ANZUK was a tripartite force formed by Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to defend the Asian Pacific region after the United Kingdom withdrew forces from the east of Suez in the early 1970s. The ANZUK force was formed in Singapore on 1 November 1971 under Rear Admiral David Wells and disbanded on 31 January 1974.[1]
| ANZUK | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 November 1971 – 31 January 1974 |
| Country |   New Zealand United Kingdom |
| Garrison/HQ | Singapore |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
|
| Insignia | |
| Flag of ANZUK |  |
ANZUK initially consisted of the following major units:
The land component of ANZUK Force was the units of 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group renamed and relocated from Malaysia to Singapore.
Brigade Commanders of 28 ANZUK Brigade were:[6]
Units that constituted 28 ANZUK Brigade were:
Contributing nations wore their individual national uniforms with the addition of the following identifying patches;
Sea and Air components did not wear any of the patches as they remained under national command and were only attached to NZUK command on an as required basis.
By 1973 the political climate in Australia and the United Kingdom had changed and it was deemed that ANZUK should be disbanded. Rear Admiral Wells,[22] the First ANZUK commander who established the Force, had the task of planning the run-down phase and handing over to his successor Air Vice Marshal Richard Gordon Wakeford,[23] to follow through.
Australia would be retaining a presence in Butterworth in Malaysia[24] and the United Kingdom had decided to withdrawal all its forces east of Suez.[25][26] It was in New Zealand's interest to retain a force in southeast Asia, so on 30 January 1974 New Zealand Force South East Asia was formed,[27] taking under its command all the New Zealand units formerly part of ANZUK.
Over the course of 1974 the integrated units which made up the ANZUK were gradually disbanded and replaced by national units. On 31 January 1974 ceased to exist, followed on 16 December 1974 with the disbanding of the Naval and Air Headquarters and their assets reverted to their respective national command and what remained of the United Kingdom's land component forces became the 28th (UK) Infantry Brigade.
Taking several years for the Australian and United Kingdom units to draw down and withdraw, it was not until 1977 that NZFORSEA was the sole remaining foreign presence in Singapore.
