Roberts-Smith has since been accused of murdering several civilians in Afghanistan. This in relation and response to what Major-General Brereton himself describes as “possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australian military history.”. Last week, Defence Minister Linda Reynolds revealed she was “physically ill” when she read the Brereton report into … The “you scratch my back” culture in the defense industry isn’t limited to politicians. Managing the fallout from the Brereton report will be a key challenge in Dutton’s new role. Reading the Brereton Report’s chilling accounts of murder as a bonding exercise, it’s hard not to remember Chelsea Manning’s 2013 description of the war crimes that led her to blow the whistle as “similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass.” Eventually, the conviction emerges that victory is a mirage; the campaign, in Yeatsian terms, no more than “a trouble of fools,” and legal constraint an absurdity. She confesses that reading the Brereton report this week was a cathartic feeling. After just a few months Brereton’s ‘brave’ report slips out of view After the hand-wringing, politics got in the way. In February this year, Nelson became the president of Boeing Australia. The Brereton inquiry had, however, precursors. Even the suggestion that nonwhite people are worthy of remembrance as victims of war has been treated as suspect and treacherous throughout these long two decades. This paper collates inquiry findings, published assertions, and hearsay reports on the content of official inquiries. Operation Enduring Freedom began in 2001. The country itself was never clay to be moulded by the hands of the West and its occupying armies. Perhaps the most garish example came in 2019, when Donald Trump pardoned and celebrated Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher — who allegedly boasted of murdering a schoolgirl and other children — as an “ultimate fighter” and “a great warrior.” In similar fashion, former Australian defense minister Brendan Nelson defended a Special Air Service (SAS) soldier accused of murdering a teenager as being “by any standard, one of the greatest Australians in terms of heroism the country’s produced.”. Australian troops on patrol in Afghanistan. Read more Categories News Tags Afghanistan War Crimes - Australian Quakers , alleged war crimes by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan , Brereton Report , Defence and Trad , Joint Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs , Resilient Agriculture and Livelihoods Initiative … The political establishment has feigned shock at the revelations, but complicity in these crimes goes all the way to the top. What is the Brereton Report? However, the report determined that responsibility for the alleged crimes “does not extend to higher headquarters.” While the Brereton report states that there is evidence of 39 murders, it acknowledges that there were likely more. The higher command structures were deaf and blind to the warning signs; worse, they might even have ignored them. But there are human events that give themselves to confident predictability – namely, when the trends are serious, persistent and their trajectory has historically and almost invariably shown to be realised as an unavoidable and corrupt state of affairs. The investigation was led by Paul Brereton, who is both a New South Wales Supreme Court judge and a major general in the army reserve. Released publicly on 19 November 2020, the Brereton report exposes the “warrior culture” prevalent amongst SAS troops deployed in Afghanistan between the years 2005 and 2016, which fostered the committing of war crimes and “a code of silence” to conceal them.. “Don’t be afraid, we are coming to bring you peace,” the caption read. Indeed, in there exaggerated innocence they will display only the inevitable hypocrisy of the failed war-maker: a passion for condemning others and a total unwillingness to accept responsibility for their role in their crimes. The authors of the report have gone to great lengths to stress that these slayings — whose victims include children — were driven by “blood lust,” “competition killing,” and sickening “rites […]. Given that Australian strategists maintain that Clausewitz is to be taken seriously, then Afghanistan is not the place for reckless alliance enthusiasts to unleash “primordial violence, hatred, and enmity, which are to be regarded as a blind natural force; of the play of chance and probability within which the creative spirit is free to roam.”. (Wikimedia Commons). “It seeks to undermine the cultural shift the ADF are seeking to pursue,” the expert says. (Please note that we are unable to post comments on your behalf. The Brereton Report: the failure of political and military leadership. The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report, commonly known as the Brereton Report, is a report into war crimes done by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during the War in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. Perhaps with greater access for the Australian media, some of the events alleged by the Brereton Report might never have happened. After briefly serving as defense minister, he left that post for a job with consulting giant Ernst & Young’s defense business. Then there is war itself. Our new issue is out on Tuesday. The release of the Brereton Report has confirmed an open secret: Australian soldiers in Afghanistan are suspected of murdering at least thirty-nine unarmed civilians. The hyperbole surrounding the contribution of Australian soldiers in Afghanistan makes the soldiers feel entitled to be treated as Roman gladiators. To help the company take advantage of Australia’s newly flourishing defense expenditure. ... Top 5 most read. An initial, sad reflection of this is that the themes in the accounts to date are all too familiar from notorious precedents: allegations of premeditated and/or gratuitous murder and torture of incapacitated prisoners or non-combatants by personnel embracing a “warrior” culture which, inter alia, included initiation by ritual killing, falsification of records, and a code of silence all embedded in an atmosphere of calculated criminality and impunity over several years. But just as often, the crimes were implicitly or explicitly sanctioned by those higher up. Officials have consistently lied to the public and misled them for nearly two decades about the purpose of the invasion and any possibility of ending the conflict. Within less than a year, reports of sadistic violence started coming out from Afghanistan and later Iraq, and they haven’t stopped appearing since. Defense industry giants like Thales donate generously every year to both the Labor and Liberal parties. In 2016 the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force appointed Major General Paul Brereton, a Justice of the NSW Court of Appeal, to inquire into rumours of breaches of the law of armed conflict by members of … Beyond the inevitability of the events which resulted in the Inspector-General’s inquiry, there is also the inevitability of contradictions and silences: the former relate to the confusion between the report’s findings that: “commanders are both recognised and accountable for what happens on their watch,” and bear a moral command responsibility;” that the wrongdoing was widely known and often the subject of gloating by its perpetrators, and yet the higher Defence command system was at not at fault in regard to the commission of war crimes on the grounds that it/they were unaware of them. The Anzac myth and the Frontier Wars we wilfully ignore. Police raided the offices of ABC journalists who published early reports of these crimes in 2019. Brereton’s recommendation and Campbell’s acceptance of it show even the most unlikely people can forget, or overlook, or ignore, what the rule of law means. Only Public Funding Can Save It. Beyond any doubt, the Brereton report has added to that suffering. Sadly, the Prime Minister appears complicit in all of this because, well before the release of the report, and presumably anyone's ability to read it, changes were made to the Letters Patent, dated July 13, 2020. It is, rather, an ideal incubator for the developments which have necessitated the Inspector-General’s investigations. The debate and backlash that will follow these latest revelations will focus on gruesome details and the dubious character of the individuals involved. Amazon Workers Don’t Need Apologies From Jeff Bezos. Alongside this rigorous disinformation campaign, Western governments have also worked hard to build a macho media aura around the elite soldiers deployed to fight forever. Please keep your comments short and sharp and avoid entering links. Her status as an outsider, perhaps, made whistleblowers more likely to come forward. As long as the establishment fosters endless violence in order to maximize industry profits, there’ll be many more Brereton Reports to come. The Report on the Afghanistan Inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force provides another affirmation of such degeneration among certain elements of elite units in the Australian Army. And in recent years, Australian defense ministers have developed a habit of scoring cushy jobs in the private defense sector upon their retirement from public life. Media baron Kerry Stokes, who served as chairman of the Australian War Memorial while Nelson was director, hired former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith as general manager of his Channel 7 Queensland operations in 2015. * Justice Brereton finalises inquiry * Chief of Defence Angus Campbell published highly-redacted version of final report * Credible evidence 25 current … There is good reason to believe that the figure is a significant understatement. To accept this is to accept the relevance of a principle in physics which holds that the effect of certain forces – such as light, sound and gravity – on an object varies by the inverse square of the distance between the object and the source of the force until – and here the report modifies physics – the object is out of sight and, therefore, out of mind. The predictable consequence for some as the time frame is extended, especially in the elite units and/or those famed for their audacity, and overburdened with dangerous missions requiring exceptional skill, is a process of convergence. Indeed the genesis of the incidents – many of them obvious – meant that their ultimate realisation was to be anticipated. Given the seriousness of the findings made in the Brereton report, “show cause notices” are a singularly inappropriate mechanism for punishing alleged offenders. John Howard, who kickstarted Australian involvement in the war that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, has already “utterly condemned” the individual perpetrators. The findings of the Afghanistan Inquiry, then, are no surprise. Mutatis mutandis, and briefly, the report details a reprise of the British Army in Yemen in the 1960s, Northern Ireland after 1968, and Afghanistan between 2010 and 2013; the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia in the early 1990’s; the New Zealand SAS in Afghanistan in 2010; and the US in Vietnam (the Phoenix Programme and Tiger Force should suffice). Human ingenuity is seldom kind to immutable laws and the concept of effects invariably following necessary and sufficient causes is, therefore, best left to explanations of avalanches and earthquakes. During his brief tenure, he controversially purchased twenty-four Super Hornet jet fighters from defense giant Boeing for $6 billion. They become what they revile and their recourse and refuge is found- in blood-crazed, self-delighting violence which offends even the criminal essence or war in the first place. facilitate cross-reference between public allegations made and incidents investigated by The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry (the Brereton Inquiry), once that report is published. Yet the analyses of the political decision to commit to war in Afghanistan indicate that Clausewitz’s warning was precisely what was ignored; it was careless and taken without due consideration of the consequences in general, or the likely failure of the whole enterprise given the record of US in wars of the type likely to evolve. Michael McKinley is a member of the Emeritus Faculty, the Australian National University; he taught Strategy, Diplomacy and International Conflict at the University of Western Australia and the ANU. The Report on the Afghanistan Inquiry by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force provides another affirmation of such degeneration among certain elements of elite units in the Australian Army. A four-year investigation, led by Major General Paul Brereton, found evidence that Australian troops committed dozens of murders in Afghanistan. What is the Brereton Report? It almost beggars belief that Andrew Hastie, one of the Coalition MPs who lined up to accuse writer and presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied of “trashing who we are as Australians,” was actually present at some of the atrocities under investigation in the Brereton Report. Already on our list? They Need to Organize. Exacerbating this, they were in theatres of operation that were culturally and politically alien, against enemies difficult, if not impossible to distinguish from the general population, and in which the strategic objectives were either fundamentally unclear, unrealistic, or ridiculous. In its 2017 risk report on the defense industry, Ernst & Young gleefully declared that “the post-Cold War peace dividend and the Afghanistan drawdown are now history and across the globe, defense budgets are increasing.” In this topsy-turvy world, a lack of violence and conflict is a “risk.”, Over the years, it’s not the war profiteers who have been arrested, imprisoned, slandered, and attacked as traitors — but those who have spoken out about war crimes. In truth, the allegations — while certainly grotesque — shouldn’t have come as a shock. Reading the Brereton Report’s chilling accounts of murder as a bonding exercise, it’s hard not to remember Chelsea Manning’s 2013 description of the war crimes that led her to blow the whistle as “similar to a child torturing ants with a magnifying glass.”. (Wary of being on the wrong side of history, perhaps, how they’re coming around with the Brereton report’s further exposure of all those allegations of atrocity.) ), How often? Politics with Michelle Grattan: Defence expert Allan Behm on the background to the Brereton report November 18, 2020 3.14am EST. Catalyst, a new journal published by Jacobin, is out now. As for the inevitable silences – these have to do with the political leadership which took Australia to a war in Afghanistan and maintained the country’s commitment to it long after it had conceivable national defence benefit to Australia. They become, eventually, unrecognisable to their comrades, as is attested to in various accounts. Brendan Nelson oversaw Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan as defense minister from 2006–7. Indeed, in their exaggerated innocence they will display only the inevitable hypocrisy of the failed war-maker: a passion for condemning others and a total unwillingness to accept responsibility for their role in their crimes. Until last month, these journalists were still under threat of prosecution. The higher military command structures were equally deaf and blind to the warning signs; worse, they might even have ignored them. In 2016 the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force appointed Major General Paul Brereton, a Justice of the NSW Court of Appeal, to inquire into rumours of breaches of the law of armed conflict by members of … “The ADF leadership feel a deep sense of failure by the institution. In addition to the symbolic strengthening of the Australia–United States alliance, the cozy relationship between Australian politicians, big business, and the weapons industry goes some way toward explaining the nation’s involvement in this endless war. Context is extremely important to explain inevitability: the wars in question were, from the start, or became, wars of choice reflecting imperial power politics rather than principle – hence usually illegal, unethical, and unwise. I had a massive meltdown, just reading … The independent inquiry was commissioned by Defence in 2016 after rumours and allegations emerged relating to possible breaches of the Law of Armed Conflict by members of the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan over the period 2005 to 2016. Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra. As minister for defense industry from 2016–18, Christopher Pyne helped usher in a $200 billion military spending spree. Now Australian soldiers have been recharacterised as the true victims. Indeed, it became an exercise in the blood sacrifice thought to be demanded by the alliance with the United States. Get a $20 discounted print subscription today! The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force Afghanistan Inquiry Report, commonly known as the Brereton Report (after the investigation head) , is a report into war crimes committed by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during the War in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016. “Show cause notices” reverse the onus of proof and oblige the accused to, in effect, prove their innocence. Add to this, repeated deployments of the special forces units for tasks more appropriately undertaken by conventional formations, combined with no prospect of victory, and the creation is the military equivalent of the realty of both the law of diminishing returns, and mission exhaustion. Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the public to prepare for “brutal truths.” Media outlets near-unanimously described the report as “shocking.”. The investigation was led by Major General Paul Brereton.. A copy of the Afghanistan Inquiry Report (Public Release Version) is available. Christopher Pyne’s new employer Ernst & Young describes the defense industry as “a complex ecosystem of players under constant pressure to maximize profitability.” The description couldn’t be more fitting. When Scott Morrison was politely accused of having worked with the Federal Police to cover up war crimes, he simply declared that “no one is above the law.”. Australia represents itself as the innocent abroad. By Michael McKinley. “The Australian government was right to promptly release the Brereton report, and the shocking news that the special forces unlawfully killed 39 … Get our print magazine for just $20 a year. Our new issue, “The Ruling Class” is out on Tuesday. And all the while the enemy’s strategy, which included a suite of atrocities masked as tactics, and for which they did not have to apologise, haemorrhaged what remained of the moral fibre of the intervening force. Chris Dite is a teacher and union member. The authors of the report have gone to great lengths to stress that these slayings — whose victims include children — were driven by “blood lust,” “competition killing,” and sickening “rites of passage.”, The Australian government this week referred the matter to a special investigator. One senior Defence figure warns that appearing to excuse war crimes is dangerous. The independent commission was initiated by the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence F… The so-called forever war in Afghanistan has no actual long-term objectives. For us Afghans and Afghan-Australians, it has reawakened old traumas, stirred up our grief for the land of our ancestors and, although these atrocities were committed by just a few, it has shaken our faith in Australian values, fairness, honour and truth-telling. The Brereton Report was released on November 19, 2020. Last week, the Brereton Report documented terrible atrocities committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. General Burr’s email gives the first indication of the defence force’s public response to the Brereton inquiry report, which defence sources anticipate will be released in part to the public. 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The report, by senior judge Paul Brereton, has taken four years to complete and is underpinned by detailed confessions by Commando and Special Air … Stokes has vowed to pay for his legal defense. Your contribution will fund quality independent comment and analysis in Pearls and Irritations. “Honestly, it wasn’t until I read the Brereton report the other day. His role? Our political leadership will never be the subjects of the Office of the Special Investigator or the Australian Federal Police, nor, therefore, will they ever be charged. Senior military and political figures confirmed this in originally classified interviews, released last year by the Washington Post. First, there was the internal report by a sociologist, Dr Samantha Crompvoets, who was originally commissioned to prepare a report on organisational culture and poor relations between the Australian SAS and Commandoes. Subscribe in print for $20 today! Specifically, this leadership will never be the subjects of the Office of the Special Investigator or the Australian Federal Police, nor, therefore, will they ever be charged. But if this war is ever to end, we need to focus on stopping those who classify peace as perilous, truth as treachery, and “foreigners” as fair game. Sometimes the reports detailed atrocities carried out by lower-ranking soldiers from the US-led occupation forces. Conservatives and militarists want us to cling to a disastrous…, The LNP, led by the mendacious Morrison, is in a…, Saturday’s good reading and listening for the weekend, What people in other forums are saying about public policy…, Another own goal in Australia’s relations with China, The Federal Government is not providing a strategic narrative about…. Journalism Is in Crisis. For questions regarding our comment system please click here. But that cannot be the end of it: why was the focus lost? The release of the Brereton Report has confirmed an open secret: Australian soldiers in Afghanistan are suspected of murdering at least thirty-nine unarmed civilians. Weekly, It is risible to see the Australian Foreign Minister setting…. The Social Justice Unionism of Wendell Young III, Democratic Socialism Must Be Internationalist, Britain’s Labour Party Can’t Become Another PASOK, The Derek Chauvin Conviction Is a Victory for Justice and Democracy, The Nation’s Largest Health Insurer Pressured Its Employees to Fight a Public Option. David McBride, the man who is responsible for bringing the current allegations to light, is currently still being prosecuted for his courage. It also couldn’t be further from ordinary people’s intuitive understanding of war as a terrible last resort. Daily It was, in all major characteristics, it was operationally scripted in Sparta with overtones of the mafia (or the other way round). 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