Secret defence documents are likely in the possession of a foreign intelligence service after a USB drive was stolen from the backpack of a military aide to Australia's most senior commander in the Middle East.
The loss of the material, including secret documents belonging to Major-General John Cantwell, commander of Australian operations in the Middle East, has been described as a major security incident by a defence investigation, Fairfax reports.
The loss of the USB was a deliberate theft, according to Defence Security Agency investigation reports, obtained by Fairfax under freedom-of-information laws.
The aide put the USB in a pocket of his backpack before checking the bag in when boarding a flight from Dubai to Pakistan on February 28 last year.
It is believed the device went missing when the flight stopped over in Kuwait.
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The aide and Major-General Cantwell were told upon arrival in Islamabad that many bags on the flight had been lost and it took several days for them to be located.
A defence spokeswoman said the aide had not been disciplined.
The report found the officers had limited understanding of the "collection activities" of foreign intelligence agencies in the region and it recommended a review into the manner in which senior officers travel through the region.
