The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is the parent administrative regiment for regular infantry battalions of the Australian Army and is the senior infantry regiment of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps. It was originally formed in 1948 as a three battalion regiment; however, since then its size has fluctuated as battalions have been raised, amalgamated or disbanded in accordance with the Australian government's strategic requirements. Currently, the regiment consists of seven battalions and has fulfilled various roles including those of light, parachute, motorised and mechanised infantry. Throughout its existence, units of the Royal Australian Regiment have deployed on operations in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, Vietnam, Somalia, Rwanda, Cambodia, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, Iraq and Afghanistan. Organisation The Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) is part of the Royal Australian Infantry Corps, along with the six state-based infantry regiments of the Australian Army Reserve. It is the most senior of the corps' regiments in the order of precedence, and currently consists of seven Regular Army infantry battalions: 1st Battalion (1 RAR) – motorised infantry 2nd Battalion (2 RAR) – amphibious/light infantry 3rd Battalion (3 RAR) – mechanised infantry 5th Battalion (5 RAR) – motorised infantry 6th Battalion (6 RAR) – mechanised infantry 7th Battalion (7 RAR) – mechanised infantry 8th/9th Battalion (8/9 RAR) – motorised infantry. The battalions of the regiment are capable of providing seven of the ten regular battlegroups that the Australian Army has available for deployment. The current order of battle sees 5 and 7 RAR as part of the 1st Brigade based in Darwin and Adelaide; 1 and 3 RAR as part of the 3rd Brigade in Townsville, and 6 and 8/9 RAR as part of the 7th Brigade in Brisbane. 2 RAR in Townsville reports directly to 1st Division Headquarters. Former battalions 2nd/4th Battalion (1973–95), delinked to 2 RAR and 4 RAR 4th Battalion (1964–73 and 1995–2009), renamed as 2nd Commando Regiment 5th/7th Battalion (1973–2006), delinked to 5 RAR and 7 RAR 8th Battalion (1966–73), amalgamated to 8/9 RAR 9th Battalion (1967–73), amalgamated to 8/9 RAR 10th Independent Rifle Company (1974 – late 1990s), disbanded. History Formation, 1948 The origins of the Royal Australian Regiment lie in the decision made by the Australian government to raise a force for occupation duties in Japan at the end of the Second World War. The 34th Australian Infantry Brigade was raised in October 1945 from Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF)