History of the Battalion
The 9th Force Support Battalion has a long and proud history of service dating back to the 1950s when it was first raised as the Headquarters 9th Supplies and Transport Column and commanded a number of logistics units located at Randwick, NSW.
In 1973, with the formation of the Royal Australian Corps of Transport, the 9th Supplies and Transport Column was redesignated to the 2nd Transport Battalion and then the 9th Transport Column in November of the same year.
On 19 December 1978, the 9th Transport Column was redesignated as the 9th Transport Regiment and commanded a number of transport squadrons throughout News South Wales and Victoria.
Throughout the next two decades, the regiment grew to incorprate not only road transport squadrons, but also their associated support assets. From 1993, a number of additional sub-units were attached to the Regiment until by 1998, it comprised of a large number of non-transport related logistics elements. On the 1st of August 1998, as the last RACT Transport Regiment, the 9th Transport Regiment was redesignated as the 9th Force Support Battalion to reflect its diverse logistics nature. In 2008, the Battalion headquarters and elements of the Battalion were relocated to Amberley.
Currently, the Battalion is the largest unit within the Australian Army order of battle. Consisting of over 800 soldiers and officers, the Battalion spans over three states and is garrisoned in eight sperate locations. As an organisation, the Nattalion boasts the ability to meet almost all aspects of military logistical support requirements including many specialist trades.
In its various guises, members of the Battalion have been deployed on every major Australian and Australian supported military operation, including domestic operations such as Operation GOLD (Defence support to the 2000 Sydney Olympics). Most recently, operational service has included East Timor, Solomon Islands and the Middle East.
Since its relocation to Amberley, the Battalion has been closely associated with the Ipswich community, being granted the Freedom of Entry to the City of Ipswich on the 31st July 2010.
Ubiquitous
The battalion's motto is Ubiquitous - meaning everywhere. This signifies the distance covered by the original transport assets of the unit.
Congo
The unit's mascot is a bull elephant, which represents the heavy lift capacity of battalion's transport background. In the mid-eighties the battalion adopted Congo, an African bull elephant living at the Western Plains zoo. Assistance was given to the zoo in 1993-94 including the transport of tonnes of disused rail line for use as enclosures and golf carts for use by visitors. Congo died in Western Plains Zoo in 2001 at the young age of forty two (42). He was 6.5 tonnes at the time he died.
