The regular section of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force was started in 1967 on two different occasions. In the eyes of the Bradshaw administration, the creation of a regular force seemed justifiable because the police as well as the volunteers in the pre-existing defence force, who were deemed to be inadequately trained and poorly armed, were incapable of containing the unrest which was bent on breaking the union between St. Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla. The establishment of a regular force gave St. Kitts and Nevis the distinction of being the first Commonwealth Caribbean country in the Leeward Islands to institute a "regular core" of full time soldiers.

Even after Anguilla's secession from St. Kitts and Nevis became a fait accomplit in 1969, in the ensuing years, personnel from the defence force and police were routinely employed by the Labor government to intimidate political opponents on both St. Kitts and Nevis in view of the growing support for PAM. In so doing, the security forces also served as a deterrent to the secession of Nevis.

In contrast to Anguilla, the security forces, assisted by the geographical proximity of the two islands and the closer ties between them, was successful, along with other factors, at discouraging the secession of Nevis.

In addition to internal security, which appears to have been its main role, the SKNDF carried out ceremonial tasks, assisted the government and spearheaded relief efforts. In the case of the latter, the most memorable was the aftermath of the Christina disaster in 1970.

Given Bradshaw's personalistic relationship with the SKNDF and the ensuing perception that it was largely controlled by the Labor party, when PAM assumed power in February 1980, efforts were made to find party loyalists to put in top positions in the force. However, when these failed the new government felt that, in the interest of its own political self-preservation, it was left with little choice and disbanded the regular force though it retained the reserve arm.

After Kennedy Simmons, leader of PAM, served four terms as Premier and Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, equivalent to 15 years, the Labor Party, under the leadership of Denzil Douglas, was returned to power on 3 July 1995. Shortly thereafter, Labor revived the regular arm of the Defence Force which it established in 1967. The Defence Force has continued many of its non-military functions and has also become increasing involved in "policing," including the combating of drug and other illegal activity, thus leading to a blurring of the roles of the police and the military.