Australian Army internet horseplay no laughing matter

The Australian Defence Force has again been embarrassed by its sense of humour.

Despite efforts to lift cultural sensitivity among its 55,000 Diggers, the ADF is trying to hose down outrage over internet pictures depicting a soldier holding a gun at the head of another dressed as an Arab.

The pictures, posted on a website by a soldier who has now left the Army, also raised serious concerns over operational secrecy and weapons safety.

The images were shot by soldiers of the Darwin-based 2nd Cavalry Regiment during service in Iraq.

They have already intruded into the inquiry into the death of Private Jake Kovco, shot in the head by his own gun in mysterious circumstances at the Australian Embassy in Baghdad in April.

Although taken between 2003 and 2005, before Kovco arrived in Iraq, lawyers want to examine the images to determine if they have any relevance to an inquiry that has heard suggested causes of death ranging from horseplay to suicide or murder.

An investigation into the pictures is under way, with the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, warning that the culprits could be drummed out of the Army.

The ADF has become increasingly sensitive to the attitudes of its members towards different cultures, races, religion and gender following a series of scandals ranging from abuse of cadets and sexual harassment of women to racist imagery.

The images were posted on the YouTube website by a former soldier using the internet name of "Pornstar".