Medals stripped from Australian officers over alleged war crimes
Australia has stripped senior military commanders of their medals over alleged war crimes that took place under their watch in Afghanistan. Defence Minister Richard Marles told parliament that they would lose their distinguished service medals following an inquiry which alleged that there had been an unchecked “warrior culture” within parts of the military.
The Brereton Report which was released in 2020 found that there was “credible evidence” that elite soldiers in the Australian army had unlawfully killed 39 people during the war in Afghanistan.
“This will always be a matter of national shame,” Marles said. “At the same time… [this is] a demonstration to the Australian people and to the world, that Australia is a country which holds itself accountable.”
He had not confirmed how many officers would be affected. According to local media, it is fewer than ten. He also emphasised that the vast majority of the country’s defence personnel who were deployed to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021 had performed “sacred service” as he praised those who helped in exposing the alleged war crimes.
The decision would not affect those under investigation for war crimes. This includes the country’s most decorated living soldier, Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith. Smith denies wrong doing but was found, in a high-profile defamation case in 2023, on the balance of probabilities, to have murdered four unarmed prisoners. He has not faced criminal charges over these allegations however.
The civil trial would be the first time that a court had ever assessed accusations of war crimes committed by members of Australia’s armed forces.
Media reports claimed that dozens of soldiers are also under investigation for their roles in alleged war crimes. However, only one, former SAS trooper, Oliver Schulz, has had any charges against them.
There was no credible information that officers further up the command chain knew about the alleged war crimes, former justice Paul Brereton found. But troop, squadron, and task group commanders, he said, “bear moral command responsibility and accountability” over the events under their watch. They could not “in good conscience” retain their service medals, he said.
