No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron (2AFDS) is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n military unit whose primary role is to protect and defend airfields, buildings, equipment, and personnel.

Crest

The squadron's crest is a crossed rifle and sword surmounted by a wedge-tailed eagle in flight. The crossed rifle and sword is symbolic of the ground defence specialisation and represents both the offensive and defensive nature of ground defence within the Air Force and its inherent need to provide close-in and far-reaching security to counter hostile ground forces.

History

The unit was formed on 7 April 1945 in Morotai

Morotai

Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...

. It was originally designated as "2 Aerodrome Defence Squadron" (2ADS). The unit saw action during the Second World War in Morotai

Morotai

Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...

, Labuan

Labuan

Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...

, Brunei

Brunei

Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...

, Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

, Balikpapan

Balikpapan

Balikpapan is a seaport city on the eastern coast of the island of Borneo, Indonesia, in the East Kalimantan province, a resource-rich region well known for its timber, mining, and petroleum export products. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau , and the Sepinggan International Airport are the main...

 and the Philippines. After the end of the war, on 29 October 1945 the squadron was disbanded.

The ADG was reformed in early 1966 as the "Aerodrome Defence Guard" (ADG) to meet the need to protect assets in the South East Asia area during the Vietnam War

Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

. By 1968 two hundred Air Defence Guard personnel were in service across South East Asia, alongside US forces.

2AFDS was reformed at RAAF Base Richmond

RAAF Base Richmond

RAAF Base Richmond is one of Australia's oldest and largest air force bases. It is located within the City of Hawkesbury in the north-western fringe of Sydney, New South Wales, between the towns of Windsor and Richmond. The base is home to the Royal Australian Air Force's transport headquarters,...

 on 17 March 1983, and in 1989 it relocated to RAAF Base Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley

RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force base located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland and southwest of Brisbane. It is currently home to No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron , No. 33 Squadron and No. 36 Squadron...

, where it is currently based.

Operations

World war II

Thailand

Vietnam

Kuwait

East Timor

Solomon Islands

Afghanistan

Iraq

Structure

• Headquarters Flight
• Rifle Flights x 3
• Quick Reaction Force Flight
• Recon Flight
• Support Flight