Former and currently serving members from the Australian Special forces soldiers have expressed frustration with the Brereton war crimes report and its failure to sanction high-level commanders.
They also conveyed anger regarding a decision to remove the meritorious conduct citation from the entire special operations task group between 2007 and 2013.
Vietnam veteran and former SAS officer Michael von Berg said on Saturday that the report was highly concerning, but raised questions over the conclusions surrounding command responsibility and the move to strip the unit citation and dissolve the 2 squadron.
Von Berg who was given a military cross for involvement in major contact in Vietnam in 1966 said the patrol troops alone should not bear the brunt of the report's conclusions and commanders inevitably hold some responsibility due to their position.
“There is no way, if you are a good officer, that you don’t know what is going on with your troop or squadron or regiment", the former reconnaissance platoon commander claimed.
He said his personal view is that the war crimes investigation should go "right up to the top, to the prime minister and cabinet".
"We have flogged these poor buggers [SASR soldiers] over multiple tours and many of the tasks they were doing were basic infantry tasks", he added
He continued saying that "cordon and search, disruption and advance to contact, ambushing and observation post work" is intended for the infantry while he SAS "has been set up to operate in small groups and here they are doing basic infantry work and that has been the problem".
"Having said that, rotation pressure is no excuse for the allegations disclosed", he stressed.
Von Berg also said that veterans were livid regarding the dissolution of 2 Squadron SASR and the decision to strip the laudable citation from the special operations force.
“A lot of the old diggers who served in 2 squadron back in Vietnam are at an age like I am, of 77, and they are struggling, and all of sudden to lose the identity of the squadron they proudly served with twice in Vietnam is particularly sad. I understand the reasoning but I think it’s disappointing".
“I’ve had calls from old and young on the subject. They are saying they understand the reasons and don’t agree with the decision. You are punishing everybody when in fact there are some really good troopers in SAS who had nothing to do with this”, he said.
Geoff Evans, a former commando who was twice stationed in Afghanistan and now works with veterans, asked if the command had done enough in responding to the issues surrounding high-intensity situations.
“When people are conducting multiple tours of high-intensity combat, what was once a clear line can start to grey’,’ said Evans.
“And that is where really clear leadership needs to step in and say, ‘No, that’s the line, don’t cross.’ When you are getting into these situations where things are not clear it behooves a leader to step in and say don’t. That’s why the military has rigid standards".
The report was overseen Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton in the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force investigation, finding that 39 Afghan civilians were murdered in 23 incidents by special forces or under their instruction. Every one of the murders were reportedly committed under circumstances that, if verified by a jury, would be considered war crime murder.
In 2017, leaked defence documents about Australian military involvement in Afghanistan were received by the ABC back, reportedly contained an order from then 'chief of the defence force, the chief of joint operations and the head of Joint Task Force 633' in April 2013 saying that Australian soldiers require a high degree of confidence that a targeted person is participating in hostilities directly.
According to the ABC, the directive was made following an inquiry officer raising concerns surrounding the way individuals were considered to be taking part in hostilities. This came after the shooting of two men in a village who, according to residents, were unarmed civilians.