Following the outbreak of the Second World War, the Australian government decided to raise an all-volunteer force for service overseas due to the provisions of the "Defence Act (1903)", which precluded compelling the Militia to serve outside of Australian territory. This force was known as the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF). Although the 2nd AIF would be raised upon a cadre of trained officers and non-commissioned officers drawn from the Militia, the Militia's main role at this time was to provide training to the men called up as part of the compulsory training scheme that was readopted in early 1940. Throughout 1940–41 the battalion undertook a number of short periods of continuous training, however, following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor and invasion of Malaya in December 1941, it was mobilised for war service.