Top brass are next in the firing line after 13 SAS soldiers were sacked over 'war crimes' report - as Sam Armytage, billionaires and ex-army chiefs join grieving families in demanding medals not be stripped from 3,000 troops
Dozens of Australian Defence Force senior officers who were in charge of soldiers accused of carrying out war crimes could be next to be sacked by army chiefs.
The Chief of the Army, Lieutenant General Rick Burr, said on Thursday defence officials had started the process of sacking 13 SAS soldiers following the release of the Brereton report last week.
The report alleged 25 Australian special forces personnel were responsible for 39 unlawful killings in Afghanistan, along with deceit and cover-ups.
Defence sources said the inquiry could lead to high-ranking officials being demoted, sacked or having their military awards stripped from them.
Special operations soldiers pictured in Afghanistan. Senior officers who were in charge of soldiers accused of carrying out war crimes could be next in line to be fired by army chiefs
Those in the sights of ADF chief General Angus Campbell include ex-SASR commanders and officers in the role of Special Operations Commander Australia, The Australian reported.
Other positions named in the list include troop and squadron leaders, special operations commanders and SAS commanding officers.
Sources added there was 'a comprehensive implementation plan' to deal with the recommendations put forward in the Brereton inquiry.
No senior officers were directly involved, or even had knowledge of, the alleged atrocities committed by their troops, the inquiry found.
However, Justice Brereton concluded they should 'bear moral command responsibility and accountability for what happened under their command and control'.
'Some domestic commanders of SASR bear significant responsibility for contributing to the environment in which war crimes were committed,' he wrote.
The threat of further disciplinary action within the army comes amid growing backlash to General Campbell's vow to revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation awarded to special operations soldiers between 2007 and 2013.
ADF chief General Angus Campbell has been met with backlash after saying he would revoke the Meritorious Unit Citation awarded to special operations troops between 2007 and 2013
Sunrise breakfast presenter Samantha Armytage has rallied behind calls for army chiefs not to strip soldiers of the collective military award
The award has been given collectively to members of Australian military units since 1991 to recognise outstanding service in the field.
Grieving families of soldiers who died in the field and now risk losing their awards have hit out at the decision - with the father of one commando telling General Campbell he can collect his son's medal 'from his gravestone'.
More than 55,000 signatures have been collected in less than a week for a petition urging ADF chiefs to hand down punishments for alleged war crimes on a 'case-by-case' basis.
Sunrise breakfast presenter Samantha Armytage has rallied behind calls for army chiefs to reconsider the move.
'Disgraceful that the ADF is treating our special forces like this,' she wrote on Twitter this week, while adding 'we are so proud of these blokes' in a separate post.
Ex-2nd Commando Regiment commander Heston Russell said the government had a responsibility to honour slain servicemen.
Australian soldiers stand accused of murdering 39 people in Afghanistan and treating prisoners with cruelty (pictured, soldiers in Afghanistan)
Media mogul and Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes has offered to fund the legal costs of the 25 accused soldiers and others dragged into the saga
'Where is our moral responsibility with the way in which these families are being exposed to tearing open these scars,' he told The Daily Telegraph.
'They are hurting so badly. Where is the moral responsibility of the government to do what is in the best interest of our people, especially those who have already suffered through the ultimate sacrifice of one of their family members.'
Liberal MP and ADF veteran Phil Thompson said rank-and-file officers should have their awards considered in the same way as senior officers.
Scott Palmer died in a helicopter crash in a combat mission in Afghanistan in 2010. His father Ray Palmer has co-signed a letter criticising the decision to revoke special forces' members meritorious citation unit award
'These armchair officers… have no idea what it's like to be outside the wire, having friends injured or killed, rounds going over head, then being told their units will have their citation taken off them,' he said.
Felix Solomon Sher - the father of Gregory Michael Sher, who was killed in a rocket attack in Afghanistan in 2009 - has co-written a letter to the defence force chief questioning the decision to paint all special forces soldiers with the same brush.
The letter has been co-signed by Ray Palmer, whose son Scott died in a helicopter crash in a combat mission in Afghanistan in 2010.
'If he wants it back, he can come and collect it himself from my son's gravestone,' Mr Sher told The Australian.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has already suggested he is uneasy with punishing all SAS operatives for the actions of a few dozen soldiers.
'Decisions haven't been made yet on these things so let's see how each step unfolds,' he told 2GB.
His differing position to General Campbell would leave the Governor-General to decide who to side with in on whether to remove the meritorious citation.
Mr Morrison has though conceded he has not yet seen the complete, unredacted Brereton inquiry report.
'We haven't seen, nor do we wish to have provided to us, the detailed report, which includes the names of individuals,' he said on Friday.
'That, we think, would compromise the process. That is something for the ADF to address internally.'
Pictured: Private Gregory Michael Sher with his partner Karen. His father has told ADF chief Angus Campbell he can collect the soldier's medal 'from his gravestone' if he wants to strip awards from 3,000 troops over allegations of war crimes
Media mogul and Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes offered to bankroll the legal costs of soldiers accused of war crimes and others dragged into the saga, through a fund has set up.
The money could be spent on legal fees, as well as mental health treatment, but Mr Stokes does not control the fund directly and its executors would make the final decision.
At least 30 senior officers presided over special forces operations in Afghanistan, including General Campbell himself.
'Where the inquiry report identifies credible information of alleged misconduct, disciplinary or administrative action may be taken,' the Defence Department said.
'This may include actions to address command responsibility, culture, leadership and accountability at all levels in the chain of command.'
Major General Jeff Sengelman found 'serious endemic problems' with the 'warrior culture' of the special forces units in 2015 and relayed them to superiors.
'This exposes Defence to a risk of not being able to undertake the range of special operations missions required to support Australia's national interests,' he wrote in an email to then-chief of army Lieutenant General David Morrison in May 2015.
Major General Sengelman also uncovered widespread alcohol abuse among SAS soldiers that was tolerated by superiors.
The Australian claimed special forces commanders were given numerous awards even after problems with their units were uncovered.
Body camera footage from an Australian soldier in Afghanistan showed one elite troop killing an unarmed Afghan man as he cowered in a field
Major General Paul Brereton's investigation took four and a half years to scrutinise the conduct of special forces soldiers between 2005 and 2016.
The findings point to a culture of violence, mistreatment of war prisoners, and secrecy that allegedly covered up executions.
But what really occurred will only be revealed if the inquiries lead to the successful prosecution by Australian Federal Police of those involved.
Pages upon pages of the 456 page report were redacted for security purposes while individual words and phrases are all that is visible on other pages.
One incident was described in the report as 'possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military history' but details were completely redacted.
'I can't speak to the particular circumstances,' ADF chief Angus Campbell said.
A spokesman for Defence has confirmed it would not provide details of the serving members facing expulsion.
It is 'essential that due process is followed, and that no further comment be made until the process is complete,' the spokesman said.
The report determined new patrol members were told to shoot a prisoner to achieve their first kill in an 'appalling practice' known as 'blooding'.
There was also evidence that troops took part in 'body count competitions' and covered up illegal killings by staging skirmishes, planting weapons and retrospectively adding names to target lists.
After the September 11 terror attacks in New York, more than 26,000 Australian personnel were sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside US and allied forces against the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and other groups.
In recent years, a series often-brutal accounts have emerged about the conduct of elite special forces units - ranging from reports of troops killing a six-year-old child in a house raid, to a prisoner being shot dead to save space in a helicopter.
Another incident involved two 14-year-old boys who were stopped by SAS, who decided they might be Taliban sympathisers.
The boy's throats were allegedly slit and their bodies bagged and thrown in a nearby river.
Australian Defence Force chief Angus Campbell said some Australian patrols had 'taken the law into their own hands', adding that 'rules were broken, stories concocted, lies told and prisoners killed'.
The alleged crimes: A timeline
2006
* First recorded alleged murder of wounded Afghan prisoner
2009
* Alleged murders of Afghan locals by ADF members with complicity of patrol commander
2010
* Alleged assault and cruel treatment of Afghan prisoner
* Alleged murders of Afghan prisoners with complicity of patrol commander and deletion of evidence to conceal killings
2012
* Various instances of alleged civilian murders by Australian soldiers
* Several alleged murders of prisoners and use of 'throwdowns' to conceal killings
* Alleged murders of Afghan locals surrendering to Australian troops
* Alleged assault and cruel treatment of Afghan prisoner
* Alleged murders of Afghan combatants separated from their weapons
2013
* Alleged murder of civilians
* Alleged murder of prisoners
2016
* Inspector-General of ADF asked to investigate rumours of misconduct and war crimes by Australian troops in Afghanistan
* Justice Paul Brereton and his team interviewed more than 400 witnesses and examined tens of thousands of documents during four-year review
2020
* Justice Brereton finalises inquiry
* Chief of Defence Angus Campbell published highly-redacted version of final report
* Credible evidence 25 current and former ADF personnel have committed war crimes
* 19 allegations referred to Australian Federal Police for possible prosecution
* 39 Afghans believed to have been murdered by Australian troops between 2006 and 2016
General Campbell said 'none of the alleged unlawful killings were described as being in the heat of battle'.
One of the killings was described in the report as 'possibly the most disgraceful episode in Australia's military history' but details were completely redacted.
'I can't speak to the particular circumstances,' General Campbell said.
'That is why it is redacted. But Justice Brereton does describe something that is utterly disgraceful. It is right that it needs legally to be redacted. In time, in the time of history to be written, it is shameful.'
He apologised for the unlawful killings of prisoners, farmers and other civilians, adding that the troops involved had brought a 'stain' on Australia.
'To the people of Afghanistan on behalf of the Australian Defence Force I sincerely and unreservedly apologise for any wrongdoing by Australian soldiers,' he said.
'And to the people of Australia, I am sincerely sorry for any wrongdoing by members of the Australian Defence Force.'