Dutton pulls rank on ADF medal ban

Peter Dutton will overrule Chief of the Defence Force’s decision to strip the citations from 3000 special forces soldiers.

Peter Dutton says the nation will remember the original Anzacs on April 25, ‘but my focus will be on those who have returned from recent conflicts’. Picture: Max Bree

Australia’s special forces veterans who served in Afghanistan will retain their Meritorious Unit Citations unless convicted of war crimes or sacked for poor conduct.

Peter Dutton, in his first major public decision in the Defence portfolio, will officially overrule Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell’s decision to strip the citations from more than 3000 special forces soldiers as a “collective punishment” for the alleged crimes uncovered by the Brereton inquiry.

Mr Dutton will announce the move on Monday – just a week out from Anzac Day – declaring “99 per cent of our ADF personnel serve, and have served, our country with distinction”.

Mr Dutton told The Australian the nation would remember the original Anzacs on April 25, “but my focus will be on those who have returned from recent conflicts”.

“We honour these young men and women and they will be wearing their unit citation medal with pride,” he said.

“Almost 40,000 honoured our country with their service in Afghanistan and Iraq and I couldn’t be more proud of their sacrifice. We honour them and their loved ones this Anzac Day.”

In a show of support, Mr Dutton will visit the Special Air Service Regiment – the unit at the centre of the war crimes allegations – at Perth’s Campbell Barracks on Monday afternoon. His ruling will mean soldiers will retain their unit citations unless they are found guilty of a war crime, are sacked as an accessory to an alleged crime, or dismissed for failing to uphold army standards.

The SASR’s 2 Squadron, which was linked to the majority of the alleged war crimes, was abolished earlier this year on the CDF’s orders. But Scott Morrison put General Campbell’s revocation of the unit citation on hold after an outpouring of anger from veterans and their families.

A Meritorious Unit Citation

In one case, the father of a commando killed by a Taliban rocket attack said if the CDF wanted to take his son’s service award, he could ­“collect it himself from my son’s gravestone”.

Mr Dutton’s decision follows a distressing week for some veterans with the decision to withdraw Australia’s remaining troops from Afghanistan along with those of the US, amid fears the pullout could pave the way for a Taliban takeover.

The Meritorious Unit Citation was awarded to special forces soldiers for “sustained and outstanding warlike operational service in Afghanistan from 30 April, 2007 to 31 December, 2013, through the conduct of counter-insurgency operations in support of the International Security Assistance Force”. General Campbell accepted Justice Brereton’s recommendation in November that the citations be revoked, declaring “units live and fight as a team”.

However, he faced immediate pushback from veterans and politicians alike.

A petition to overturn the decision attracted more than 50,000 supporters, while the Prime Minister made it clear he was unhappy with the decision.

Lawyer and former RSL NSW president Glenn Kolomeitz, who was attached to the special operations taskforce in Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010, described the move at the time as a “knee-jerk reaction by those who are supposed to be strategic leaders”.

“I’m happy to hand mine in as long as the senior leadership – who all got distinguished service medals for their leadership – hand back their awards,” he said.

Justice Brereton’s report for the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force found up to 25 special forces soldiers were involved in the alleged murders of at least 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners, recommending charges be pursued against 19 of them.

Mr Morrison said the government would ensure the actions of a small number of soldiers facing war crimes allegations “do not reflect on the many thousands of others who serve today and who have served before”. “That is how we deal with these issues in Australia … according to the rule of law, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and in accordance with the administrative processes that ­operate within the Defence Force.”

Chief of Army Rick Burr told a Senate estimates hearing last month 17 Defence personnel had been issued “show cause” notices asking why they shouldn’t be sacked in relation to the Brereton report findings. Eight had since been dismissed, he said. A further “show cause” notice was issued last week to an army colonel after a pixelated photo was published by Nine newspapers showing him partying with junior soldiers in an unauthorised on-base bar in Afghanistan.

The now-colonel, who was due to take up a key position overseeing cultural reform within Special Operations Command, is understood to be considering his options.

Lieutenant General Burr will tell a symposium in Brisbane on Monday that “good character and sound ethical grounding” are vital aspects of “good soldiering”.

“We create strong teams who actively include others and bring people together to be effective and achieve their mission,” he will tell the event.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046