AUSTRALIA’S LONG WAR IN AFGHANISTAN SAW THEIR SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES AT THE ‘TIP OF THE SPEAR’, DR KARL JAMES PROVIDES UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR ROLE AND TELLS OF THE GALLANTRY AND SACRIFICES MADE.
AUSTRALIAN SOF | AFGHANISTAN | 2001-2013
“Special Forces are often the instrument of choice in modern conflicts, particularly in the War on Terrorism”, remarked Major-General Duncan Lewis, then Commander of Australia’s Special Operations Forces, in 2003. Special Operations Forces have been at the tip of the spear in Australia’s commitment to the US-led coalition in the war on terror and the conflict in Afghanistan for more than a decade. Twenty-three rotations of Australian SOF deployed to Afghanistan between 2001-02 and 2005–13. From 2005, on average, each squadron of Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) rotated through Afghanistan every 12 months, while each company from 2nd Commando Regiment rotated through every 18 months. Individuals deployed on multiple occasions; operations were constant, and ‘troops in contact’ usually occurred in two thirds of operations.
During Australia’s involvement in Afghanistan, Australian SOF personnel received more than 150 battlefield awards, including three Vic…
