Australian commandos The name commando has been applied to a variety of Australian special forces and light infantry units that have been formed since 1941 – 42 . The first Australian " commando " units were formed during the Second World War , where they mainly performed reconnaissance and long - range patrol roles during Australia ' s campaigns in New Guinea and Borneo , although other units such as M and Z Special Units , performed more clandestine roles . These units were disbanded following the end of the war , however , later , when in the 1950s it was realised that there was a need for such units again in the Australian forces , other units were formed with more defined special forces roles . Today , the Australian Army possesses a number of units that perform more conventional direct - action type commando roles , as well as counter - terrorism response , long - range patrolling , and clandestine deep - penetration operations . History . Second World War ( 1939 – 1945 ) . During the Second World War , the Australian Army raised a number of units that were designated as carrying out commando - type operations . The first of these units were the independent companies , which were raised over a period of twelve months between 1941 and 1942 . These units would go on to carry out various roles during the campaigns in New Guinea and Borneo and their members would serve with considerable distinction . Later , following a reorganisation , they would be designated as fully - fledged " Commando " squadrons . Other units were raised also , such as the special units , whose tasks would be somewhat more clandestine . The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN ) also raised commando units during the war , employing them mainly in the role of beach parties and underwater clearance teams . Independent companies . At the beginning of the Second World War , the Australian Army did not possess any " special forces " units , however , late in 1940 , the British government sent a military mission to Australia , headed by Lieutenant - Colonel J . C Mawhood , to investigate the possibility of establishing a number of such units within the Australian Army . The British proposed the establishment of independent companies that would receive special training in order to take part in combined operations and various other tasks , including " . . . raids , demolitions , sabotage , subversion and organising civil resistance " . This was a very broad notion of the role that the independent companies would play , and at the time there was a certain amount of confusion about how these units would be used and indeed for a while there was a deal of uncertainty about their future which for a while threatened the existence of the independent company concept . Nevertheless , acting on British advice , the Australian Army began raising and training the 2 / 1st Independent Company in March 1941 . Formed from volunteers from all branches of the Australian military , they were initially modelled upon the British Army Commandos and began training at the 7th Infantry Training Centre , Guerrilla Warfare School , at Wilson ' s Promontory , Victoria . Of those who trained the first Australian commandos were renowned British commandos Mike Calvert and F . Spencer Chapman . By halfway through 1941 , a total of three companies had been raised and trained and a fourth one had commenced training . At this stage it was decided to discontinue training due to troubles with the concept and a lack of consensus regarding the independent companies ' future involvement in operations , however , in December 1941 , with Japan ' s entry into the war , problems with the concept and the training course were ironed out , and more independent companies were raised , until there were eight in total . These first units were : Initially the independent companies were raised to serve alongside the Second Australian Imperial Force ( Second AIF ) in the Middle East , however , as the threat from Japan developed it was decided to use them in the Pacific theatre , in the islands to the north of Australia where it was necessary to establish outposts to warn of the approach of Japanese forces . Their mission would then be to remain behind and harass the invading Japanese forces . The first Australian commando unit to see action was the 1st Independent Company . Many of its members were killed or captured in the defending the island of New Ireland ( part of the Australian territory of New Guinea ) , from Japanese marines in early 1942 . Other detachments of the company served on Bougainville , Manus Island , and Tulagi . A composite platoon was later sent to Wau in March 1942 , eventually becoming part of Kanga Force . The 2nd Independent Company performed with considerable success during the Timor campaign of 1942 - 43 , conducting a guerrilla style campaign and occupying the attention of an entire Imperial Japanese Army division for almost twelve months . On return the 2nd Independent Company was redesignated as the 2 / 2 Independent Company , and then later the 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron and was one of only two of the original independent companies to remain operationally independent , outside a regimental structure . By the end of the war the 2 / 2nd Commando Squadron could " . . . claim to have spent longer in contact with the enemy than any other unit of the Australian Army " and indeed their success was later used as a model of SAS training . Other companies / squadrons served in other parts of New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies , also serving with considerable distinction , mainly performing roles such as long range reconnaissance , intelligence gathering and flank protection , but also occasionally being called upon to perform more traditional infantry roles . Indeed , the 2 / 6th Independent Company arguably fought one of the most remarkable small - unit actions of the war when it captured and held the village of Kaiapit and after the Battle of Buna - Gona where it served alongside the Americans , it was singled out for rare praise for General Douglas MacArthur . Re - organisation 1943 . In mid - 1943 , the Australian Army re - organised its six front - line divisions as light infantry Jungle Division s . As the three Second Australian Imperial Force ( AIF ) divisions ' armoured reconnaissance regiments were considered to be unsuited to jungle terrain , having been raised for service originally in the Middle East and North Africa , their cavalry squadrons were disbanded . The regimental headquarters of the disbanded units were then used to command and administer the independent companies , as they were amalgamated into a regimental structure . Subsequently , the independent companies were redesignated as " Cavalry Commando Squadrons " and later , in 1944 , this was simplified to " Commando Squadrons " . As a part of this re - organisation , the following regiments were formed : In the last year of the war , the eleven commando squadrons fought in Borneo , New Guinea and Bougainville . During these campaigns they were largely used in more traditional infantry roles , mainly performing tasks that could arguably have been successfully undertaken by normal infantry units . Although they undoubtedly performed these roles with considerable distinction , there were those within the Australian Army high command that felt that this proved the traditional argument against irregular warfare type units , and arguably this led to further ambivalence — even resistance — in the Australian Army high command towards so - called " special forces " which was later to hinder the formation of other such units after the war . M & Z Special Units . With the outbreak of war in the Pacific , two multi - national combined forces commando units were formed as part of the Allied Intelligence Bureau ( AIB ) , attached to its Special Operations Australia ( SOA ) branch . These units were M Special Unit ( primarily a coastwatching unit ) and the more famous Z Special Unit ( also known as Z Force ) , and they were to be used by the Allies to conduct covert operations in the South West Pacific Area against the Japanese . These units were formed with volunteers from all branches of the military and from personnel from Australia , Britain , New Zealand , and the Netherlands - East Indies . M Special Unit was used primarily to provide intelligence on Japanese naval and troop movements around New Guinea and the Solomon Islands , with personnel being inserted along the coast behind enemy lines where they would observe enemy movements and report back to the AIB via radio . This was invisible , unglamorous work , but there were considerable dangers involved for those involved and a number of M Special Unit members were captured by the Japanese and executed . Z Special Unit ' s role was perhaps a little more glamorous and certainly since the war it has received a considerable amount of publicity . Members of the unit distinguished themselves in a number of daring clandestine raiding operations , although some of these met with on limited success , or failed completely . During " Operation Jaywick " , members of the unit posed as an Asian fishing boat crew in order to infiltrate Singapore Harbour , where it successfully mined and destroyed seven Japanese ships , amounting to 35 , 000 tons , in September 1943 . However , in 1944 the similar but larger " Operation Rimau " , which also targeted shipping at Singapore Harbour , resulted in the loss of all 23 personnel involved . RAN Beach Commandos . Later in the war , the Royal Australian Navy also formed a number of commando units . These units were used to go ashore with the first waves of major amphibious assault s , to mark out and sign post the beaches and to carry out other naval tasks . These units were known as RAN Beach Commandos , and they took part in the Borneo campaign , being used in the landings at Tarakan , Balikpapan and Brunei and Labuan . Post - Second World War . After the war , the existing commando units were disbanded as the focus of Australian defence planning returned to the old concept of supplying troops under Commonwealth defence arrangements . However , following a liaison visit to Malaya by Lieutenant - General Sir Henry Wells in 1955 , the need to preserve the skills possessed by the Second World War units was realised as it became clearer that there was a role for Australian special forces within the Southeast Asian region . However , financial constraints and possibly an institutional phobia of " special forces " limited the commitment that the Australian Army could make to the concept , and consequently , it was decided that any such units raised would have to be drawn from the Citizens Military Force ( CMF ) , which was the forerunner to the present Australian Army Reserve . As a result , two CMF Commando companies were raised : 2 Commando Company ( 2 Cdo Coy ) in February 1955 , based in Melbourne , and 1 Commando Company ( 1 Cdo Coy ) in July 1955 , based in Sydney . These units drew their heritage from the commando units raised during the Second World War , and a number of their senior cadre staff had served in these units . From 1957 , some members of these companies went on to assist and / or join the new Australian Special Air Service Regiment ( SASR ) , when it was raised . However , the commando units retained a separate identity , with a greater emphasis on raiding and other larger offensive operations , rather than the special reconnaissance and " surgical strike " role which is the classic function of SAS units . In February 1981 , it was decided to unite the commando companies with a headquarters unit and link them with Special Operations Headquarters ( SOHQ ) . As a result 1 Commando Regiment ( 1 Cdo Regt ) was formed , incorporating the two Reserve companies in Sydney and Melbourne . In addition 126 Signal Squadron ( Special Forces ) was incorporated to provide long range communications support . In 1996 , it was decided to convert 4th Battalion , Royal Australian Regiment ( 4 RAR ) from a light infantry battalion to a commando unit in order to provide a full - time capability within the Australian Regular Army . 126 Signal Squadron was incorporated to provide signal support ( 301 Signal Squadron was raised to refill the role within the 1st Commando Regiment ) . Subsequently , 4 RAR was renamed to 4 RAR ( Cdo ) until 19 June 2009 , when it was renamed again to 2nd Commando Regiment . This unit is largely used in the traditional commando role , and is heavily involved in combat operations in Afghanistan . However , the unit also has a counter - terrorism function within Australia , providing members to the Tactical Assault Group — East ( TAGEAST ) , to perform the same role on the eastern seaboard that the SASR provides on the western seaboard . In May 2003 , Special Operations Command ( Australia ) was established as the administrative and operational headquarters for all of Australia ' s special forces and commando units . Current organisation . The commando units currently active in the Australian Army are : Australian commandos have recently been employed on operations in a number of theatres , including East Timor , Iraq and Afghanistan , although details of many aspects of these operations remain secret .