In the aftermath of the campaign the Australian 5th Division was tasked with providing a garrison force for the north-east coast of New Guinea, patrolling the area around Madang, which would be built up as a base with the intention of being able to supply 35,000 troops for subsequent operations. Meanwhile, the bulk of the Australian first line combat troops were withdrawn to Australia for rest and re-organisation. The commitment of US troops from the 32nd Division to the fighting around Saidor – coupled with the dispatch of the US 41st Division to the Salamaua campaign earlier in 1943 – represented a shift in the Allied strategy of giving the Australians autonomy of operations in New Guinea and from early 1944 until the end of the war, the US Army would assume primary responsibility for offensive operations in the Pacific.