The major political parties in St. Kitts and Nevis, namely, the Labor Party and the People Action Movement (PAM) have opposing views concerning the need for a defence force. Started by the Bradshaw-led Labor party in 1967, who saw the need of a force to assist the police, a regular force remained in power until he passed. After Premier Bradshaw's death on 23 May 1978, his deputy Paul Southwell replaced him. Although Dominican by birth, Southwell had been an active Kittitian and Nevisian politician since the 1940s. Before his death on 18 May 1979 and during his one-year term as Premier, Southwell retained the regular army as well as the reserve.

This policy was continued during Lee Moore's premiership (1979-1980). But Moore seemed conscious of the mounting opposition to the military and did not allow a new intake of recruits. The opposition, which emanated mostly from PAM, claimed that the islands were too small for a defence force and that financial allocations given to it were wasted funds. PAM was of the opinion that an army was not needed rather the police force of over 400 should be strengthened to carry out needed duties which are clearly part of their job. Simmonds stated that "we can only see it as an intimidation army of the Labor Party." Leader of the Opposition, Hugh Heyliger, recalled times before Labor's electoral defeat in the 1980 elections when the army was used "to intimidate and oppress people."

After PAM was elected to office in February 1980, its leader and the new premier of St. Kitts and Nevis Kennedy Simmons visited Springfield, the SKNDF headquarters. At that time, he stated that there would always be a defence force in the territory and that its personnel should have no fear of losing their jobs. Three weeks later, he, along with Simeon Daniel, Premier of Nevis and two others, visited the military detachment on Nevis and made a similar announcement.

Nevertheless, in relation to Nevis, 36 hours later, on 13 March 1980, Patrick Wallace, who at the time commanded the detachment on Nevis, received a telephone message from Regimental Sergeant Major Leroy Percival indicating that a decision had been made to close the Nevis detachment. Instructions were given to ship all military belongings to St. Kitts by police launch and that that which could not be taken should be stored at the Charlestown Police Station. When the soldiers were en route to St. Kitts, to be reassigned to Springfield, one of them, Ranger Monclair James, lost his life by drowning. Later, 12 to 15 soldiers from Springfield were sent to live at the Basseterre Fire Department and then moved to other police departments throughout St. Kitts and Nevis. Also, approximately ten police officers were sent to live in military barracks at Springfield. In due course, a meeting was held at Springfield to announce the fate of the regular force. Premier Kennedy Simmons, Attorney General Tapley Seaton, Commissioner of Police Stanley Franks and the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary, Calvin Farrier attended the meeting. Those gathered were told that the government had decided to dissolve the regular force thus allowing its members four choices. Three of the four were to join the police force, the prison service or the civil service. The fourth was for its members to be paid off. They were further told a decision was expected in three months. Two weeks later, however, on 23 September 1981, the regular force was at an end.7

This decision appears to have been largely influenced by PAM's perception of the close ties of the SKNDF to Bradshaw and the Labour Party. In so doing, it constrained PAM to seek to find loyal supporters to become part of the officer corps and to command the force but these efforts were fruitless.

Vernon Fleming, a party activist, who claimed previous service in the British Army, was made a lieutenant in the force. In this vein, it has even been proffered that attempts were made to recruit St. Kitts nationals overseas who were believed to be supporters of PAM and who had served in foreign militaries to return and join the SKNDF.

After its demise, the vast majority of the ex-members of the defunct regular section either joined the police force, entered the local civil service or emigrated to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, some of the latter joining the U.S. armed forces (Frank Mills, "Determinants and Consequences of the Migration Culture of St. Kitts-Nevis" in Patricia R. Pessar, When Borders Don't Divide: Labor Migration and Refugee Movement in the Americas, New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1988: 48).

The weapons and equipment were transferred to the police with the semi-automatic weapons going to the police's Tactical Unit, later converted to the Special Service Unit. The head of the Unit at that time was Sgt. Felix Hodge (later Deputy Commissioner of Police). However, when the Labor Party led by Denzil Douglas was returned to power, the regular corps, after a 16-year hiatus, was reactivated on 1 June 1997.