Roger Noble, a retired Australian major-general with 26 years of military service, has reflected on the complexities and moral challenges of combat in his new book, My Long War. Drawing on his extensive experience, including multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and East Timor, Noble offers insights into the realities faced by commanders responsible for life-and-death decisions on the battlefield.

Throughout his career, Noble held significant operational roles, including serving as a strike authority in Iraq and later as deputy coalition force commander in the same country. He also worked as Australia’s counter-terrorism ambassador, leveraging his wartime experience to help protect the nation from threats such as Islamic State. Despite the gravity of ordering lethal strikes, Noble says his actions were always guided by the laws of armed conflict, which he views as essential to restraining the brutality of war and protecting civilians.

“War is absolute violence taken to its utmost end,” Noble explains, emphasizing that international laws exist to moderate such violence. He acknowledges that mistakes occurred during combat, resulting in unintended civilian casualties, but stresses that these incidents were investigated thoroughly under the laws of war. One particularly harrowing episode involved a strike on a Taliban compound in Afghanistan that killed 16 women and children hiding beneath the floorboards. While the attack complied with legal frameworks, it prompted a tightening of tactical directives designed to reduce civilian harm, even though this sometimes heightened risk to soldiers on the ground.

Noble distinguishes his experiences as a senior commander from those of frontline soldiers such as Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, noting that close-quarters combat presents difficult and often unclear boundaries between combatants and non-combatants. He stresses the importance of timely and thorough investigations into alleged breaches of the laws of war, cautioning against prolonged uncertainty that can damage reputations and morale.

Reflecting on the broader chain of command, Noble critiques the 2020 Brereton report, which investigated war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan. While the report exonerated senior officers from direct accountability, Noble disagrees with its conclusion that responsibility “does not extend to higher headquarters.” He argues that commanders at all levels, including the joint taskforce commander at the time—Major-General Angus Campbell, now chief of the defence force—bear responsibility for the actions of their subordinates. Calling for greater transparency and accountability, Noble stresses that an effective military command structure requires a clear connection between leadership and the troops.

Noble also recalls Australia’s strained relationship with Indonesia during the 1990s involving the death of East Timorese civilians, an episode that initially left him feeling ashamed. However, he now believes the decisions made by military leadership at that time were appropriate given diplomatic complexities.

Acknowledging the dark realities of war, Noble warns against complacency in future conflicts, emphasizing that despite rigorous training and ethical standards, war’s brutal nature can push individuals toward harmful actions. He advocates for continuous efforts to anticipate and mitigate such risks to uphold the integrity and reputation of Australian forces.