A military prosecution of a senior Australian naval figure is prompting concerns across global defence companies with industry figures revealing the sensitive matter is now being discussed at international crisis meetings. Details of the case, which sources have described as “complex and significant”, have been suppressed by Maj-Gen. Cowen until at least September when the court martial begins. Defence Minister Richard Marles has insisted a military court martial is the “appropriate” way to prosecute the case which has rocked his department, despite former officials raising concerns about a lack of transparency. “We have always said that Defence, with its multibillion-dollar procurement failures, desperately needs an independent corruption watchdog. The Nightly has learnt of crisis meetings at the top levels of one European based global defence giant over concerns the company’s Australian arm could be implicated in the allegations that will be soon examined by a court martial.