Special Air Service
Special forces of the British Army
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| September 2023 | No. 47 Squadron RAF, which operated the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, was disbanded. |
| June 2023 | The Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft was retired from service. |
| April 2023 | Planned restructuring of the Ranger Regiment's battalions, with four battalions to be strategically deployed across Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. |
| December 1 2021 | Formation of the Ranger Regiment within the new Army Special Operations Brigade, marking a significant restructuring of UK special operations forces. |
| August 31 2021 | Establishment of the Army Special Operations Brigade, setting the groundwork for new special operations capabilities in the United Kingdom's military structure. |
| August 19 2021 | New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) personnel, including the Female Engagement Team, were deployed to assist in evacuating New Zealanders and foreign nationals from Afghanistan during Operation Kõkako. The team guided evacuees safely through crowds outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, helping them reach perimeter entry points. This operation involved approximately 80 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel and a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130 aircraft. |
| April 2019 | The two reserve SAS regiments (21 and 23) returned to UK Special Forces. |
| 2018 | Two modified civilian vehicle types entered service, supplied by Jankel Armouring. These vehicles, designated as Low Profile Utility and Low Profile Protected, were intended for terrorism support and influence operations. |
| 2018 | An undisclosed number of Supacat HMT Extenda vehicles entered service, replacing the Pinzgauer vehicles for special reconnaissance, designated as Mobility Heavy. |
| 2018 | Significant restructuring of the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG) resulted in the creation of R Company (R Coy), a dedicated ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, reconnaissance) and communications specialist unit. |
| April 11 2018 | Labour-led coalition government announced an inquiry into Operation Burnham and allegations from 'Hit & Run'. |
| March 2018 | SAS Sergeant Matt Tonroe was killed by an accidental explosion during an anti-Islamic State mission in Manbij, northern Syria, while embedded with Seal Team 6. |
| January 2018 | Five successful FET candidates began a comprehensive four-month training program, focusing on gender issues, cultural knowledge, and specialized operational skills including movement, shooting, communication, and medical capabilities. |
| 2017 | Steve Askin, a former NZSAS soldier, is killed in a helicopter crash while fighting the Port Hills fires in New Zealand. |
| 2017 | The New Zealand Special Air Service acquired five surplus Thales Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles from the Australian Defence Force, designated as Protected Heavy vehicles for direct action missions. |
| November 2017 | The first Female Engagement Team selection course was conducted over three days, involving rigorous physical and mental assessments to identify potential team members. |
| November 2017 | The New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) established a six-woman Female Engagement Team (FET), marking a significant advancement in operational capabilities by creating a team able to engage with local women and adolescents in culturally sensitive contexts. |
| March 2017 | Investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson published 'Hit & Run', alleging war crimes by NZSAS personnel during Operation Burnham. |
| November 2016 | SAS was part of a multinational special forces operation targeting 200 British jihadists identified by MI5, MI6, and GCHQ, with orders to kill or capture senior ISIL members before they could return to the UK. |
| October 2016 | SAS and Australian SASR were active in northern Iraq, working with US forces to call in airstrikes supporting Kurdish and Iraqi advances against ISIL. |
| April 8 2016 | The Battle Training Facility (BTF) was officially opened in the Ardmore Military Training Area to replace counter-terrorist training facilities over 30 years old. |
| 2015 | Royal Marines reported that approximately 40% of all UK Special Forces personnel were recruited from their ranks. |
| December 2015 | 30 SAS members alongside 60 US special forces operators joined the Afghan Army in the Battle to retake parts of Sangin from Taliban insurgents. |
| July 1 2015 | The 1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment is transferred to the command of the new Special Operations Component Command(New Zealand). |
| May 15 2015 | SAS confirmed the presence of senior ISIL leader Abu Sayyaf in al-Amr, who was subsequently killed in an assault by US Special Forces. |
| 2014 | SFSG maintained a high operational tempo in Afghanistan even after the official end of UK offensive operations. |
| September 1 2014 | The two Army Reserve SAS regiments (21 and 23) were removed from UK Special Forces and placed in the 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade (1 ISR Bde). |
| August 2014 | SAS participated in Operation Shader, gathering intelligence and helping evacuate Yazidi refugees from Sinjar mountains, while also supporting Kurdish forces in northern Iraq and conducting operations in Syria. |
| 2013 | The New Zealand Special Air Service was accorded official regimental status, solidifying its position as a premier combat unit within the New Zealand Defence Force. |
| August 2013 | The Daily Telegraph reported SFSG working closely with Afghan commandos (Task Force 444) in Helmand Province, conducting frequent raids against Taliban bomb-makers and targeting insurgent supply lines. |
| February 2013 | As of February 2013, the regiment was structured with multiple squadrons including A Squadron, B Squadron, D Squadron (Commando), E Squadron (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), and Support Squadron. |
| February 2013 | The unit was re-designated as a Regiment before February 2013. |
| 2012 | Conclusion of the New Zealand Special Air Service's operational deployment in Afghanistan, marking the end of their extended combat and counterinsurgency mission in the region. |
| July 2012 | Lance Corporal Leon Kristopher Smith was posthumously awarded the Charles Upham Bravery Award for performing what the Upham trust considered the most outstanding act of heroism in the preceding two years. |
| May 28 2012 | SAS and DEVGRU teams conducted Operation Jubilee, rescuing a British aid worker and three other hostages from bandits in the Koh-e-Laram forest, Badakhshan Province. The assault force killed eleven gunmen and successfully rescued all four hostages. |
| March 31 2012 | NZSAS unit was withdrawn from Afghanistan. |
| 2011 | The NZSAS Regiment's selection course was opened to civilians, allowing them to participate alongside military personnel after a two-day preparation period for military skills. |
| September 28 2011 | Lance Corporal Leon Smith was killed during an operation in Wardak Province, Afghanistan. |
| August 19 2011 | Corporal Douglas Grant was killed while responding to an attack on the British Council building in central Kabul. |
| July 12 2011 | SAS soldiers captured two British-Afghans in a hotel in Herat who were attempting to join the Taliban or al-Qaeda. |
| June 29 2011 | NZSAS personnel provided sniper support during a terrorist attack at the Inter-Continental hotel in Kabul. Corporal David Steven Askin and Commander Jamie Pennell were injured and later awarded the New Zealand Gallantry Star. |
| January 2011 | General David Petraeus announced NZSAS's significant operational achievements, including 60 high-risk arrests, 20 weapon cache seizures, and foiling four attacks since 2009. |
| 2010 | SAS reservists were withdrawn from frontline duty. |
| 2010 | SAS took part in Operation Moshtarak, with four-man teams and U.S. Army Special Forces conducting 'find, fix, strike' raids that resulted in the deaths of 50 Taliban leaders. |
| August 21 2010 | NZSAS and Afghan Crisis Response Unit conducted Operation Burnham in Tirgiran Valley, Afghanistan. |
| January 2010 | NZSAS personnel responded to a terrorist attack in central Kabul. |
This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles History of the Special Air Service, Special Forces Support Group, New Zealand Special Air Service & United Kingdom Special Forces, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.