Australian SAS alleged war crimes and command failures in Afghanistan

Consensus Summary

Two separate military investigations—one published in 2020 and another in 2021—reveal systemic failures within Australia’s SAS regiment during the Afghanistan war, including alleged war crimes and a breakdown in command. The 2020 Brereton Inquiry found credible evidence that 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners were murdered by Australian special forces, with responsibility pinned on patrol commanders, typically corporals or sergeants. A follow-up 2021 Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) report, commissioned by former Defence Chief Angus Campbell, exposed deeper institutional failures, including officers’ knowledge of and inaction against 'throwdowns'—the practice of planting weapons on dead civilians to justify killings. Both reports highlight a culture of impunity, where rules were ignored, discipline eroded, and junior officers were effectively powerless against senior non-commissioned officers.

The scandals emerged from years of secretive operations in Afghanistan, where SAS soldiers were repeatedly deployed on dangerous missions without adequate oversight. The 2020 Brereton Inquiry concluded that criminal behaviour was confined to lower ranks, but the 2021 IGADF report and a 2022 follow-up inquiry into SAS culture revealed that senior officers and commanders also failed to address alarming patterns, such as the disproportionate number of enemy casualties and the absence of wounded insurgents in battle reports. The 2022 inquiry, led by former Chief of Defence Force Mark Binskin, found that higher-ranking officers ignored 'tangible data'—including spikes in 'Enemy Killed in Action'—and showed an 'abandonment of curiosity' about rumours of misconduct. The reports collectively paint a picture of a unit where discipline collapsed, with officers tolerating alcohol consumption on deployment despite prohibitions and falsifying reports to conceal misconduct.

Key figures in the controversy include former SAS officers who now hold public roles, such as Liberal MP Andrew Hastie, who described the findings as confirming his experiences as a junior officer. Hastie argued that responsibility for the misconduct extends beyond individual soldiers to the entire chain of command, including senior leaders who failed to intervene. The reports also name two former SAS members—Corporal Ben-Roberts Smith and Oliver Schulz—who were charged with war crimes in 2026, though their cases are still pending. The 2021 IGADF report’s executive summary was only recently released after years of resistance from Defence, which had blocked its disclosure despite freedom of information requests. The Guardian notes that the report’s full contents remain classified, while ABC highlights that the 2022 inquiry’s executive summary was published online only recently, with the full report still withheld due to sensitive evidence.

While both sources agree on the core failures—broken command structures, cultural arrogance, and systemic inaction—they emphasize different aspects of the scandal. The Guardian focuses on the 2021 IGADF report’s findings of moral injury and the 'warrior ethos' that allowed misconduct to flourish, as well as the inversion of the chain of command, where non-commissioned officers overrode officers. ABC, however, places greater weight on the 2022 inquiry’s critique of higher command’s 'abandonment of curiosity' and the SAS’s insular, 'bikie gang'-like culture. ABC also highlights the role of awards and recognition in driving risky behaviour, a detail not mentioned in the Guardian. Both outlets agree that the reports reveal a culture where 'ordinary norms and standards no longer applied,' but ABC’s framing leans more toward institutional blame, while the Guardian underscores the psychological toll on individual soldiers.

Despite the revelations, significant questions remain unresolved. The full 2021 IGADF report and the 2022 SAS culture inquiry are still partially redacted, with Defence citing sensitive evidence as the reason for withholding details. Legal proceedings against Ben-Roberts Smith and Oliver Schulz are ongoing, and their outcomes could further clarify individual accountability. Meanwhile, the reports suggest that cultural reforms within the SAS are underway, but their effectiveness remains unproven. The Guardian and ABC both imply that the disclosures will fuel calls for greater transparency and accountability, though neither outlet predicts immediate policy changes. The controversy underscores a broader failure of military leadership, where warnings were ignored, and a culture of impunity allowed alleged war crimes to persist for years.