Adelaide River. The 2/4th Independent Company was assigned patrolling duties around Katherine and the 2/6th Cavalry Regiment occupied Pine Creek. The 2/4th Independent Company was relieved by the establishment of the 2/1st North Australia Observer Unit in August 1942, releasing the 2/4th to be deployed to Timor to reinforce the 2/2nd Independent Company. Northern Territory Force was renamed the 12th Division on 31 December 1942 and reverted to the title of Northern Territory Force on 15 January 1943. During the fifteen days that the formation constituted the 12th Division, it comprised the 3rd Brigade, 19th Brigade, 23rd Brigade, 2/4th Pioneer Battalion and 2/6th Cavalry Regiment. When the 3rd Brigade was transferred to the 4th Division and moved to Townsville, Queensland, the 13th Brigade took its place, being transferred from Western Australia. The 19th Brigade was returned to the 6th Division, rejoining them on the Atherton Tablelands in June 1943 and their place was taken by the 12th Brigade from Tasmania. In July 1943, defence plans were revised and the area that the garrison was expected to cover was concentrated around Darwin rather than its hinterland. The 23rd Brigade was redeployed to the Atherton Tablelands for training, ahead of its employment in combat operations as part of the 3rd Division. The 2nd Brigade subsequently took the place of the 23rd Brigade in the garrison, being transferred from Perth. In mid-1944, the defence plans relating to the Darwin region was revised again. The threat of invasion had passed and a manpower shortage had developed within the Army and the Australian economy. The garrison was reduced to a single brigade: the 12th. The 13th Brigade was reorganised and prepared for combat operations in the Pacific, eventually to take part in the fighting on New Britain. The 2nd Brigade was chosen for disbandment and its personnel were transferred to several understrength units. The force's headquarters elements were consolidated in October 1944 and established themselves at Larrakeyah Barracks. The 12th Brigade continued defensive duties around Darwin until the end of the war in August 1945, when it was finally deployed as part of Timor Force. Following this, the size of the force was slowly reduced as part of the demobilisation process and the majority of its units were supply, transport, maintenance, medical, signals and engineer units spread across Darwin, Alice Springs and Mount Isa, although there was a small artillery element based around Darwin's fixed