Description

Description: Australian Army – NORFORCE Stable Belt – Circa 1980s

Condition: Very Good

Comments: Australian Army – NORFORCE Stable Belt – Circa 1980s

A rare item worn by some Officers and Senior NCOs during the early to mid 1980s. This is the 2nd pattern.

The NORFORCE (North-West Mobile Force) is an infantry regiment of the Australian Army Reserve. Formed in 1981, the regiment is one of three Regional Force Surveillance Units (RFSUs) employed in surveillance and reconnaissance of the remote areas of Northern Australia.

In the late-1970s and early 1980s the need for a military presence in the north of Australia was recognised, with an integrated land, sea and air surveillance network developed in response. Part of this involved the raising of reserve infantry units that would act as “eyes and ears” in the north. NORFORCE was raised for operations in the Northern Territory and the Kimberly region of northern Australia and was originally formed as a company on 1 July 1981, from the 7th Independent Rifle Company, based in Darwin under Lieutenant Colonel John George. This was renamed as the North-West Mobile Force, or NORFORCE, in 1981.