The 9th Force Support Battalion (9 FSB) is an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

logistics

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

. Formed on 1 August 1998, following the amalgamation of a number of air despatch, military police, ships army detachments, personnel and transport units, it is based at

RAAF Base Amberley RAAF Base Amberley is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is the largest military airbase in Australia. Amberley is one of two defence ...

in Amberley. 9 FSB is part the 17th Sustainment Brigade. Its role is to provide third line or 'general' support within an

area of operations In U.S. armed forces parlance, an area of operations (AO) is an operational area defined by the force commander for land, air, and naval forces' conduct of combat and non-combat activities. Areas of operations do not typically encompass the entire ...

. 9 FSB keeps two camels in their depot at RAAF Base Amberley as the mascots for 26th Transport Squadron, named "Vernon" and "Penny". Vernon and Penny have 2 handlers caring for them at all times. Their names come from the Officer Commanding of 9 FSB and his wife in 1984-85. On 30 May 2011, Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, a cook from 9 FSB, was killed in action in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

while serving with the Force Support Unit in Uruzgan Province. The battalion consists of the following units: *Special Advisory Group *9th Logistic Support Company *26th Transport Squadron *37th Force Supply Company *176th Air Dispatch Squadron (

RAAF Base Richmond RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of ...

) *8th Personnel Services Company

Notes

References

* Combat service support battalions of the Australian Army Military units and formations established in 1998 {{Australia-mil-stub Military units in Queensland