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Commander of HMAS Brisbane stood down over alleged drunken incident
The commander of Australia’s most lethal warship has been stood down after allegations of a drunken episode that caused the navy international embarrassment.
Commander Kingsley Scarce was relieved of his command of HMAS Brisbane in mid-September when the $3 billion guided missile destroyer was docked at Cairns.
A formal complaint had been made against Scarce from within the Australian Defence Force. The allegations were considered of such a serious nature that he was immediately stood down and replaced by an interim commanding officer.
Kingsley Scarce, the commanding officer of the HMAS Brisbane.Credit: LinkedIn
Defence is still investigating the complaint, and while Nine News has been told a court martial is not expected if the allegations are found to be true, the matter could lead to career-ending administrative sanction.
Scarce, the son of former South Australian governor Kevin Scarce, was accused of excessive alcohol use at sea and causing embarrassment to Australia at an international event involving US counterparts.
The complaint against Scarce came after his alleged conduct came to the notice of Director General Maritime Operations Commodore Mick Harris.
Alcohol has long been restricted in the navy and last year, after the Brereton war crimes report, Defence issued a directive banning alcohol consumption on operations or exercises. Alcohol in “non-war-like operations” is restricted to two drinks, but only with approval and on national holidays.
In the lead-up to Scarce’s suspension, HMAS Brisbane had been involved in Malabar, a joint naval exercise with US, Japanese and Indian forces in August 2023.
“One good thing about exercises like Malabar is that we get to understand the people at the other end of the systems, how they think, how they talk because whilst we might speak English, we don’t necessarily speak the same kind of English,” Scarce told reporters during the exercises.
“It can be even something as simple as if I’m talking to some of my American colleagues and I say, ‘Do you want to go for a brew?’, I’m talking coffee, they’re talking beer. I’m happy with both outcomes. But it’s very important that we understand the language that you’re using and what we actually mean when we’re talking to each other.”
HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar last year.
HMAS Brisbane, under Scarce, also took part in Talisman Sabre, a multinational military exercise led by Australia and the United States involving 30,000 personnel and 13 nations.
He was commanding officer of the warship when it helped in the search-and-rescue effort after a Taipan helicopter crashed off Lindeman Island in Queensland on July 28, killing four airmen. Navy personnel involved in the operation are known to have found it traumatic.
Sources with knowledge of the matter but not free to discuss it on the record said that when the warship was at port in Cairns on September 18, its 220 crew members were ordered to “clear lower decks” to witness the arrival of interim Commander Grant Coleman who was accompanied by a one-star commodore.
Some crew members had earlier witnessed Scarce leaving the warship.
Later that day, HMAS Brisbane set sail for Darwin before a three-month tour north via Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Guam.
HMAS Brisbane was forced to dock for repairs at Port Sembawang in Singapore when a fire broke out in the galley. It was also on the scene when HMAS Toowoomba was “pinged” by a Chinese warship on November 14 and on its return to Australia, the ship was diverted to Willis Island to rescue four Bureau of Meteorology staff as a cyclone approached.
While not naming Scarce, Defence confirmed a member had been stood down pending the outcome of an inquiry.
“There is no place for unacceptable behaviour or conduct within Defence,” a department spokeswoman said. “All allegations of unacceptable behaviour are taken very seriously and investigated thoroughly following due process.”
Defence said it could provide no further comment due to obligations under the Privacy Act.
Former independent senator and one-time submariner Rex Patrick said the ADF was unnecessarily secretive.
“Our Defence Force is extremely opaque, unnecessarily opaque,” Patrick said. “Defence needs to be open with the Australian public if they want to gain their confidence.
“It’s a really important arm of government. It receives tens of billions of dollars in public funding. We need to be confident in the manner in which defence is exercising its responsibilities and functions.”
Scarce has not publicly commented on the allegations or the alleged complaint. HMAS Brisbane returned home to Sydney on December 15 under the command of Bernard Dobson, who took over from Coleman on November 7 in Nagasaki, Japan.
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