Selection merger to leave SAS stripped of elite status

Combined selection process to be introduced to end SAS’s toxic rivalry with the 2nd Commandos.

 

The Special Air Service Regiment will be stripped of its elite status, with the introduction of a combined selection and qualification process for all special forces soldiers to end its toxic rivalry with the 2nd Commandos.

Under the new “workforce model” currently being finalised, Defence will create a single entry point for all would-be special forces soldiers, who will undertake the same gruelling three-week ­selection course.

The model aims to eliminate the “rivalry and antipathy” ­between Perth-based SASR members — whose selection course is said to be tougher than that faced by their Sydney-based counterparts in the 2nd Commando Regiment.

Under the current model, ­potential SASR and Commando recruits are only brought together for a three-day special forces fitness test.

Under the new model, those who pass the basic entry test would spend six to 12 months at the Australian Defence Force School of Special Operations, ­located at Holsworthy Barracks, for qualification as special forces operators and specialist training.

Many SASR operators object to the change, which is widely seen as undermining the prestige of the regiment.

Australian Army 2nd Commando Regiment prepare to board a Sydney ferry from an Army rigid-hulled boat.

But the SASR, which bore the brunt of the Brereton war crimes report’s findings, is in the sights of Defence brass, and has already suffered the indignity of the disbandment of its 2 Squadron in which Victoria Cross winner Ben Roberts-Smith served.

The new workforce model is designed to be “regiment agnostic”, and focus instead on developing necessary skills, such as strategic strike or reconnaissance capabilities.

Traditionally, SASR soldiers have been selected for their ability to undertake long-range ­reconnaissance and precision strike missions, while the 2nd Commandos are trained for large scale offensive, support and ­recovery operations.

Outgoing Special Forces Commander Adam Findlay is understood to have been working on the new workforce plan for more than six months in preparation for the Brereton report’s release. A senior special forces ­insider, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the new workforce plan would begin to break down the intense tribalism between the two units.

“Instead of units running their own selections, the ADF’s special forces school will now oversee all selection and adopt a common modularised model,” the source said. “Regimental dominance of the past will be respectfully reordered so that instead special forces capability is seen as the dominant cultural DNA and regiment of posting is a less powerful factor. It will contain heavy emphasis on selecting for character and is intended to break down the competitive silos and build more common respect across all special forces.”

One SASR veteran said the regiments needed to be integrated to eliminate the problems that had been allowed to fester ­between them. “They need to work and live together and socialise together to build those relationships,” he said.

The Australian Army Commando’s iconic Sherwood-green beret.

“It’s all about personalities and perceptions. There is no reason why SAS and Commandos can’t do the same course together in the same environment.”

A Defence spokeswoman said the army’s Special Operations Command “continues to explore the opportunity for efficiency ­improvements in conducting a common entry process”. “COVID-19 restrictions have slowed progress … and so options are still being developed, with the approach for special forces selection yet to be confirmed,” she said. The Brereton inquiry found credible information that 25 Australian special forces soldiers were involved in the murder of 39 ­Afghan civilians and prisoners.