In 1961, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR), was placed under the command of the 1st Malaya Infantry Brigade and tasked with combined security operations in northern Malaya, later called Malaysia. An important occasion, this was the first time Australian soldiers had been commanded by their Malaysian partners. While significant, this was not surprising. Australian infantry battalions had spent the previous six years supporting the United Kingdom–led response to the Malayan Emergency. Alongside Malayan, British and several Commonwealth nations, the Australians undertook extensive jungle patrols, ambushes, convoy protection and food security operations as part of the United Kingdom–led counterinsurgency to defeat communist terrorists. Commitment, respect and partnership were defining features of Australian military engagement during this period and remain so through to this day.