Yesterday, the Albanese government formally closed the Afghanistan Inquiry Report in Parliament.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles, announced that he had taken the decision to strip some Army officers of the medals that were awarded to them during the period when the alleged war crimes occurred.
I had the opportunity to respond
I emphasised three things:
1. The need for command accountability up the chain of command.
2. The need to rebuild trust both up and down the chain of command.
3. The need for the Australian Army to be ready for the next war.
On the question of medals, the only way to heal this national wound is for command accountability to be applied evenly and consistently through the chain of command.
As I’ve written here before, everyone is accountable.
Commanders are not alleged to have committed criminal offences, or indeed known about them at the time.
But command comes with moral accountability.
Those who lead our troops are responsible for the good and bad things that happen on their watch.
From the battlefield to the Parliament—every leader in the chain of command has a moral responsibility for what happens within their sphere of sovereignty.
By accepting an award or decoration for distinguished leadership, commanders tacitly accept that responsibility.
It applies the other way, too.
When misconduct occurs, commanders must also accept responsibility for it.
That is why the standard of command accountability must be applied evenly.
This is a complex issue so please take the time to watch my speech here or read the text here.
Regards
