A general accused of failing to report evidence of war crimes committed by the SAS in Afghanistan has been appointed as the new head of the Royal Navy.
Gen Sir Gwyn Jenkins – the first Royal Marine to become First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff – replaces Adm Sir Ben Key, who was removed last week while under investigation over allegations of misconduct.
However, Jenkins has become the focus of controversy this week amid reports that he oversaw the rejection of UK resettlement claims made by Afghan troops who served with British special forces.
Jenkins also led UK Special Forces (UKSF) in Afghanistan when alleged war crimes were committed and which are the subject of a public inquiry looking at the period between mid-2010 and mid-2013.
The BBC’s Panorama reported that he had appointed a UKSF officer under his command to assess the Afghan commando applications to resettle in Britain after special forces headquarters was given a controversial veto.
Thousands of applications from individuals with credible evidence of service with Afghan special forces were then rejected, according to the investigative programme.
It was also previously reported that Jenkins was warned in writing in 2011 that SAS soldiers were claiming to have executed handcuffed detainees in Afghanistan, but it took a whistleblower to inform the military police of the existence of those details. Ministry of Defence sources say Jenkins did pass on concerns up his chain of command.
The general was in line to become the UK’s national security adviser until Keir Starmer last year cancelled the appointment made by his predecessor, Rishi Sunak.
John Healey, the defence secretary, said on Thursday that Jenkins was a “proven leader with a distinguished career in both the military and at the core of government.
“I know he will deliver in this pivotal role, making Britain secure at home and strong abroad,” he added.
However, Helen Maguire, the Lib Dem defence spokesperson, said the claims relating to Jenkins and the rejection of the applications by Afghan veterans were “extremely alarming and leave a number of serious questions unanswered.
“Given the severity of the alleged extra-judicial killings by the SAS and SBS [Special Boat Service], I’ve written to the defence secretary highlighting the need for full transparency,” she said.
Iain Overton, the executive director for Action on Armed Violence, who has been involved in investigating the allegations about special forces, said the appointment was “profoundly troubling”, adding: “Justice demands scrutiny – not promotion.”
Jenkins said in a statement that the navy needed to “accelerate our return to a war fighting force that is ready for conflict.”
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Adm Sir Tony Radakin, described Jenkins as one of the outstanding Royal Marines of his generation, who brought “a wealth of operational and organisational expertise”.
Jenkins was commissioned into the Royal Marines in 1990, served in Afghanistan and became the military assistant to the then prime minister David Cameron in 2012.
He was promoted to brigadier and took up a civilian appointment in the Cabinet Office as the deputy national security adviser for conflict before returning to the military in 2017, when he took command of 3 Commando Brigade.
In August 2022 he was appointed Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff and promoted to general. Since August 2024, he has been the strategic adviser to the defence secretary.
The appointment comes as the activities of UK special forces in Afghanistan are under the spotlight again this week, after former personnel accused colleagues of committing war crimes there and in Iraq.
Members of the SBS, the Royal Navy’s elite special forces regiment, are accused for the first time, along with soldiers from the SAS.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the department was fully committed to supporting the independent inquiry relating to Afghanistan. “It is not appropriate for the MoD to comment on allegations which may be within the scope of the statutory inquiry, or to speculate on outcomes,” they added.
