War crimes report: Scott Morrison tells top brass to share the blame

Scott Morrison has warned the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell that he expects senior officers to be held accountable for war crimes.

Chief of the Australian Defence Force Angus Campbell. Picture: Getty Images

Scott Morrison has warned the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell that he expects senior officers to be held accountable for war crimes identified in the four-year Brereton inquiry, amid concerns top brass will “punish the many for the sake of the few”.

Chief of the Army Lieutenant General Rick Burr said 13 serving special forces soldiers had been ­issued with “show cause” notices over their conduct in Afghanistan, ­giving them 14 days to say why they shouldn’t be sacked.

“At this point in time, no individuals have separated from the Australian Defence Force,” he said. “Each matter and individual circumstance will be considered on a case-by-case basis.”

But in a seven-minute press conference, General Burr batted away questions about the accountability of commanders and refused to say why he should keep his job, amid a growing backlash over the stripping of meritorious service awards from 3000 special forces soldiers.

The Prime Minister told radio station 4BC that he had advised General Campbell to ensure that “not only is there accountability in the defence forces for individual alleged acts, but also in the chain of command”.

“That’s what I expect to be done,” Mr Morrison said. “That’s what I’ve made very clear through the Defence Minister, who has made that point to both the Chief of the Defence Force as well as the oversight panel.”

Retired special forces officer Heston Russell, who paid his respects to fallen comrades at the Australian War Memorial on Friday with fellow retired special ­forces veteran Scott Evennett, warned that Defence’s handling of the Brereton inquiry was “un-Australian” and that he had “never heard of anything worse”.

He said that 20 of the 21 special forces soldiers who died in Afghanistan would have their Meritorious Unit Citations revoked, and he questioned why medals for senior Defence personnel were not also being stripped.

Mr Russell suggested General Campbell’s Distinguished Service Cross for his 2011-12 command of Middle East operations should also be reviewed.

“In accepting the Brereton report’s recommendations, the Chief of Defence has automatically called for his honour awarded to be reviewed and deemed inappropriate,” he said.

“Leadership 101 is the buck stops with you. But where does the buck stop here? I’m so disappointed at the way this has been handled from the Prime Minister coming out to talk about brutal truths, to the Chief of the Defence Force conducting this immediate reaction to punish the many for the sake of the few.

“But what it has done is push this into the living rooms of every single Australian without taking the time — and we’ve had 4½ years — to start providing the Australian people with the full ­picture of what our forces did in ­Afghanistan, what the many did, why we were there, and the incredible sacrifice that our servicemen and women made.”

Mr Russell said a petition aimed at halting the revocation of the Meritorious Unit Citation had already attracted over 40,000 signatures. “The families of our fallen heroes face the prospect of having honours stripped from their loved ones and their ultimate sacrifice reduced to scandal,” he said.

General Burr said the Defence had “absolutely not forgotten” the contributions of Australian soldiers who served honourably in Afghanistan. “We are all committed to making sure that legacy is understood, is preserved and we honour the sacrifice (and) commitment of so many over a sustained period of time,” he said.

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds addressed General Campbell and senior commanders at Defence’s Russell headquarters on Friday to hammer the need for ­reform throughout the services.

The Brereton inquiry found “credible information” that up to 25 serving and former soldiers were involved in alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. It recommended that 19 individuals face criminal investigations.