[4] The regiment has been involved in operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was used in a direct action warfighting role.

[10][11][12] The role of the regiment is to conduct strategic strike, domestic counter-terrorism and overseas special recovery operations.

[20][21] In 2010, the then-Chief of Army stated that as part of the future amphibious ready group based on the Navy's new Canberra-class it will be necessary to rotate a Commando Company to support the infantry battalion.

[33][34] Regardless, the name 4 RAR remains on the Army's order of battle and its history, colours and traditions have been preserved, ready to be re-raised as a regular infantry battalion in the future if required.

[35] The 2nd Commando Regiment, then known as 4 RAR (Cdo), was deployed as a part of the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) in 2001.

This involved reorganising from the existing two commando-companies structure to a light infantry battalion with four companies and a growth in the unit from 220 to 670 personnel.

[31] The battalion took official control over Area of Operations (AO) Matilda in the northern border region on 25 April under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Sengelman.

This "intelligence-led" but "people-focused" approach saw the battalion group conduct the majority of its operations in close proximity to the Tactical Coordination Line (TCL) on the border with Indonesian West Timor.

These included a TCL violation on 5 May 2001 which was intercepted by a section from D Company, an outbreak of violence involving a grenade attack by militia members at the Maubasa markets on 29 May which resulted in several people killed and about 50 wounded, and shallow cross-border militia raids in June, including an attack on a section patrol from A Company.

[41] The battalion was subsequently involved in security operations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Queensland in 2002.

[26] Elements of the battalion were also involved in the boarding of a North Korean freighter, the MV Pong Su—which was suspected of drug smuggling—off Newcastle on 20 April 2003.

[45] The battalion provided a commando force element as part of the Australian contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, known as Operation Falconer.

[48] In 2004, claims appeared in the media that Australian special forces were involved in counter-insurgency operations inside Iraq, although this was denied by the government.

[51] Later, in May 2006 a commando company group was deployed to Timor Leste as part of Operation Astute, after relations between the East Timorese government and military forces broke down.

After the battle, the commandos and SASR elements were withdrawn at the request of the East Timorese government in order to start negotiations with the rebels.

The SFTG, based on similar structure deployed during Operation Falconer, was made up of elements from the SASR, a commando company and a troop from the Incident Response Regiment.

[56] During this deployment the Commandos were involved in Operation Perth which resulted in the death of over 150 Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters in nine days of fierce fighting in the Chora district of Uruzgan Province.

[62] In March and April 2009, SOTG killed 80 Taliban fighters in a major four-week operation in Helmand Province, without suffering any casualties.

[63] Further operations undertaken include the Battle of Gizab in April 2010, and the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in June 2010, which resulted in heavy insurgent casualties.

[5] On 26 March 2013, it was announced that Special Operations Command would receive the first battle honour awarded to an Australian Army unit for actions since the end of the Vietnam War for its performance during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive in Afghanistan from May to June 2010.

[73] In September 2019, The Age reported that a commando from the regiment's November platoon had confessed to the Brereton inquiry of unlawfully killing a prisoner in Afghanistan in October 2012.

[76] The soldiers were expected to be deployed to Iraq when a legal framework covering their presence in the country was agreed between the Australian and Iraqi Governments.

[81] Personnel from SOTG have also been involved in co-ordinating airstrikes remotely to assist Iraqi forces engaged in clearance operations.

[2] A Review of Special Operations Command in June 2020 by David Irvine recommended that SOCOMD introduce a joint selection course conducted by the Defence Special Operations Training and Education Centre for the regiment and the SASR rather than the units conduct their own individual selection courses.

[112][9] Previously candidates had to successfully complete the Special Forces Entry Test (SFET) followed by a three-week Commando Selection Course.