SAS voices cut through the fog

At last the fog has been pierced by some straight talk. In the finest tradition of the Special Air Service Regiment and the Australian Army, an unidentified group of operators has punctured the obfuscation surrounding allegations of atrocities by Australian troops in Afghanistan. In a blunt message published online by The Australian, a group of current and former serving members of the SAS who served in Afghanistan made clear their frustration at the lengthy trial by media to which they have been subjected while the Brereton report has been prepared. The operators’ identities must be protected because of secretive counterterrorist operations they may have to execute on Australian soil. But exasperation has forced them to break cover. They are sick of years of smears and guilt by association: “We are not war criminals, nor have we ever set our morality aside. We are professional volunteer soldiers who frequently upheld the values of the Australian Army during a 10-year expeditionary campaign in the Middle East, despite the absence of any clear definition of victory.”

That clarion call is in stark contrast to the innuendos that have circulated about them in recent years. Those who qualify to wear the sandy beret of the SAS Regiment are the bravest and best that this nation produces to defend our way of life. As they describe it, they are “the operational eyes and ears of the ADF and the Australian government”. That imposes an exacting standard of integrity. In their words, “without truth in reporting we are nothing”. It is timely that those who have faced a ruthless enemy are being heard.

In pursuing allegations of war crimes, the loudest voices have been those of ambitious journalists, while the investigation by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force has taken its tortuous path. It is disturbing that a well- paid consultant, Samantha Crompvoets, commissioned by Defence to interview members of our special forces, saw fit to discuss her sensitive findings on the Nine Network’s 60 Minutes on Sunday. This, as the justice process was about to be initiated. Who authorised her emotive foray into the public domain? Why now, as action that may culminate in jury trials is about to start? Again, the operators spoke from the heart: “We also believe the same principle of truth in reporting should be embraced by the media, so as to not impugn the reputation of the SASR as a whole or inadvertently imply improper behaviour committed by former or serving members. Equally, we applaud accurate portrayals of misconduct provided it is supported by appropriate context and evidence.”

It was heartening to hear Scott Morrison warn against tarring thousands of brave, patriotic Australians with one brush. The Prime Minister made it clear that while there appeared to be evidence of war crimes, this must be determined through legal processes. That must embrace trial by jury and the presumption of innocence. Yet how can any of those about whom rumours have swirled for years hope to receive fair treatment when selected journalists have been extensively briefed in a way that appears to exonerate senior leaders while incriminating a handful of non-commissioned officers and troopers? That is why the unnamed operators demand: “Just as we embrace truth in reporting, we demand our leadership to do the same. Leaders are bound in their duty to convey what we have seen and reported, and we hold them to the same standards to which we hold ourselves.”

That is fair. It is easily forgotten that the senior officer who initially became concerned about irregularities in administration of the SAS, former major-general Jeff Sengelman, identified serious failures in command at Swanbourne Barracks. It was he who commissioned Dr Crompvoets’ study. There were failures in the conduct of the war in Afghanistan, emanating from political leaders who used the SAS as a “flag in the sand” to maintain our alliance obligations to the US, while not providing clear strategic objectives to the military. And senior commanders repeatedly certified these specialist forces fit for multiple tours of duty despite signs it was taking a terrible physical and mental toll. The Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell, must provide leadership worthy of his men when he addresses matters in the Brereton report on Thursday. Let justice be done though the heavens may fall.