Special Operations.Com

Australian Special Operations Forces

1 Commando Regiment

Commando!

Story by Sgt Noel Gilby

Photos by WO2 Graham McBean, Sgt Noel Gilby,Cpl Gary Ramage and Marc Fillinger

With these words in the summer of 1940, Winston Churchill instructed his chiefs of staff to raise a special force to conduct raids on the German-occupied French coast. The first commando units were established on June 5 and raids were mounted against Le Touquet in late June and the German-held Channel Islands in July.A British writer of the early war years described the ideal commando as a soldier with “ ... a dash of the Elizabethan pirate, the Chicago gangster and the frontier tribesman, allied to a professional efficiency and standards of discipline of the best regular soldier”. Australia was quick to embrace the commando ethos and by the end of 1941, four Australian independent commando companies of about 300 men each were ready to harry Japanese forces in the south-west Pacific. The companies were modelled on the British commando system but given much more independent responsibility.  From the outset it was obvious the Aussie soldier had a talent for clandestine and nocturnal irregular warfare. Diggers of the independent companies went on to show they had the qualities of the pirate and gangster as well as native enterprise, initiative and endurance. They took to commando work with enthusiasm and showed an aptitude for sabotage and demolitions, booby traps and dirty tricks.The companies achieved an enviable record during operations in Timor, New Guinea, Bougainville, Borneo, New Britain and Tarakan. The success of the independent companies and other units such as M and Z Special Forces confirmed the effectiveness of unconventional warfare and the ability of the Australian soldier to conduct special operations. Like all special forces through time, these WW2 units were raised to fill a specific role or task. The independent companies were raised primarily to give the Japanese a bloody nose through guerrilla operations at a time when large-scale offensives by Australian and US forces were not possible.

But a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then. Australia is currently sitting in one of its longest periods of peace since its birth nearly 100 years ago.It is situated thousands of kilometres from most of the world’s trouble spots and has military agreements with its regional neighbours. Does Australia really need a special-forces capability as it prepares to enter the 21st century?Maj Richard Brown, Headquarters 1 Commando Regiment, says while we don’t have an enemy knocking on the front door at present, history has repeatedly highlighted the need for such a capability.“For as long as there have been soldiers, there has been the requirement for specialists to conduct tasks beyond the ability of the normal fighter. Commanders throughout history, going back as far as the ancient Greeks, formed small groups of highly trained individuals to do those jobs. The importance of these special groups waxes and wanes depending on the circumstances in which a country finds itself. In war, people generally see the utility of these groups. Usually during extended periods of peace they seem to forget that we actually need these specialists,” Maj Brown says.“While it’s acknowledged that we don’t face an immediate threat, if we become involved in a conflict, this sort of capability can’t be raised overnight. With special forces we are talking small groups of soldiers, relative to the rest of the Army, but highly trained. There is a long lead time to get a SF operator up to an operational level. It’s not something you can do in two weeks.

The other aspect is the deterrence value of the capability. An effective SF outfit does provide significant deterrence. People are aware that we have the capability, although they are not exactly sure what it comprises in detail — which is fine — but that deterrence value is a significant part of what we do as well.”Immediately following the end of WW2, the commandos were disbanded. However, in 1955, the powers that be realised the importance of this deterrence value and raised two commando companies to main tain the art and skills of unconventional warfare learnt during the war. Today, Australia’s special forces consists of HQ Special Forces, 1 Commando Regiment — predominantly reservists — and the Special Air Service Regiment. Each has a specific role but generally SASR takes on jobs requiring small groups while 1 Cdo Regt will tackle those tasks requiring a larger force.1 Cdo Regt’s role is to conduct strategic- and operational-level offensive and recovery operations beyond the scope of other ADF elements and unconventional warfare. Within this role, the regiment can be directed to conduct any number of operational tasks. It is the ability to undertake such a multitude of diverse tasks that places 1 Cdo Regt apart from the Army’s conventional forces.The regiment may be tasked with large-scale overt raids against defended objectives; harassment of an enemy, his lines of communications or bases; coup de main operations to seize a point of entry for a followup force; or recovery operations to seize personnel or equipment from a defended objective.

The unit can also be called upon to provide support to and escort SASR elements on specialist recovery tasks; provision of training assistance and operational support to other ADF elements, Government agencies, allies and regional nations; and training assistance and support to indigenous forces.Maj Brown says the regiment’s operations are essentially tactical in nature but the range at which they can be mounted gives them the potential for effect across the operational spectrum.“Generally speaking, SF operate at the strategic and operational levels; however, we could get a job at the tactical level simply because conventional forces can’t get there in time to do it. We provide a commander with a higher reliability of action at these levels because of our degree of training and selection of individuals to undertake it.“At the strategic and operational levels, we are talking sensitive situations where, if things go wrong the results can be significant. You must have that reliability of action with the team you send in. You have to make sure the team gets it right. There is very little room for error. This is the real advantage SF gives a commander. He knows and has sufficient faith and trust in the SF that these high-risk operations will be executed exactly as is intended. SF are a small organisation but well trained and very good at what they do.”Operations at these levels are always of a joint nature. There is no such thing as a single-service SF operation. One look at the insertion and extraction techniques used by the regiment and the reason quickly becomes obvious. The unit is almost totally reliant on the Air Force and Navy to provide support for insertion and extraction.

The RAAF supports the unit during airborne operations, which it conducts by day and night over land and sea drop zones. The Air Force’s Hercules are used also for air/land operations and night tactical landings. The unit regularly works with the Navy’s surface vessels and soon with the Landing Platform Amphibious, which will give 1 Cdo Regt the capability of longer deployment by sea. The unit can also marry up with these naval assets using the parachute load-follow technique, where commandos parachute into the sea from a Hercules following specially prepared Zodiacs that are inflated once in the water. The RAN’s Sea Kings can also be used along with the Army’s Black Hawks for rappelling and fast-rope insertion.Closer to home, 1 Cdo Regt uses the F470 Zodiac inflatable craft for light clandestine amphibious operations (see water ops story). This craft, which is integral to the unit, allows the regiment to put a large number of soldiers over the shore quickly and quietly.The Zodiac is used as the unit’s workhorse, particularly in cliff assaults. All commandos are trained in roping and rappelling techniques with many qualified as lead climbers. The ability for climbers to move from a Zodiac up a cliff to secure a climbing ladder for the remaining commandos to follow, allows the regiment to put ashore in places conventional forces could not even contemplate.Combine these skills and insertion techniques with the unit’s capabilities in military diving, mountain warfare (see mountain ops story) and demolitions and you have all the ingredients for a highly versatile organisation. However, a unit is only as good as its individuals.

Maj Brown says there are a number of characteristics that mark an SF soldier, with versatility, flexibility and multiskilling high on the list.“The sort of soldier we are looking for in our SF has to be tougher and smarter than the average and possess endurance and a will or the heart to keep going long after the average soldier has given up. Anyone can learn the skills but that’s not the trick. The trick is to be able to learn the skills within the time frame allowed and then apply them under adverse conditions,” Maj Brown says.“Some guys may be outstanding SF candidates but if they have a particular fear of being in the sea at night, for example, or they lose their cool, well, that’s just not acceptable. He’s not suitable, not because he’s not a good soldier, but because he’s not happy working in our environment. So those sorts of considerations are important.“The physical side of SF is without doubt a major aspect. SF operators have to be fitter and stronger than the average. But the whole essence of SF is the mind game. Playing on the mind of your adversary, whether that is as a patrol commander conducting an operation in charge of five men or whether you are planning a larger operation, you are constantly working on the mind. The mental toughness on your side as well as the capacity to play on the mind of your adversary — that is the real heart of SF.”