 Over the course of November 1942 through February 1943 the unit was attached to the 2nd Australian Armoured Brigade and the 2nd Australian Motor Brigade.However, by early 1943 the strategic threat to Australia from Japan had lessened, which meant that the need for large armoured formations to defend Australia had vanished.As a result, the 17th Motor Regiment was ordered to disband on 13 February 1942.