The years from 1955 until 1972 were characterised by continuous military involvement in South-east Asian wars and considerable organisational change in both the structure of the forces and the political and civilian bureaucracy which managed them. The demands placed on the services in this period, especially the army, also saw the regular forces expand to reach a size exceeded only during the two world wars. The Malayan Emergency, a role in the Indonesian Confrontation of the Federation of Malaysia, and the Vietnam War provided almost twenty years of active campaigning for Australian servicemen. While each conflict had unique features, they formed a continuum in Australian postwar military history. From a doctrinal and training viewpoint, many of the men who served in Vietnam had already seen action in Malaya and Borneo and in some cases in Korea as well. From a strategic perspective, this involvement marked the increasing concern with Asia and the region which characterised much of Australia's foreign and defence policy in the postwar period. Military co-operation within the British Commonwealth continued, while ties with the United States were strengthened. Finally, the period saw increasing self-reliance in various areas, administrative as well as operational.

Like the rest of the Commonwealth, Australia had agreed to maintain its forces in Korea after the signing of the cease-fire in July 1953.