Former Australian Army chief underlines homegrown jihad threat and warns 'terrorists only have to be lucky once'.
(Daily Mail) The former Chief of the Australian Army, professor Peter Leahy, has warned that Australia needs to prepare itself for a century-long war, both overseas and at home, against radical Islamic militants.
Currently the director of the National Security Institute at the University of Canberra, professor Leahy told Daily Mail Australia that as a liberal, secular society, Australia is perceived as 'the far enemy' by radical Islamic groups and individuals, and would no doubt continue to be targeted.
'We are already affected in that there are places that would be wise for us not to travel to and there have been terrorist bombings in places that we do travel to, as we can see from 9/11 and both of the Bali bombings,' Mr Leahy said.
'We've even had bomb plots here in Australia and thanks to police and intelligence agencies, have been able to stop those threats.
'But terrorists only have to be lucky once.'
Mr Leahy told The Weekend Australian that the war against radical Islam was likely to last for nearly 100 years.
'Australia is involved in the early stages of a war which is likely to last for the rest of the century,' he said.
'We must be ready to protect ourselves and, where necessary, act pre-emptively to neutralise the evident threat. Get ready for a long war.'
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