Originally formed as the Somali Guard Battalion, and tasked with defending the border between British and French Somaliland, the brigade quickly rose in size and importance. It later became the Somali Companies in June 1942, before finally being renamed to the Somaliland Scouts in August 1943. In 1960, upon the merger of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland to form the Somali Republic, the Somaliland Scouts became the nucleus for the new Somali National Army.