Special forces of Australia

Since 1941, the Australian military has raised a range of special forces units that have conducted special operations, including:

All the Australian Army special forces units have been grouped together under the Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) since December 2002. Clearance divers are under the command of the Navy (unless seconded to SOCOMD for MCT) and the Combat Controllers are under the command of the Air Force unless operational when they are attached to SOCOMD units.

In 1983, the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), Australia's civilian national foreign intelligence agency, established a special forces unit the Covert Action Directorate to develop a special recovery capability. The Directorate, which included a female operative, received training from the military to conduct overseas counter terrorism operations. The SASR had recently developed a domestic counter terrorism capability establishing the Tactical Assault Group. In November 1983, the Directorate held a bungled hostage rescue training exercise at the Sheraton Hotel without proper approvals, including the carriage of firearms, culminating in the public exposure of the unit. The ASIS covert military function approval was subsequently revoked, ASIS subject to a Royal Commission investigation and the special recovery role assigned to the SASR.

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