Dutton’s SAS move reignites ‘beret war’

The Defence Minister’s decision to allow the Special Air Service Regiment to continue to run its own selection process has reignited a longstanding feud.

Minister for Defence Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Peter Dutton’s decision to allow the Special Air Service Regiment to continue to run its own selection process has reignited longstanding “beret wars” between the Perth-based unit and the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment.

Former commandos told The Australian the Defence Minister’s move to axe a planned joint special forces selection process would perpetuate a “toxic” SAS culture revealed in the Brereton war crimes inquiry.

But former SAS soldiers welcomed the decision, saying the unit’s ability to select its own people was “pretty much the last line in the sand in keeping the regiment unique and special”.

The Weekend Australian revealed on Saturday that the Defence Minister had overruled the reform, which was aimed at breaking down the units’ intense tribalism.

One former 2nd Commando officer, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue in the special forces community, said SASR’s ability to run its own selection course “has been a key point of systemic failure”.

“This has been a problem for more than two decades, and throughout that entire period SASR has failed to address these problems,” the former officer said.

“It entrenched SASR’s belief that it was beyond the law and answerable to no one, including its own higher commanders.”

Another former senior commando officer described the decision as a “retrograde step”.

“There is a feeling that the SAS are the ones that f---ed-up on a significant number of deployments, and yet they are seen to be rewarded for it,” the source said.

But former SAS captain Mark Wales said it needed to be able to select individuals to meet its own highly specialised requirements.

“It’s very easy to see why the commandos would complain about it because it was the perfect opportunity to skim talent off a wide pool,” he said. “They wanted joint selection because they’d get higher quality people.”