Several serving and former Australian military commanders have been stripped of medals over allegations of war crimes committed during the Afghanistan war, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday. The actions were taken following recommendations made by Maj. Gen. Paul Brereton in his war crime investigation, which revealed that approximately 25 Australian Special Air Service Regiment and Commando Regiment troops were involved in the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans between 2005 and 2016.
Marles informed Parliament that the allegations outlined in the Brereton Report are considered some of the most serious in Australian history. The Defense Minister wrote to the commanders of the implicated troops regarding the removal of medals they had received for their service during the periods in which the war crimes allegedly occurred. While the exact number of commanders contacted was not disclosed, Marles emphasized that the decision was not a reflection of personal wrongdoing on their part.
The Australian Special Air Service Association expressed disappointment over the medal removal, describing it as a betrayal of the soldiers' bravery and sacrifices in Afghanistan. The association's chair highlighted the lack of direct involvement or knowledge of the alleged incidents by the commanders in question.
Marles clarified that the medals were revoked due to the collective responsibility that comes with commanding a unit, regardless of personal involvement in specific actions. He emphasized that the benefits and accolades received by commanders are tied to the unit's actions as a whole.
Opposition lawmaker Andrew Hastie, a former SAS captain, called for accountability from political leaders and military officials regarding the war crimes. Hastie stressed the importance of moral courage within the chain of command and raised concerns about the handling of post-mission reports detailing kill counts.
While no Australian veteran has been convicted of a war crime in Afghanistan, former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz was charged with a war crime in 2023 for allegedly shooting a noncombatant in 2012. Additionally, Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia's most decorated living war veteran, faced civil court findings of unlawfully killing four Afghans during his time as an SAS corporal.
