.

For decades we have allowed the creation of a growing " Fifth Column " in this country as we allow access to refugees from the world's trouble spots. It seems that the offspring of these refugees cling to the dark side of their religion and are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorists.

Uncovering this latest plot should serve as a wakeup call. It is amazing just how unprepared our defence facilities have become. They are not guarded by armed military personnel - but by unarmed civilian security guards.

Why is this so ? Because it costs a lot less ! A trained soldier gets a lot more pay than a middle aged civilian standing by a boom gate and controlling access to a base.

We are a peaceful country. Our police force carries light weapons, but on defence force property firearms are locked away in armouries - and only issued during training exercises and deployment. As a consequence, they are defenceless in the face of a determined group of assassins !

The alarm has sounded - and we need urgent change. Defence facilities are the residence of our elite fighting men and they contain billions of dollars worth of high cost equipment - jet fighter aircraft, helicopters, tanks, field guns, warships.

This attack has been uncovered and foiled, but others are sure to follow. There is no room for complacency - and now we have been warned of what to expect in the future.

Sadly, we need to be prepared - for the enemy within !