ABCANZ Armies facts for kids

Countries involved with the ABCANZ program.

ABCANZ Armies is a special program that helps the armies of five countries work better together. These countries are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The program also includes the United States Marine Corps and the Royal Marines.

The main goal of ABCANZ is to make sure these armies can easily work with each other. This means they share similar training methods and use compatible equipment. The program started in 1947 to continue the strong teamwork seen during World War II. Australia joined in 1963, and New Zealand became a full member in 2006.

History of ABCANZ

The ABCANZ program began in 1947. It was first called the "Plan to Effect Standardization." At that time, it included the armies of the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. They wanted to keep the close cooperation they had during World War II. In 1954, this plan was updated to the "Basic Standardization Concept."

Joining the Program

Australia became part of the group in 1963. This led to the creation of the ABCA Program in 1964. In 1965, New Zealand joined as an observer. This meant they could watch and learn before becoming a full member.

Changing Focus

Originally, ABCANZ focused on making soldier equipment, training, and tactics the same. After the events of September 11, 2001, the program changed. Leaders decided it needed to be more flexible and focus on how armies work together. This update was finished by June 2004.

Also in 2004, the United States Marine Corps became more involved. A special agreement allowed them to be officially part of the program. Soon after, the Royal Marines from the United Kingdom also joined. New Zealand became a full member of ABCANZ in early 2006.

Similar Organizations

There are other groups like ABCANZ for different parts of the military.

• For navies, there is AUSCANNZUKUS.
• For air forces, there is the Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC).
• For military science, there is The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP).
• For intelligence, there are groups like UKUSA and Five Eyes.

See also

• Air and Space Interoperability Council (air forces)
• AUSCANNZUKUS (navies)
• CANZUK (proposed economic union)
• Combined Communications Electronics Board (communication-electronics)
• Five Eyes (intelligence)
• The Technical Cooperation Program (technology and science)
• UKUSA Agreement (signal intelligence)