Investigating senior officers, and where appropriate, taking action against them, is an important part of restoring the reputation of the Australian military abroad.
This might appear a radical suggestion, but military units have been moved, shuffled, re-branded, disbanded and reactivated frequently throughout Australia’s history.
When an atrocity is committed in war — and the army fails to respond — it is due to a moral failure of command. It’s time for the army to show the same courage as those veterans who have spoken out.
On Tuesday, the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force tabled a report, detailing an inquiry into 55 separate incidents, dealing predominantly with the killing of “non-combatants”
Sending specially trained operatives into hostile territories dates back to Colonial days. In the past decade, special operations forces have become central to America’s counterterrorism efforts.
Trained and funded by Australia and the US, Detachment 88 is winning the fight against terrorism in Indonesia, though not without some controversy and continued challenges.
We need to acknowledge that ‘band of brothers’ military culture has a dark underbelly – and that individual acts of atrocity might be a reflection of broader, systemic issues.
Unlike most domestic criminal law, the laws governing the behaviour of Australian armed forces apply to criminal conduct alleged to have taken place overseas.