This register connects the history to possible game campaigns. Australian contributions formed a major part of the Commonwealth's allied commitments. Later interventions also reflect alliance, humanitarian and maritime-security objectives, alongside the original opposition to communist expansion.
| Period | Conflict or commitment | Australian role |
|---|---|---|
| Late 1940s and 1950s | Philippine and Malayan insurgencies | Intelligence, training, material support and direct regional operations |
| 1950 to 1953 | Korean War | Expanded commitment; heavy casualties become the principal national setback; armistice and continuing regional defence |
| 1950s | Taiwan Strait crises | Allied naval support, surveillance and protection of maritime access |
| 1955 | West Papua incorporation | Australian military control and Dutch transfer; Indonesian claims continue |
| 1956 and the early 1960s | East Timor invasion and settlement | Regional crisis, seizure from Portugal, territorial administration and a later diplomatic settlement |
| 1963 to 1966 | Indonesian Confrontation | Support for Malaysia and Singapore, territorial defence and a subsequent uneasy armed peace |
| 1960s to 1975 and beyond | Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia | Major intervention; South Vietnam survives, while neighbouring conflicts require continuing commitments |
| 1979 | Sino-Vietnamese War | Regional warning, evacuation and maritime-security operations without endorsing either communist government |
| 1979 to 1989 | Soviet war in Afghanistan | Allied intelligence and material assistance to anti-Soviet resistance |
| 1982 | Falklands War | Nuclear carrier group, naval support, intelligence, transport and replenishment in support of Britain |
| 1990 and 1991 | Gulf War | Coalition maritime, air and support operations under the expanded alliance policy |
| Late 1990s and 2000s | Commonwealth territories and Pacific instability | Territorial security, disaster relief, evacuation and negotiations over local autonomy |
| 1998 to 2006 | Vietnamese federal negotiations | Support for negotiations; South Vietnam joins a peacefully reunited federation in 2006 |
| 2001 to 2020 | Afghanistan and other coalition deployments | Selected combat, intelligence, air, maritime and support commitments; long-term costs debated in Parliament |
| 2010s | South China Sea and regional maritime pressure | Carrier presence, submarine operations, warning and allied exercises |
| 2016 to 2020 | Commonwealth Network Crisis and recovery | National cyber emergency, protected continuity arrangements and major reforms to system assurance |