The Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) is an

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

command that was established on 5 May 2003 to unite all of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

units and by 2008 was fully operational. Australia's Special Operations Command is of equivalent status to Australia's Fleet,

Forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...

and Air Commands. It is modelled on the equivalent commands in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

military forces, and is led by a major general as Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST). The origins of SOCOMD began in 1979 with the army creating a small Directorate Special Action Forces—Army. On 13 February 1990, Headquarters Special Forces was established, which was renamed in 1997 to Headquarters Special Operations and in 2003 to Special Operations Headquarters or SOCOMD.

History

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(May 2006 – 2007) *

Security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

for the

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(March 2006) *

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(2001–02) (2005–06) (2007–2021) *

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(2003–09) (2014–) *Security for the

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(October – November 2003) *Security for President

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's visit to

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(October 2003) While Special Operations Command had not formally commenced operations at the time, it appears that the headquarters may have overseen the boarding of the North Korean freighter MV '' Pong Su'' in April 2003, which involved elements of both the Special Air Service Regiment and 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) Tactical Assault Groups. In November 2018, the 30th

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(APEC) meeting held in

Port Moresby (; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

had Special Operations Command involvement to enhance the

Papua New Guinea Defence Force The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Papua New Guinea. It originated from the Australian Army land forces of the territory of Papua New Guinea before independence, coming into bei ...

's Incident Response Group to provide security as world leaders, including

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and other government and economic leaders were in attendance. The Incident Response Group had received extensive training to build its capabilities in preparation for the meeting from SOCOMD units and the New Zealand Special Operations Component Command.

Organisation

As of 2020, the Special Operations Command comprised the following units: * Headquarters, Special Operations Command Headquarters (SOHQ) ( GJBC and

Russell Offices The Russell Offices, also referred to as Russell or RO, is a complex of office buildings located in Russell, a suburb of Canberra, constituting the seat of the Australian Department of Defence and part of the administrative headquarters of ...

) ** Headquarters, Special Forces Group *** Special Air Service Regiment ( Swanbourne, WA)
''Incorporates the role of Tactical Assault Group (West).'' **** 1 Squadron **** 2 Squadron **** 3 Squadron **** 4 Squadron **** 152 Signals Squadron **** Specialist Support Squadron **** Operational Support Squadron *** 1st Commando Regiment a mixed Regular Army and Army Reserve Unit **** Regimental Headquarters ( Randwick Barracks, Sydney) **** 1 Commando Company ( HMAS Penguin, Sydney) **** 2 Commando Company ( Williamstown, VIC) **** 301 Signals Squadron ( Randwick Barracks, Sydney with elements in the commando companies) *** 2nd Commando Regiment ( Holsworthy, NSW)
''Incorporates the role of Tactical Assault Group (East).'' **** A Company **** B Company **** C Company **** D Company **** 126 Signals Squadron **** Operations Support Company **** Logistics Support Company *** Special Operations Engineer Regiment ( Holsworthy, NSW) **** A Squadron **** B Squadron **** Logistic Support Troop *** Special Operations Logistics Squadron ( Holsworthy, NSW) *** Defence Special Operations Training and Education Centre ( Holsworthy, NSW) **** Australian Defence Force School of Special Operations ( Holsworthy, NSW) **** Australian Defence Force Parachuting School ( HMAS ''Albatross'', NSW)

Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST)

The Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST) is responsible for the peacetime 'raise, train and sustain' functions of Special Operations Command reporting to the Chief of Army, while the Chief of Joint Operations is responsible for the operational functions of Special Operations Command deployments. The SOCAUST is responsible for the domestic

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (alternatively spelled: counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, relates to the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, businesses, and intelligence agencies use to co ...

deployments of Special Operations Command reporting directly to the Chief of the Defence Force. The following have held the position of Special Operations Commander Australia, with the ranks and honours as at the completion of their tenure:

History

Organisation

Special Operations Commander Australia (SOCAUST)

See also

Notes

Further reading