Several serving and former Australian military commanders have been stripped of medals over allegations of war crimes committed during the Afghanistan war, Defense Minister Richard Marles said Thursday.

In a statement to air the closure of the Afghanistan [‘Brereton Inquiry’] Report Marles said: 

“Two of the outstanding recommendations of the Brereton Report related to command accountability of commanders during the relevant period. The last step in closing out these two recommendations was me writing to relevant commanders about my decision in relation to medals awarded to them as part of their service during periods proximate to the incidents which are at the heart of the Brereton Report. I have now written these letters. My decisions on this matter are consistent with the findings and recommendations of the Brereton Report. In accordance with obligations owed to individuals involved, including under the Privacy Act, I am prohibited from disclosing the details and outcomes.”

This action follows recommendations from an investigation led by Major General Paul Brereton, which examined misconduct by Australian special forces from 2005 to 2016. Brereton’s report implicated around 25 troops from the Special Air Service Regiment and Commando Regiment in the unlawful killings of 39 Afghans.

Minister Marles emphasized the gravity of these allegations and informed Parliament that he contacted commanders regarding the awards received during the period in question but withheld details about the number of individuals or their ranks due to privacy concerns. In his speech, he said:

“The allegations which are the subject of the Brereton report are arguably the most serious allegations of Australian war crimes in our history.”

To date, no Australian veteran has been convicted of a war crime in Afghanistan. However, whistleblower and ex-army lawyer David McBride was sentenced for leaking classified information about these allegations. In 2023, former SAS trooper Oliver Schulz was charged with a war crime for allegedly killing a noncombatant in 2012.

The 2020 Brereton inquiry found credible information to support “rumors” involving 39 unlawful killings by or at the direction of Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan, as well as additional incidents of cruel or inhuman treatment of non-combatants in possible violation of international humanitarian law.