After an internal debate on whether the Australian Army should continue to operate tanks as part of its force structure, in 2004 the Australian Government decided to replace the Leopards with a small fleet of American M1A1 Abrams tanks to provide close support for infantry when operating in jungle or urban areas. After 31 years of service the Leopards were subsequently replaced by 59 M1A1 Abrams AIM, which began entering service in 2007. As of 2007 the 1st Armoured Regiment, located in Darwin as part of the mechanised 1st Brigade, was the only armoured unit in the Australian Army equipped with main battle tanks, operating the M1A1 Abrams AIM. A small number of M1A1s were also operated by the School of Armour at Puckapunyal for training purposes.
