Defence Minister Dutton says ceremony disbanding SAS squadron is ‘insensitive’
A controversial flag folding ceremony to mark the disbanding of the SAS 2 Squadron has been cancelled, with the defence minister saying the timing was ‘insensitive’.
A controversial flag folding ceremony to mark the disbanding of the SAS 2 Squadron has been cancelled.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton pulled the pin on the ceremony scheduled for Thursday because he believes the timing is “insensitive”.
“The Minister does not feel this is the right time given that we have SAS members returning from Afghanistan,” a source close to Mr Dutton told The Daily Telegraph.
But the source would not be drawn on whether this meant the 2nd “Sabre” Squadron would be saved.
The decision has delighted SAS regiment members, their families and veterans who had set up an online petition calling for the ceremony to be scrapped.
“It is highly insensitive given some of the special forces who have just been deployed to help sort out the mess at Kabul airport served in 2 Squadron,” said one SAS member who could not be named.
The order to disband the squadron came from Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell last year after the Brereton Inquiry found 19 individuals should be investigated for war crimes.
Defence has now quietly dropped dismissal cases against at least 13 of those members of the SAS because “insufficient information” to substantiate the allegations.
Last week Mr Dutton publicly apologised to them.
Mr Dutton has also reversed a decision by General Campbell endorsing the Brereton report’s recommendation that the meritorious unit citation be stripped from more than 3000 personnel who served in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.
“Those people deserve our recognition, our praise, our honour because many of them have lost mates, and families this Anzac Day should proudly wear that medal in honour of their loved one who passed away in the service of this country,” he said at the time.
The decision to axe the flag folding ceremony is the latest signal from Mr Dutton that he intends to take control of the operation away from the military top brass.
Chief of Army Rick Burr was due to preside at the flag folding ceremony at Campbell Barracks in Swanbourne, Perth, where the squadron flag would be lowered and handed to official historians tomorrow.
But veterans had called for a boycott of the ceremony that would consign the 57-year-old squadron to the history books.
A move to have the unit dishonourably struck off the order of battle last year was also put on hold amid threats of mass resignations by special forces soldiers.
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Originally published as Defence Minister Dutton says ceremony disbanding SAS squadron is ‘insensitive’
