That was the stark message from Chief of Army, Lieutenant-General Angus Campbell, to his troops on Wednesday as promoted a campaign within the force to reduce domestic violence.

In a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra, General Campbell said the campaign had already encouraged victims to report abuse.

Painting a picture of the personal qualities needed for battle, General Campbell said that "when you're scared, exhausted, confused and your mates are dead, our weapons won't discriminate the innocent from the enemy combatant - you will".

Today's soldier was the most lethal the nation had ever fielded - better trained and equipped to kill enemies than any generation before, he said.

But General Campbell said he wouldn't want to put such lethality in the hands of soldiers who couldn't live by the army's values of "courage, initiative, respect and teamwork".

"When one of my people engages in the illegal and ill-disciplined use of violence at home, in training or on exercise, my confidence in them to execute their duties lawfully and discriminately in circumstances of immense stress on the battlefield is deeply undermined," he said.

"I see cowardice not courage ??? I don't trust them to respect the innocent, the weak and the wounded, nor to serve the team rather than themselves."

He said he wouldn't write off people who are willing to rehabilitate themselves, but added that those "who reject rehabilitation - I reject them as members of the Army".

He said that concrete measures had been put in place including a rule whereby if an Australian Defence Force member was the subject of a domestic violence protection order, they had to notify their commanding officer. They would then have their access to weapons restricted.

He said he had directed all army members to watch the ABC Four Corners documentary Hitting Home, about domestic violence.

The Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force is carrying out an inquiry into the internal culture of the army's special operations forces, which is examining alleged killings in Afghanistan that may have been unlawful or breached rules of engagement.

Asked whether he believed special operations forces had internal culture problems, General Campbell gave his clearest indication yet that years of high-tempo operations had indeed affected that culture.

"I know the stress and the demand we have placed on our special forces community in particular, but not only our special forces community, over recent decades. And that stress necessarily is something that can affect culture."

He said the review established by former special operations commander Jeff Sengelman and continued by new commander Adam Findlay aimed "not to seek to pitch or position special operations anywhere, but rather to drive it always in the right direction it should be".