Hugh Poate
Failures of Command: The death of Private Robert Poate
NewSouth, 2021
This is the story of our quest for answers and the shocking facts that emerged.
On 29 August 2012 Private Robert Poate, Lance Corporal Rick Milosevic and Sapper James Martin were killed during an insider – or green on blue – attack in Afghanistan. Their killer, a supposed ally, was a Taliban sleeper in the ranks of the Afghan National Army. Information provided to the families by rank-and-file soldiers after the event shocked them. And the heavily redacted internal investigation report excluded a plethora of potentially incriminating facts.
This powerful book is the result of a father’s quest to find out the truth behind the death of his soldier son. Hugh Poate’s search reveals a labyrinth of excuses, denials, half-truths, cover-ups, contrived secrecy, incompetence, negligence, orders not followed, and lessons not learnt.
Compelling and enraging, this story of the disturbing facts surrounding the devastating loss of three soldiers continues to reverberate beyond their families to the highest levels of the Australian Defence Force and Government.
Shortlisted, ACT Book of the Year
“Hugh Poate employs both microscope and blowtorch in examining what led to the murder of three young soldiers in Afghanistan. His research and analysis, dipped in unimaginable loss, is a father’s quest to honour his son and prove he didn’t need to die. His questions for Australia’s military hierarchy deserve proper answers.”
About the Author
Hugh Poate is the father of Private Robert Poate, who was killed in Afghanistan on 29 August 2012. Hugh, a former agricultural economist, lives with his wife, Janny, in Canberra. He has been undertaking economic research for most of his professional life and has put this experience to use in researching, for over five years, the incident in which his son was killed.
