Failures of Command

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This is the story of our quest for answers and the shocking facts that emerged.

On 29 August 2012 Private Robert Poate, Lance Corporal Rick Milosevic and Sapper James Martin were killed during an insider – or green on blue – attack in Afghanistan. Their killer, a supposed ally, was a Taliban sleeper in the ranks of the Afghan National Army. Information provided to the families by rank-and-file soldiers after the event shocked them. And the heavily redacted internal investigation report excluded a plethora of potentially incriminating facts.

This powerful book is the result of a father’s quest to find out the truth behind the death of his soldier son. Hugh Poate’s search reveals a labyrinth of excuses, denials, half-truths, cover-ups, contrived secrecy, incompetence, negligence, orders not followed, and lessons not learnt.

Compelling and enraging, this story of the disturbing facts surrounding the devastating loss of three soldiers continues to reverberate beyond their families to the highest levels of the Australian Defence Force and Government.



‘Hugh Poate employs both microscope and blowtorch in examining what led to the murder of three young soldiers in Afghanistan. His research and analysis, dipped in unimaginable loss, is a father’s quest to honour his son and prove he didn’t need to die. His questions for Australia’s military hierarchy deserve proper answers.’ —Karen Middleton

‘Failures of Command is essential reading for understanding Australia’s war in Afghanistan and the way it was led. It shines an uncomfortable light on how the ADF works and convert