While sharing the frustration of the “bad buggers deserve being buggered about” contingent, I’m clear in my mind that Military and International Law isn’t optional. Good discipline also dictates that boots in the Field should not become boots in the heads of suspects and prisoners. One of the many problems, though, is that, when a man is caught red booted by a recently crippled or dead body, he will want to share the blame. Blame normally ascends the command chain. As a consequence, normally good commanders find themselves answerable for “oversights” that may not have occurred in the comfort of a UK/Europe camp/station/depot. My personal frustration is that otherwise exemplary commanders are being judged by people who have never experienced exercise pressures, let alone operational ones. Some of these accusing people also may or may not be anti military. I additionally feel frustration at the UK meja that seems to delight in stoking up emotions over such revelations with the distinct aim of making money and creating more heat than light.
So criminal acts are criminal and must be investigated and acted upon. I genuinely believe that. I also believe that investigations and actions should not be conducted completely in the open, as they are now. Like it or not we are engaged in continuing armed conflicts and must remain sensitive the morale of the Serviceman and the “comfort” provided to the opposition. Once everyone is safely out of harms way, be as open as you want. My analogy would be a boat inspector who is determined to find and remove every rotten timber in a wooden hull. That is fine in dry dock but not necessarily that clever at sea in a force 10.