The Last Battle

Australian SAS, Commandos and our Greatest Victory in our Longest War

By Aaron Patrick

Published by Macmillan

RRP $36.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781761773105

Over five days in June 2010, in southern Afghanistan, 150 Australian commandos and SAS soldiers fought and won the Battle of Shah Wali Kot, Australia’s largest engagement since Vietnam.

Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith received our nation’s highest military honour – the Victoria Cross – for his part in the battle. While he became an instant household name, the bravery and heroism of the 2nd Commando Regiment remained in shadow.

After underestimating the size and skill of their enemy, the commandos found themselves in a fight for their lives. 

In the end, did truth become a casualty of war? Was winning the VC the very thing that tipped the scales against Ben Roberts-Smith?

Aaron Patrick, despite the fall out from the public humiliation of a VC winner, decided he wanted to tell the story of the action that took place in Afghanistan in June 2010. 

His own words speak to his motivation.

The following is from a LinkedIn post by Aaron Patrick outlining his decision to pursue the story. He writes in his post:

Thirteen months ago [likely September 2024] I tapped out an email to a person I had never met, and who had never heard of me before. His name is Paul Dunbavin OAM, a former officer in the 2nd Commando Regiment who now runs the Commando Welfare Trust. I’m a business and political journalist, I wrote, but I want to write a book about Australia’s greatest modern military victory. Would you help me?
Paul and his colleague Ryan Tindall 🇦🇺 agreed to meet at a cafe in Maroubra. They heard me out, and decided to give me a shot. From that meeting emerged The Last Battle, which was delivered to my home yesterday by my publisher, Macmillan, and will go on sale October 28 [2025].
The story turned out to be so much richer than I anticipated. I came to realise that fighting a war has similarities to working in an extremely competitive workplace, only you die if you lose. Ambition, courage, jealousy, fuck ups, retribution: the best and worst behaviour happened during and after the Battle of Shah Wali Kot.
Although few Australians have heard of the battle, most are familiar with it. Ben Roberts-Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross for his role. If you’re interested in learning what the former SAS soldier did to deserve the medal, this book is for you. But The Last Battle is about a lot more than him. Some 150 Australian soldiers directly participated. His story is important. So are the other soldiers’. I hope my book can help Australians better understand how our men and women fought in Afghanistan, and why they deserve our respect, gratitude and understanding. It’s also one hell of a war story.
Thank you Mark Wales, Harry Moffitt, Roger Lee and Paul for your endorsements. A portion of the royalties will be donated to the trust.’

Source: Aaron Patrick, LinkedIn post, October 2025

FULL REVIEW

I would also point readers to a full review of the book by Mark Baker, Inside Story, 28 October 2025. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Aaron Patrick is a highly experienced journalist and chief writer at The Nightly, a Seven West Media publication. He was senior correspondent and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review. He has written for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal. He is the author of four previous books on Australian politics. The Last Battle reflects his lifelong interest in military history and the personal experience of warfare. He lives in Sydney.

Note: He has dismissed any suggestions that his current employer Seven West Media, whose proprietor is a supporter of Ben Roberts-Smith, exerted any undue influence on the direction or content of his book. 

FINAL NOTE:

This is not simply about one man. It’s the story of many brave Australian servicemen who did their duty, some of whom paid the ultimate price and some of whom are still paying a price for their involvement in Australia’s longest – and some would say – most pointless war. In the end, there was to be no lasting improvement in life in Afghanistan. Women, in particular, are more repressed than in any other society on earth. 

Despite that, the men and women who did tours of duty in Afghanistan deserve to be recognised. And remembered.