FIXING THE SAS CULTURE IS ULTIMATELY A POLITICAL PROBLEM

摘要

Without wishing to be too precise, the rot seemed to start setting in around 2001 when the SAS were used unnecessarily to land on the MV Tampa to intimidate asylum seekers and the ship's crew from landing in Australia - an entirely political decision. This seemed to give the organisation a profile and political clout that has since been used for everything from demanding and receiving their own compound and their own special food in Afghanistan, to refusing to refund unfairly paid allowances, to defying the beret ban (a health and safety measure) and demanding (and receiving) special treatment in the selection of personal weapons.