Special Air Service Regiment

The Special Air Service Regiment, abbreviated SASR, is Australia's premier special forces team formed on August 20, 1964. The SASR has three main squadrons: Squadron 1, Squadron 2, and Squadron 3; each has its own function and role. Squadron 1 focuses on counter-terrorism, Squadron 2 and 3 are based around surveillance and reconnaissance. After World War II, Australia required a primary counter-terrorism and reconnaissance force to be used in foreign conflicts. Since then, the SASR embarked on operations in the Indonesian confrontation, the Vietnam War, and in peacekeeping missions in the Middle East. Recruits undergo a three-week selection course where only 16% will pass. Those who pass undergo training in recon, demolition, parachuting, and leadership. Most deaths the SASR have sustained occur more in training then in actual combat.