The series was based upon the adventures of Australian Military Intelligence operatives in the South West Pacific during World War II.

Spyforce was designed by Roger Mirams to be a wartime espionage action adventure in the format of a weekly, hour-long television mini-film.

It was very much intended to highlight the important role played by Australian forces in achieving victory in World War II, but also remain exciting and compelling.

[citation needed] Unlike many previous war films, particularly American ones, Spyforce does not portray the protagonists as invincible, who always win an easy victory.

Cato's unit is responsible for sabotage and covert operations, often behind enemy lines, against Japanese forces in the South West Pacific during World War II.

Colonel Cato recruits both Erskine and Gunther Haber into the Special Intelligence Unit as civilian operatives due to their intimate knowledge of the South West Pacific and New Guinea.

The narration during the opening credit sequence stated: Early in 1942 the Japanese Army swept through the South Pacific towards the Australian mainland.

As a result numbers of civilian planters and soldiers were formed into highly trained espionage teams by Allied Headquarters in Australia.

[4][5][6] The idea appealed to American producers Paramount Pictures, who backed Mirams to begin production without having seen a script.