2nd Commando Company (Australia)

2nd Commando Company (Australia)
Unit name	2nd Commando Company
Dates	1955–1997
Country	Australia
Branch	Australian Army
Type	Commando
Size	Company
Command structure	1st Commando Regiment
Garrison	Williamstown, Victoria
Battles	Malayan Emergency, Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, Vietnam War, East Timor

2nd Commando Company (Australia) was an Australian Army special forces unit formed in 1955 and disbanded in 1997. Raised in Victoria as part of post–World War II restructuring, the company served in counter-insurgency, reconnaissance, and direct-action roles and contributed personnel to combined operations with British, Malaysian, New Zealand, and United States forces. Its history intersects with Cold War conflicts in Southeast Asia, Australian Army Reserve reforms, and the evolution of Australian special operations capability.

History

2nd Commando Company traces origins to postwar Australian infantry reform and the precedent of Australian Independent Companies and the Z Force operations of World War II, drawing doctrinal influence from British Special Air Service, Royal Marines, Special Boat Service, and Australian wartime reconnaissance units. Formally created in 1955 in Victoria, the company was part of a generation of units responding to the Malayan Emergency and later the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, aligning with Commonwealth counter-insurgency efforts alongside 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and other regional formations. During the Vietnam War era the unit provided cadres and trained personnel for deployments with Australian Army Training Team Vietnam, No. 2 Commando Company elements integrated with units such as 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and liaison with United States Army Special Forces. In the 1970s and 1980s 2nd Commando Company adapted to changing Australian defence policy under governments associated with the Whitlam Ministry and the Hawke Ministry, contributing to operations and exercises that included collaborations with New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS), Malaysian Rangers, and joint training with Australian Special Air Service Regiment. The company was reorganized during Army Reserve rationalizations in the 1990s and ultimately ceased to exist as an independent entity in 1997 when elements were subsumed by the newly formed 1st Commando Regiment and integrated into broader Australian special operations architecture responding to crises such as INTERFET in East Timor.

Organization and Role

2nd Commando Company operated as a light infantry commando formation modeled on Commonwealth special forces doctrine, with platoons, sections, and specialist detachments including reconnaissance, demolitions, and signals. It fell under the administrative umbrella of the Australian Army Reserve and worked with regular force counterparts such as the 1st Commando Regiment headquarters and the Special Air Service Regiment (Australia), while maintaining close links with state military districts in Victoria. The company’s role encompassed long-range reconnaissance, airborne infiltration, amphibious insertion, and training in unconventional warfare techniques used by units like Royal Australian Navy clearance diving teams and Australian Army Aviation elements. Command relationships saw 2nd Commando Company attach to conventional brigades for operations, and coordinate with multinational formations including British Army commando brigades and United States Marine Corps task elements during exercises.

Operations and Deployments

Operationally, 2nd Commando Company contributed personnel and expertise to the Malayan Emergency stabilization operations and the Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation, embedding with Commonwealth forces in jungle warfare and cross-border reconnaissance tasks. During the Vietnam War, members volunteered and were seconded to the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam and to patrols alongside the United States Army and New Zealand Forces Vietnam, participating in counter-insurgency, village cordon operations, and specialist reconnaissance missions. In the post-Vietnam era company members were deployed on peacekeeping and stability operations, including contributors to UNTAET and Australian-led INTERFET deployments. The unit also engaged in domestic support missions for state authorities and provided specialist search-and-rescue and counter-terrorist response training mirrored by units such as the Tactical Assault Group (East) and state police tactical units.

Training and Selection

Selection for 2nd Commando Company combined rigorous physical standards, advanced marksmanship, navigation, and survival training influenced by British Royal Marines Commando Course, Special Air Service Regiment selection, and jungle warfare schools established in Malaya and Singapore. Candidates underwent endurance marches, amphibious exercises with Royal Australian Navy support, demolition and small-unit tactics with retired veterans of World War II covert operations, and airborne capability training with No. 1 Aviation Regiment and civilian parachute clubs. Training cycles included live-fire exercises on ranges used by the Australian Defence Force and participation in international exercises such as Kangaroo and bilateral training with United States Army Special Forces and New Zealand Defence Force units to maintain interoperability.

Equipment and Insignia

Equipped as a light infantry commando company, weapons and equipment paralleled contemporary Australian and allied special forces gear: variants of the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, F88 Austeyr, submachine guns, machine guns, and specialist reconnaissance equipment. Support gear included radios compatible with Australian Defence Force communications, combat diving equipment for amphibious operations, and vehicles for rapid insertion. Insignia drew on commando tradition with beret flashes, unit badges influenced by the heraldry of British Commandos and the use of distinctive tactical patches; members wore the Australian Army rising sun badge and locally authorized company identifiers during exercises and operational deployments.

Legacy and Disbandment/Successor Units

The disbandment of 2nd Commando Company in 1997 marked consolidation of Australian reserve commando capability into the 1st Commando Regiment and closer integration with regular special operations forces including the Special Air Service Regiment (Australia) and the evolving Special Operations Command (Australia). Veterans of the company influenced doctrine, training institutions, and the creation of joint capabilities adopted during East Timor and later operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The unit’s legacy persists in commemorations, veteran associations, and in the institutional memory of Australian special forces, reflected in scholarship, regimental histories, and the continuing lineage carried by successor units in the modern Australian Defence Force.

Category:Special forces of Australia Category:Military units and formations established in 1955 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1997