On 18 March 2003, Prime Minister John Howard declared that Cabinet had decided to commit troops to war with Iraq.  On July 6 2016, The British Chilcot Inquiry published a Report which asserts that the war with Iraq was not justified and failed in its stated objectives, and the consequences of which were underestimated with wholly inadequate planning and preparations for post Saddam Hussein Iraq. As this assignment is being written on July 2016, Australian aircraft are bombing of people and things in Syria and Iraq, and troops are killing people in Afghanistan.  The troop commitment to Afghanistan was extended for another three years on April 20 this year. Not one of these commitments to war has had the authority of Parliament. Indeed, on September 1 2014 the Commonwealth Parliament refused to require Parliamentary approval for the further deployment of Australian troops in Iraq.  Discuss the validity of authorizing the deployment of the armed forces without Parliamentary approval.  Make reference to relevant Commonwealth legislation, common law authorities, and any other historic precedent. Questions that may assist you in your discussion are: •Can the Prime Minister commit Australia to military activities without approval?  
•Are there gradations of military activities some of which may require authorization and others not?•What has happened in the past?  •What is the position in other constitutional democracies? •What should the position be in Australia?

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