Calls have intensified for Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) to be subjected to parliamentary oversight comparable to that of the country’s intelligence agencies. Lord Beamish, chairman of the intelligence and security committee, argued in a personal capacity that lawmakers with security clearances should be empowered to scrutinize the activities of these elite military units. He suggested that oversight could be achieved either through the creation of a new parliamentary body or by extending the intelligence and security committee’s existing remit.

Unlike the nation’s intelligence services, such as MI5 and MI6, which are accountable to Parliament, the special forces currently operate without routine parliamentary supervision. The director of the special forces remains unnamed and functions under significant secrecy, a practice that some senior military officials agree warrants reassessment. These units undertake some of the most sensitive and high-risk operations worldwide.

The debate has gained renewed urgency amid the ongoing Afghanistan inquiry, which examines allegations that British special forces committed unlawful killings during detention operations between 2010 and 2013. Established in 2023, the inquiry initially targeted producing an interim report within 18 months. However, nearly four years later, it has yet to release any findings, with further delays appearing likely.

Adding to scrutiny, Monica Grenfell, a former civil servant who worked at SAS headquarters near Hereford, stated that not all members of the unit lived up to their heroic reputations. In an interview, Grenfell described how “nasty characters” dominated the environment and recounted an incident in which an officer reportedly made light of the deaths of three SAS reservists during a security briefing. Grenfell has previously provided testimony to the inquiry.

Challenges surrounding the inquiry have escalated following the Ministry of Defence’s disclosure that it recently uncovered 97 million additional documents, some potentially relevant to the investigation. A letter from MoD lawyers, published on the inquiry’s website, raised concerns about the volume and late arrival of these materials. Sir Charles Haddon-Cave, the inquiry chairman, called the revelation “troubling and regrettable,” warning that if unresolved, it could significantly delay the inquiry’s progress, which is already well advanced.

At a rare hearing held at the Royal Courts of Justice, Haddon-Cave pressed the MoD for assurances that all materially relevant information would be promptly identified and disclosed. He emphasized that the inquiry’s focus was not on “split-second decisions taken in the heat of combat” or the “fog of war,” but on investigating whether there existed a systematic practice of unlawful killings by British special forces in Afghanistan.