No. 2 Security Forces Squadron (2 SECFOR) is an Australian military unit whose primary role is to protect and defend airfields, buildings, equipment, and personnel.

Crest

The squadron's crest is a crossed rifle and sword surmounted by a wedge-tailed eagle in flight. The crossed rifle and sword is symbolic of the ground defence specialisation and represents both the offensive and defensive nature of ground defence within the Air Force and its inherent need to provide close-in and far-reaching security to counter hostile ground forces.

History

No 2 Security Forces Squadron RAAF personnel during Pacific Defender 22-1

The unit was formed on 7 April 1945 in

Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...

. It was originally designated as "2 Aerodrome Defence Squadron" (2ADS). The unit saw action during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Labuan Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capit ...

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely sur ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated 2 ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. After the end of the war, on 29 October 1945 the squadron was disbanded. The ADG was reformed in early 1966 as the "Aerodrome Defence Guard" (ADG) to meet the need to protect assets in the

South East Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

area during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

. By 1968 two hundred Air Defence Guard personnel were in service across South East Asia, alongside US forces. The unit was reformed as No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron at

RAAF Base Richmond RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...

on 17 March 1983, and in 1989 it relocated to

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), N ...

, where it is currently based. On 4 July 2013, the RAAF's security capability was reorganised. Subsequently, 2AFDS was renamed No. 2 Security Forces Squadron.

Operations

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-weste ...

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC) *Muslim conquests of Afghanistan (637–709) *Conquest of Afghanistan by the Mongol Empire (13th century), see als ...

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

Structure

*Headquarters Flight *Support Flight *2 Permanent Rifle Flights Based in RAAF Amberley *2 Reserve Rifle Flights Based in RAAF Amberley *Quick Reaction Flight, Motorised Rifle Flight equip with Bushmaster PMV's PAF Cadre Only *Airbase Protection Flight Reserve Personal Only, Based in RAAF Amberley *Detachment RAAF Base Darwin 1x MWD Section, 1x AFSEC Section 1x ADG Defence Section of 1 FSGT, 1 SGT & 1 CPL and Nth’ern Regional Cdr (SQNLDR) For RAAF Darwin & RAAF Tindal with the Deputy Regional Cdr a FLTLT Ground Defence Officer *Detachment RAAF Base Tindal *Detachment RAAF Base Townsville

References

External links

2 AFDS history

RAAF adg website

{{Air force infantry 2 Military units and formations established in 1945 Recipients of the Meritorious Unit Citation 2 Military units in Northern Territory Military units in Queensland 1945 establishments in Australia