Aug 3, 2026
On today episode of True-Blue Conversations, I am joined by Adam
Smith, a
veteran of the 2nd Commando Regiment and the Victoria Police
Special Operations
Group.
Adam joined the Australian Army in 2005 and was posted to the 2nd
Battalion, Royal
Australian Regiment (2RAR). During his time with 2RAR, he deployed
twice to East
Timor before successfully attempting and completing selection for
the 2nd
Commando Regiment in 2008. After completing the demanding
Reinforcement
Cycle, he earned the coveted Sherwood Green beret.
Throughout his Special Forces career, Adam deployed on multiple
Special
Operations Task Group (SOTG) rotations to Afghanistan and Iraq and
served on
Tactical Assault Group EAST ( TAG- EAST). He shares his firsthand
experiences of
modern warfare, including being on the ground in Afghanistan in
2011 when his
mentor and friend, Brett Wood, MG DSM, was killed in action. Adam
opens up about
the raw emotion of losing a close mate in combat and reflects on
the deaths of fellow
Special Forces operators Todd Langley and Sapper Rowan Robinson,
and the
lasting impact those losses have had on him and those who served
alongside them.
Adam also speaks candidly about the tragic training accident in
2014 during an
extreme Alpine climate exercise that claimed the life of one of his
fellow commandos.
He discusses the invisible wounds of service, his battle with PTSD,
and the true cost
that war and military service can have on those who answer the
call.
Following his military career, Adam laterally transferred to
Victoria Police and, after
graduating from the academy, went directly into the elite Special
Operations Group.
Even after discharging from full-time service, he continued serving
Australia as a
member of the 1st Commando Regiment, Australia Army Reserve Special
Forces
capability, based in Melbourne.
This is a raw, powerful and deeply honest conversation about
sacrifice, resilience,
grief, mateship, and the realities of life as an elite Australian
Special Forces &
Victoria Police Special Operations Group Operator.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Adam Smith
Editor: Kyle Watkins