Special Air Service Regiment

Special Air Service Regiment

The Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, \”Who Dares Wins\”. It has taken part in operations in Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as many other peacekeeping missions.

About Special Air Service Regiment in brief

Summary Special Air Service RegimentThe Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) is a special forces unit of the Australian Army. Formed in 1957, it was modelled on the British SAS sharing the motto, \”Who Dares Wins\”. The regiment is based at Campbell Barracks, in Swanbourne, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It has taken part in operations in Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as many other peacekeeping missions. The SASR also provides a counter-terrorist capability, and has been involved in a number of domestic security operations. It is a direct command unit of Special Operations Command, and is tasked with providing special-operations capabilities in support of Australian Defence Force. The 1st Special Air service Company was established on 25 July 1957 with a strength of 16 officers and 144 other ranks. In 1960, the company became part of the Royal Australian Regiment and was given the responsibility for commando and special forces operations. On 20 August 1964, the SAS gained regimental status and was expanded to two sabre squadrons and a headquarters, severing the link with the RAR. The raising of a third squadron was approved on 30 April 1965 as part of overall expansion of the Army. The regiment first saw action in 1965 when it was part of a force stationed in Indonesia during the Indonesian Confrontation. It also took part in Operation Claret, where troopers operated alongside British and New Zealand counterparts in operations aimed at stopping Indonesian infiltration into Malaysia. It conducted cross-border operations despite the suspension of Claret operations and completed a total of 45 operations in total.

They suffered their first fatality on 2 June 1966 when a soldier was gored by an elephant. The 2nd Commando Regiment provides Tactical Assault Group to respond to domestic incidents on the east coast of Australia. A capability to board ships at anchor, ships underway and off-shore gas and oil platforms is also maintained. In addition to warfighting during conventional conflicts, the regiment is also tasked with maintaining a specialist counter- terrorist capability. Other capabilities include training local or indigenous forces, recovery of Australian citizens and humanitarian assistance. In the long-range reconnaissance role, SASR typically operates in small patrols of between five and six operators with the task of infiltrating enemy-held territory and providing intelligence on enemy activities and capabilities. During such tasks the SASR seeks to evade rather than confront the enemy. SASR patrols may also conduct sabotage and short-duration raids on high-value targets, including headquarters, airfields and communications nodes. The unit is kept at high readiness for a period of 12 months, before being replaced by another squadron in this role. It returned to Australia on 1 August 1966 and returned to 1 Squadron and 1 Squadron completed operations on 1 September 1966. It completed operations in 1 Squadron on 1 Squadron, undertaking cross- border operations, despite the suspended suspension of the Claret operation and undertaking atotal of 45 cross-Border operations between May and July 1965.