23 SAS (R)

23 Special Air Service
S.A.S emblem
Active	1959–present
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	The Army Reserve
Type	Long-range reconnaissance patrol
Role	Reconnaissance and long range patrols
Part of	1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade
Engagements	Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation War In Afghanistan

23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) (23 SAS(R)) is a regiment of the British Army Reserve. Together with 21 Special Air Service Regiment (Artists) (Reserve) (21 SAS(R)), it forms the Special Air Service (Reserve) (SAS(R)). Unlike the regular SAS Regiment it accepts members of the general population without prior military service.

The unit was founded in 1959, as an additional regiment of the Territorial Army, and was created from the former Reserve Reconnaissance Unit, itself descended from the body of the organisation known as Military Intelligence 9. The initial headquarters location was London, the headquarters were moved during 1959, to Thorpe street, Birmingham, during 1966, to Kingstanding, Birmingham, within the Territorial Army centre there.

The regiment's first commander was H. S. Gillies, at the time a Lieutenant Colonel.Anthony Hunter-Choat OBE was the commanding officer of the regiment from 1977 to 1983. Sebastian Morley, at that time a Major, was for a period commander of D squadron until his resignation sometime during 2008.

In 1963 it was deployed to Borneo to support Malaysian and British Commonwealth forces in combating guerrillas crossing from Indonesia to the federation of Malaysia.

In mid-October 2001, members of 21 SAS and 23 SAS deployed to Afghanistan as reinforcements of two squadrons of 22 SAS, for Operation Determine, during the 2001 coalition invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime and destroy and dismantle al-Qaeda in the aftermath of September 11 attacks. Following the invasion, members of both territorial SAS regiments remained in the country to provide close protection to SIS members.

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