QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

It's quite possible that last week's Special Forces raid in Uruzgan was all appropriate and above board.

On the other hand, perhaps not.

The point is we don't know, as this column seeks to make clear . . .

PS ON THE DAY THIS COLUMN WAS PUBLISHED STEPHEN SMITH ANNOUNCED AN INQUIRY WOULD BE CONDUCTED INTO THE KILLINGS OF THE TWO AFGHANS.

EVERYTHING STOPS

Three diggers were killed in Afghanistan on Thursday when an ANA soldier opened fire on them.

One was from Canberra, although the names have not yet been released.

It is a terrible event. We can best remember the sacrifice of the soldiers by carrying on with our duties, as this post on The Strategist sought to make clear . . .

A SHINY BIG NEW GUN

Far too often procurement decisions for the military end up following the path of lease resistance. That seems to be the only way of explaining Australia's forthcoming decision to buy the South Korean built K-9 Howitzer . . .

REAL CHANGE WON'T BE HAPPENING, NOW

Before embarking on a course of action, it's always important to choose the right 'mission'.

That's the disaster that accompanies the series of 'culture reviews' Defence has undergone over the past year. They'll change nothing.

Far better to consider how it might have been done differently . . .

DEFENCE IN A FURY

Over the past week the mood in Defence has quickly se-sawed.

The sparks are still flying over the comments by Stephen Smith about the culture of ingrained sexism in Defence.

This column - very different to my last - was written after a number of conversations with senior officers in the services/ It waz published on Saturday . . .