Defence apologises to veterans over blast damage to their brains, now they want action [Video]

As the Australian army’s highest-ranking officer was scrambling to workshop his response to accusations that Diggers’ brains have been exposed to avoidable trauma, the ex-special forces operator who has been the issue’s biggest agitator was meeting US defence officials in Washington.

Former lieutenant colonel Paul Scanlan wasn’t in the American capital on official Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance business. Nor was he a formal envoy of the Australian military he served for 27 years, including on multiple overseas deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor.

His military background helped get him through the back door of Pentagon bodies such as the US Defence Health Agency, but Scanlan’s mission was decidedly personal.

A tall, striking veteran with a booming laugh and boundless energy, he believes the Australian Defence …