4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment
| 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1 February 1964 – 15 August 1973 1 February 1995 – 19 June 2009 |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry Special Forces/ Special Operations Force (SOF) |
| Role | Commando |
| Part of | Special Operations Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Holsworthy |
| Nickname(s) | 4 Commando |
| Motto(s) | Duty First |
| March | Inverbrackie |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | Unit Citation for Gallantry |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps) |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
Indonesian Confrontation
Vietnam War
The 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (4 RAR) was an Australian Army infantry battalion and part of the Royal Australian Regiment. The battalion was formed on 1 February 1964 and was renamed the 2nd Commando Regiment on 19 June 2009.
On 18 January 1952, a Royal Australian Regiment Depot was raised as a training unit for special establishment on the Order of Battle. The depot was later renamed 4 RAR on 10 March 1952. This renaming was necessary because government approval had been given to raise a battalion and not a 'Depot'. The primary function of 4 RAR at the time was to train and hold infantrymen for service in Korea. On 24 March 1960, the unit was incorporated into the School of Infantry as 'Depot Company, Royal Australian Regiment'. The two units comprised resulted in the formation of the Infantry Centre.
The political decision to raise the fourth battalion of The Royal Australian Regiment was made in 1963. Consequently, instructions for the raising of the battalion were issued on 13 January 1964. The official raising of 4 RAR on 1 February 1964 was the first time a regular infantry battalion had been raised on Australian soil. Additionally, it was stated that this battalion was a new battalion and not a resurrection of the old 4 RAR. The battalion subsequently served in Malaysia as part of the Far East Strategic Reserve from August 1965 – September 1967, and seeing active service in Borneo against the Indonesian army during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation.
After a period of training the battalion deployed to Sarawak in April 1966 where it was to operate from four company bases in the Bau area. By this time the war was winding down as peace negotiations had begun between Malaysia and Indonesia. Like 3 RAR, 4 RAR conducted cross-border operations and clashed with Indonesian forces on a number of occasions. Its tour was less eventful, however, and the battalion primarily operated in Malaysian territory where it ambushed tracks leading from the border with Indonesia. Malaysia and Indonesia agreed to a peace treaty on 11 August and 4 RAR and the other Commonwealth units in Borneo ceased operations the next day. The battalion returned to Camp Terendak on 30 August having suffered five fatalities in Borneo, though only one man had been killed in action.
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