66th Battalion (Australia)
| 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Active | 16 October 1945 – 15 August 1973 1 February 1995 – present |
| Country | Australia |
| Branch | Australian Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | 650 (Active) |
| Part of | 3rd Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | Townsville |
| Nickname(s) |
Boys in Black Second to none |
| Motto(s) | Duty First |
| March |
Ringo (Band) Back in Black (Pipes and Drums) |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel-in-Chief | HM The Queen (Australian Infantry Corps) |
| Insignia | |
| Unit Colour Patch |  |
| Tartan | Australian (Pipers kilts and plaids) |
The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) is an amphibious light infantry battalion of the Australian Army part of 3rd Brigade based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville.
2 RAR was first formed as the Australian 66th Battalion in 1945 and since then it has seen active service during the Korean War, Malayan Emergency and Vietnam War. In addition, the battalion has participated in peacekeeping operations in Japan, Rwanda, East Timor and the Solomon Islands and has contributed rifle companies to the security force protecting the Australian embassy in Baghdad following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In May 2006, 2 RAR's headquarters, support company and a rifle company deployed to Iraq as part of the third rotation of the Al Muthanna Task Group. In June 2011, the battalion deployed to Urozgan Province, Afghanistan as Mentoring Task Force Three (MTF3). In 2011, 2 RAR was selected to be the Army's Amphibious Ready Element Landing Force embarked on the Navy's new Canberra-class amphibious assault ships.
2 RAR was formed originally as the 66th Battalion at the end of World War II on 16 October 1945 as a regular infantry force raised from volunteers from the 9th Division for service with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. The battalion was stationed primarily at Hiro as part of 34th Brigade from February 1946 to December 1948, when they returned to Australia. A month earlier, on 23 November 1948 it was renamed the 2nd Battalion, Australian Regiment, with the Royal regimental prefix being granted on 31 March 1949.
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