More than 35,000 Australians served in Afghanistan or in support roles in the Middle East after Australian forces deployed in 2001 under Operation Slipper. At the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, a 25th-anniversary service remembered those who served, including 47 Australian Defence Force personnel who died and 263 who were wounded in Afghanistan.
The decision and the service
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, former prime ministers John Howard, Tony Abbott and Scott Morrison, and Afghanistan veteran Ben Roberts-Smith attended the commemoration. The ceremony featured wreath-laying at the Stone of Remembrance, the Ode of Remembrance, the Last Post and a minute's silence. It ended with a Chinook helicopter flyover.
Australian forces joined a multinational mission to combat terrorism after the September 11 attacks in the United States. John Howard was prime minister when his government decided to send troops. Albanese quoted Howard on why Australia joined: “If we left this contest only to America, we would be leaving it to them to defend our rights and those of all the other people of the world who have a commitment to freedom and liberty.”
Australia's government made the decision to deploy service personnel as part of a multinational campaign. At the War Memorial, national political figures and veterans gathered to remember those who served and the losses tied to that decision. The source article describes the mission's purpose as combating terrorism, but doesn't detail the campaign's political or military outcomes.
The people and the losses
Janny Poate's son, Private Robert Poate, was killed in the war by a rogue Afghan army officer in 2012. She spoke about the families left behind. “Families hoped every day that their partner, parent, child or sibling would return safely,” she said. “We remember those families and loved ones who experienced the overwhelming loss of a family member who never came home and those who have suffered loss since.”
Poate also described the enduring absence and grief among bereaved families, including her own: “The empty places that remain and the grief that fills that space has become part of the everyday life for these families, including my own.” Her words brought families into the service's remembrance alongside the personnel who served.
Before the service, recordings featured past and present Australian Defence Force members describing their experiences in what became Australia's longest war. Australian War Memorial director Matt Anderson said service members had experienced different versions of Afghanistan: “Some of you saw the very worst of war, others saw friendship, humanity, humour and moments of extraordinary courage and kindness.” He added that some returned with experiences they struggled to put into words.
Service, remembrance and unresolved allegations
Anderson cited Chaplain Rob Sutherland's words: “perhaps we will measure success in Afghanistan differently.” Whatever history ultimately concluded about the campaign, he said, “the great success of Afghanistan is the men and women who served there.”
Mostyn began her address by offering condolences to the family of Corporal Brendan Hannam, killed the previous week during a training exercise in the Northern Territory. She said Hannam had served in Afghanistan and that “his loss is felt well beyond Australia, well beyond these shores.” Mostyn quoted a condolence message from the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, shared by the Chief of the Defence Force: “Training to keep our forces ready is never without risk. Those who accept that risk every day deserve our deepest respect and gratitude.”
Roberts-Smith, a Victoria Cross recipient, received court permission to travel to Canberra for the ceremony. He faces five counts of war crime murder relating to his Afghanistan deployments, has rejected the allegations and said he planned to fight to clear his name in court. The anniversary service remembered Australians who served; the allegations against Roberts-Smith remain before the court.