Veterans demand ADF chief General Angus Campbell returns his medal

After asking his most senior officers to hand back their medals, ADF chief General Angus Campbell is facing accusations his own war honour is “questionable”.

A retired army major has called for Australian Defence Force chief General Angus Campbell to hand his Distinguished Service Cross back — and said if he doesn’t “the government should take it from him”.

The call by Stuart McCarthy, a two-tour veteran of ­Afghanistan, comes amid growing anger among elite special forces troops after Gen Campbell demanded his senior officers surrender their own medals or show proof of why they deserve them.

The move against his top brass follows the release of the Brereton report in November 2020 into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan by Australia’s Special Forces.

None of the top officers were believed to have been implicated or included in the adverse findings against 39 soldiers who are the subject of police investigation.

But the move signals all those in leadership positions have to bear some form of accountability for the behaviour of some of Australia’s elite forces.

Stuart McCarthy completed two tours of Afghanistan.

Former special forces commando Wes Hennessey. 

Mr McCarthy said Gen Campbell received a Distinguished Service Cross “for distinguished command and leadership in action as Commander Joint Task Force 633 on Operation Slipper from January 2011 to December 2011”.

“In action means exactly that — he was in action in a war zone,” Mr McCarthy said.

“When it comes back to that finding of the Brereton Report, you can’t have your cake and eat it too, you were an operational commander or you weren’t.

“If you were, you should be under investigations for your role in ­alleged war crimes, or if you weren’t then you should never have received that award in the first place.”

Mr McCarthy said: “I honestly don’t care which commanders have to hand their medals back, but if anyone does, as a matter of principled leadership it should always start from the top.

“Gen Campbell is the current Chief of the Defence Force and his DSC is questionable.”

Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell. Picture: Evan Morgan

Mr McCarthy’s sentiments are echoed by former special forces commando Wes Hennessey, who says he will be writing to MPs next week requesting Gen Campbell’s resignation.

“Here we are, two years after the release of the Brereton Report, and the CDF makes another attempt to force our Special Operations personnel to relinquish Afghanistan honours and awards,” Mr Hennessey said.

“Based upon what? That all decorated officers were complicit with purported allegations? That is absolutely absurd.”

Mr Hennessey said the officers in question were some of the “finest and experienced” he’d worked with.

“They hold the majority core of the current combat experience within the ADF,” he said.

“If we were to become involved in a regional conflict, or support combat operations of a third country, we will very much need the experience of these officers.”

A military law academic specialising in command responsibility for war crimes, who spoke to The Sunday Telegraph on condition of anonymity due to his current work overseas, described Gen Campbell’s response as “shallow” and “ill-informed”.

“Deterring war crimes starts at the top, and war crimes cases since World War II recognise that,” he said.

“In Australia’s case, the top includes commanders of Joint Task Force 633.”

The academic, an Afghanistan veteran, said Gen Campbell’s reported justification of his actions in demanding medals be returned “so he could be seen to be doing something about discipline issues … entirely misses the point”.

There is no suggestion Mr McCarthy or Mr Hennessey have been asked to return medals.

A Defence spokesman declined to comment directly to questions related to the call for Gen Campbell to hand back his medal.

The call came as the Opposition demanded Defence Minister Richard Marles explain his role in the decision.

Coalition Defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, who served in Afghanistan with the SAS, said Mr Marles had said in October he would accept full responsibility for leadership and management of his portfolio.

“The buck stops with him,” he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Marles said the matter is still ongoing and it is “inappropriate to comment further”.

Additional reporting: James Campbell

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Originally published as Veterans demand ADF chief General Angus Campbell returns his medal