The Australian Embassy Guard Platoon, Saigon was an

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

unit assigned to protect the Australian embassy in

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

. The

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

was established in March 1972 as the Guard and Escort Platoon, and was redesignated in December that year. The Australian Embassy Guard Platoon, Saigon was disbanded at the end of June 1973. It was the final Australian Army unit to serve in South Vietnam.

History

For much of the

Australian involvement in the Vietnam War Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War began with a small commitment of 30 military advisors in 1962, and increased over the following decade to a peak of 7,672 Australian personnel following the Menzies Government's April 1965 decision to ...

, the Australian embassy in

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

was protected by Australian Army personnel drawn from either the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian Army, Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north ...

Phuoc Tuy province Phước ({{langx, vi, Phước) is a common gender-neutral name originating from Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about an ...

or members of

Australian Forces Vietnam Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

who were stationed in Saigon. This force was

squad In military terminology, a squad is among the smallest of Military organization, military organizations and is led by a non-commissioned officer. NATO and United States, U.S. doctrine define a squad as an organization "larger than a fireteam, ...

-sized, and comprised only a small number of soldiers. As part of the draw-down of Australian troops in the country, Australian Forces Vietnam was disbanded on 5 March 1972, and replaced with the small Australian Army Assistance Group Vietnam (AAAGV). At this time the squad assigned to protect the embassy was expanded to a

, which was designated the Guard and Escort Platoon. The

Australian Army Training Team Vietnam The Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV) was a specialist unit of military advisors of the Australian Army that operated during the Vietnam War. Raised in 1962, the unit was formed solely for service as part of Australia's contribution t ...

(AATTV), which provided training and advisers for the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; ) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. Its predecessor was the ground forc ...

, was the main Australian force remaining in the country. On 17 December 1972, AAAGV was disbanded. The next day most members of it and the AATTV departed from South Vietnam. On 18 December 1972 the Australian Embassy Guard Platoon, Saigon was formally established by redesignating the Guard and Escort Platoon. It comprised 24 former members of the AAAGV. These soldiers and the

military attaché A military attaché or defence attaché (DA),Defence Attachés
''Geneva C ...

who had been posted to the embassy were the last-remaining members of the Australian Army in South Vietnam. At this time the embassy was located at the

Caravelle Hotel The Caravelle Hotel Saigon is located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The hotel was opened to the public on Christmas Eve 1959, when the city was known as Saigon. It was named after the Sud Aviation Caravelle, a jet airliner operated by the hotel' ...

, where it occupied a full floor. The Guard Platoon was phased out over the first half of 1973. At the start of the year it comprised one or two

officers An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

and 25

other ranks Other ranks (ORs) in the Royal Marines (RM), the British Army, and the Royal Air Force (RAF), along with the navies, armies, and air forces of many other Commonwealth countries and Ireland, are those personnel who are not commissioned officers, bu ...

. Reductions to the size of the unit occurred in March and April. The Platoon was disbanded at the end of June 1973; at this time it had a strength of six soldiers. Overall, more than 50 soldiers served with the Platoon during its existence. The Australian Embassy Guard Platoon, Saigon was the last Australian Army unit to have served in South Vietnam. The Department of Veterans' Affairs has classified members of the platoon as having undertaken warlike service, making them eligible for service and disability pensions.

References

;Citations ;Works consulted * * *{{cite book, last1=Wilson, first1=E.J., last2=Horsley, first2=K.W., last3=van der Hoek, first3=R., title=The Third Australian Vietnam Veterans Mortality Study, date=2005, publisher=Department of Veterans' Affairs, location=Canberra, isbn=1920720405, url=https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/b335bf05-72f7-4560-8aec-cbb19c744fe8/p1055b-mortality_study.pdf.aspx?inline=true Military units and formations established in 1972 Military units and formations disestablished in 1973 Military units and formations of the Australian Army Military units and formations of Australia in the Vietnam War

History

See also

References