A former defence chief is leading calls for Australia to develop its own Iron Dome-style missile defence system, warning the nation is vulnerable to attacks from adversaries thousands of kilometres away.
Retired Chief of Army Peter Leahy says Australia must be able to stop a missile attack before it hits, calling for an Australian dome shield system to protect the nation.
“Australia can no longer rely on geography. We can no longer rely on the sea air gap,” Leahy warned.
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WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Calls for Australia to be protected by Iron Dome.
The battlefield technology has saved countless lives overseas, with missile defence systems like Israel’s Iron Dome successfully intercepting incoming attacks.
But in Australia, the potential threat is growing.
“The potential is that it could happen here. And in many ways, we’re defenceless,” Leahy said.
Malcolm Davis from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute says adversaries now have missiles that can reach Australia from thousands of kilometres away, and the nation has nothing to stop them.
“Time is not our friend. And so therefore we do need to move very fast,” Davis said.
Israel has an Iron Dome system to stop missile attacks. Credit: 7NEWS
Health Minister Mark Butler said if the government receives advice from defence officials, political leaders will look at it very closely.
7NEWS can vouch for the Iron Dome technology, which saved the lives of a news crew from a Hamas rocket attack two years ago in Israel.
But Australia is 350 times bigger than Israel, raising questions about how a missile shield system would protect the nation’s vast expanses.
Military bases, ports, airfields, and towns and cities across Australia. Credit: 7NEWS
Dozens of military bases, ports, airfields, and towns and cities across the country are almost all within reach of potential attacks.
“If we’re talking nuclear armed systems, then they can go a lot further and they could hit Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide,” Davis said.
Experts are suggesting Australia join the US race for a space-based shield system called Golden Dome, in an age where technology has defeated geography.
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