Australian Commanders Stripped of Medals Amid Afghanistan War Crimes Allegations
Several serving and former Australian military commanders have been stripped of their medals following allegations of war crimes committed during the Afghanistan war, The Associated Press reports, citing Defense Minister Richard Marles.
The decision to hold commanders accountable for alleged misconduct by Australian special forces between 2005 and 2016 was recommended by Maj. Gen. Paul Brereton’s war crime investigation. Brereton’s report, published in 2020, found that some25 Au stralian Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) and Commando Regiment troops were involved in the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans.
Marles told Parliament that the allegations “are arguably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history.” He confirmed that he had written to commanders of those troops, notifying them that their medals for service during the periods of alleged war crimes would be revoked.
While he declined to disclose the number of commanders affected or their ranks, citing privacy concerns, the move has sparked controversy. Martin Hamilton-Smith, chair of the Australian Special Air Service Association, condemned the decision, calling it a “betrayal” of the courage and sacrifices of soldiers in Afghanistan.
Opposition lawmaker Andrew Hastie, a former SAS captain who served in Afghanistan in 2013, echoed this sentiment and went further, calling for accountability from political leaders and the military hierarchy.
“Our troops were let down by a lack of moral courage that went up the chain of command all the way to Canberra,” he said.
Despite the ongoing investigations and revelations, no Australian veteran has yet been convicted of a war crime in Afghanistan. However, a whistleblower and former army lawyer, David McBride, was sentenced in May to almost six years in prison for leaking classified information about alleged Australian war crimes.
In 2023, former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz became the first veteran to be charged with a war crime. He faces charges related to the shooting of a noncombatant in Uruzgan province in 2012.
The same year, a civil court found Ben Roberts-Smith, Australia’s most decorated living war veteran, likely unlawfully killed four Afghans during his time as an SAS corporal. However, he has not been criminally charged.
