The Squiz 

Some of our most decorated Australian Defence Force (ADF) commanding officers have had their service medals stripped by Defence Minister Richard Marles following allegations of war crimes being carried out in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 under their watch. It’s part of the Albanese Government’s response to the Brereton Report – a 4-year-long inquiry conducted by NSW Supreme Court Justice/Major General Paul Brereton that was handed down in 2020. The allegations are “arguably the most serious” made against ADF personnel in our history, Marles says, and “this will always be a matter of national shame”.

Back it up a bit…

The Brereton Report’s key findings are here, but there’s a lot that hasn’t been publicly shared… What has been shared are claims that 23 Australian soldiers were behind the murders of 39 Afghans, with some forced to do so by their senior officers. As for the names of those who have lost their medals, Marles wouldn’t say, citing “privacy concerns”. He did say it’s fewer than 10 officers, and former ADF Chief Angus Campbell – one of the highest-profile commanders in the Middle East during the years in question – isn’t one of them. It also doesn’t include Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, who’s under investigation for war crimes – allegations he denies.

So what happens now?

The government has finalised its response to 139 of the 143 findings in the Brereton Report, with the last 4 linked to the potential prosecution of officers accused of war crimes. Marles yesterday warned that any prosecutions “pursued by the Office of the Special Investigator will take years to complete”. As for how his announcement yesterday has gone down… The Australian Special Air Service Association and RSL criticised the timing – days after the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide’s final report was made public. Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie called it “absolutely atrocious”, saying she was “terribly worried about the mental health of our veterans”. But Coalition Defence spokesperson Andrew Hastie – a former elite soldier himself – is focused on who’s being blamed and “how far it reaches up the chain in assigning responsibility”.