The Australian
Originally posted July 9, 2018
SAS officers are being given additional training in ethics, morality and courage in leadership as the army braces itself for a potentially damning report expected to find that a small number of troops may have committed war crimes during the decade-long fight in Afghanistan.
With the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force due within months to hand down his report into alleged battlefield atrocities committed by Diggers, The Australian can reveal that the SAS Regiment has been quietly instituting a series of reforms ahead of the findings.
The changes to special forces training reflect a widely held view within the army that any alleged misconduct committed by Australian troops was in part the result of a failure of leadership, as well as the transgression of individual soldiers.
Many of the reforms are focused on strengthening operational leadership and regimental culture, while others are designed to help special operations officers make ethical decisions even under the most challenging conditions.
