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“Death iconography”, currently banned from use within the Australian Defence Force, would be reversed under a proposed plan by opposition defence minister Angus Taylor.
Symbols such as spartan helmets, skull and cross bones, the grim reaper and phantoms are currently outlawed under a 2018 restriction introduced by former chief of defence Lieutenant General Angus Campbell. The Liberal Party was in government at the time.
The symbols were originally deemed “ill-considered”, “encouraging arrogant hubris”, “disregarding of responsibility”, “encouraging tribalism” and at odds with ADF values despite widespread international use of such depictions in allied militaries such as the USA and the UK, as well as adversary armies such as Russia.
“You know projecting strength and causing fear among our enemies I think is a good thing,” shadow defence minister Taylor told Sky News.
“We would absolutely allow our defence force, our units, to choose those symbols that work for them, and as long as they’re reasonable, they should get on with it.
“I’ve certainly spoken to people who are concerned about it (prevalence of political correctness) ... They think it sends the wrong signals to our people and to our adversaries, and the signals we send to the people in the Australian Defence Force and our adversaries really matter.
“This is important stuff and so anything that’s going to undermine morale, anything which is seen as creeping political correctness, I think is bad for our defence force.”
Examples of imagery lost to the 2018 ban included a gun-toting, grinning black reaper on a red background used by a sub-unit of 1st Brigade. Also a cartoon phantom used by a sub-unit from 3rd Brigade and grim reapers from No. 3 Squadron and 2 Cavalry and an armed phantom used by Army’s 6th Brigade, as well as a skull imposed over crossed rifles for 7th brigade and a “Death Down Range” ram’s skull for a mortar platoon.
Other banned imagery included a skull wearing a bandana for 5 Aviation Regiment, a “Berserker” Viking image for a 6th Aviation regiment sub-unit and a grim reaper rising from a World War I tank for the Combined Arms Training Centre.
