Chief of the Defence Force - IGADF Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation plan in development

Chief of the Defence Force
General Angus J. Campbell, AO DSC
 

Statement

On 19 November 2020, I released the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force’s Afghanistan Inquiry report and spoke publicly about its findings and recommendations.

Defence is developing a comprehensive implementation plan to action the Inspector-General’s recommendations.

No decisions have yet been made with regard to the appropriate options and approaches to implement the more than 140 recommendations, as the complexity and sensitivity of the issues outlined in the report will take extensive and considered deliberation.

Any further action in response to the Inspector-General’s recommendations will be considered as part of the implementation plan, which is being developed with the oversight of the Minister for Defence and the independent Afghanistan Inquiry Implementation Oversight Panel.

Key issues of public interest such as accountability, referrals to the Government-established Office of the Special Investigator, compensation, honours and awards including citations, ethical development of the force and command, and control of the Australian Defence Force in coalition operations, will all be addressed through the implementation plan.

Transparency is key to this process and I intend to speak publicly again, once the initial implementation plan is developed and first considered by Defence leadership and presented to Government for consideration and input.