PortMac.News can reveal Major General Paul Kenny, who is currently the acting head of the ADF's COVID-19 taskforce, will become the next Special Operations Commander for Australia (SOCAUST).

The Commando officer is taking over from Major General Adam Findlay, who has overseen Australia's special forces since 2017, as a long-running inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan nears completion.

Since 2003, the Special Operations Command has been responsible for the highly secretive SAS regiment and their colleagues in the Commando regiments, as well as other specialised support units.

Senior military figures said the appointment of Major General Kenny as SOCAUST came at a crucial time for special forces, as they undertake major cultural reforms prompted by incidents of bad behaviour, particularly by the SAS, during the Afghanistan war.

"He is not caught up in the echo chamber and conflicts of interest that came with being too close to the SAS Regiment in the past," one special forces member told the ABC, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"[Major General] Kenny is in my view very professional and a great choice."

Since May 2016, New South Wales Justice Paul Brereton has been assisting the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force (IGADF) in examining the conduct of special forces personnel during the war in Afghanistan.

Justice Brereton's highly anticipated report is believed to be almost completed, with military insiders expecting his findings to be handed to the Chief of Defence in the coming weeks.

In a statement, Defence declined to say whether it had considered extending Major General Findlay's term until after the IGADF process is completed.

"Major General Findlay's tenure as Special Operations Commander of Australia concludes at the end of 2020," a defence spokesperson told the ABC.

"His departure from the SOCAUST role is reflective of the normal posting routine in the ADF.

"The IGADF inquiry process has not had bearing on the posting process associated with the SOCAUST position."

Major General Findlay has won praise for initiating cultural reforms within special forces, including delivering a blistering address to members of the SAS regiment earlier this year over "poor moral leadership".

Earlier this year, the IGADF revealed investigators were looking into 55 separate incidents of alleged breaches of the rules of war in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016.

Last month, the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw warned that prosecutions of possible Australian war crimes could take up to a decade to complete.