Afghan war crimes inquiry: 2 Squadron dishonoured by its abolition

The Special Air Service’s troubled 2 Squadron — in which Ben Roberts-Smith served — will be disbanded.

The ‘Bushrangers’ squadron in which VC recipient Ben Roberts-Smith served, the Second Special Air Service Squadron, is to be disbanded after having been found to be central to the alleged war crimes that took place in Afghanistan

The Special Air Service’s troubled 2 Squadron — in which Australia’s most decorated soldier, Ben Roberts-Smith, served — will be disbanded after being singled out amid the damning findings of the Afghanistan war crimes inquiry.

The heavily redacted Brereton report does not detail offences by soldiers from the squadron, known as the Bushrangers, but at least two of its Afghanistan veterans are likely to face prosecution as alleged war criminals.

Chief of Army Rick Burr told SASR members in Perth on Thursday that 2 Squadron — one of four in the regiment — would be “struck off” the Australian Army’s organisational structure in a symbolic dishonouring of the sub-unit.

“Although the incidents outlined in the inquiry occurred across the regiment, the report has made it clear that there was a nexus of alleged serious criminal activities in 2 Squadron, SASR, at a point in time,” he said.

“This alleged grave misconduct has severely damaged our professional standing.

“Future generations will be reminded of this moment in our military history from the gap in our squadron numbering system,” Lieutenant General Burr said.

The 2 Squadron was raised in September 1964, saw its first service in Borneo and was later deployed to Vietnam.

Ben Roberts-Smith in southern Afghanistan

It was heavily involved in Operation Slipper in Afghanistan, including in the fraught Oruzgan Province.

There will be a permanent record of the striking of the squadron title from the order of battle, and a new squadron — with a new name — will take its place.

The names of individual soldiers were redacted from the publicly released Brereton report, and Mr Roberts-Smith has repeatedly denied involvement in war crimes while serving in Afghanistan.

He declined to comment.

Mr Roberts-Smith, a former corporal who was awarded the nation’s highest award for bravery, will keep his job at Seven West Media, where he has been a senior manager within the company’s Queensland division since 2015.

Along with a Victoria Cross — which has been given to only four living Australians — Mr Roberts-Smith also holds a Medal for Gallantry and was awarded a commendation for distinguished service.

The disbandment of 2 Squadron falls short of a more severe option, the abolishment of the entire SASR, but Defence sources told The Australian that abolishing the entire unit was ruled out as too disruptive and a threat to national security.

Despite not being named in the publicly released Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry report, the Federal Court has heard Mr Roberts-Smith received a “potentially affected person” notice.

Those documents were used by the inquiry to warn individuals that they were to be the subject of adverse findings ahead of the report’s conclusion.

Mr Roberts-Smith has launched defamation proceedings against Nine Entertainment over reports in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that detailed his actions in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012, including a claim he kicked a bound Afghan civilian off a cliff. He vehemently denies the allegations.

A former member, who spoke to The Australian on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media, described 2 Squadron as “infected by cancer”. “The old Diggers will be absolutely gutted. But better we lose a squadron than a regiment,” he said.

Former members of the 2 Squadron have long been split about the IGADF inquiry.

Chief of Defence Force Angus Campbell also said all special operations soldiers who served in Afghanistan would lose their meritorious unit citation awards, which are worn on their uniforms.

“These are actions that deal with a collective accountability that will not be forgotten, and the circumstances arising to lead to these outcomes will not be forgotten,” he said.

Given the Brereton report’s findings that battlefield reports were routinely fabricated, General Campbell said medals for valour or gallantry could also be re-examined “after any further processes or proceedings are concluded”.