Rumours about the axing of the Gurkhas emerged and Walker played an astute hand involving the King of Nepal and the U.S. Ambassador there to protect them. It did not endear him to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff and he came close to being sacked. However, on 8 December 1962, while he was in Nepal visiting Gurkha pensioners in the Himalayas and some days walk from transport, a revolt broke out in Brunei. Walker reached Singapore 9 days later. Walker was appointed COMBRITBOR on 19 December with command over all British forces (land, sea and air) in the colonies of Sarawak and North Borneo, and the protectorate of Brunei. The revolt was quickly mopped up and incipient revolts in Sarawak prevented by an influx of British and Gurkha troops. However, clues of Indonesian sympathy for the insurgents and emerging hostility caused Walker concern. The situation gradually evolved into the Confrontation. However, Walker was master of the situation and developed an effective operational concept and tactics to contain the threat, and most importantly retain the military initiative. The outcome was a successful campaign ending in August 1966. Walker handed over as commander in March 1965. During the campaign he established good relations with the Labour Defence and Army ministers (Denis Healey and Fred Mulley). He was appointed CB and awarded a second bar to the DSO. He returned to the UK and in 1965 was posted to NATO as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Plans, Operations and Intelligence, Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe in Paris where his job was to plan and execute the headquarters' move out of France. He accomplished this complex task on time and very efficiently. Promoted and knighted in 1968 he was appointed General Officer Commanding in Chief of Northern Command in the UK from 1967. Finally in 1969 he was promoted to General and appointed NATO's Commander in Chief Allied Forces Northern Europe with headquarters in Oslo. This covered German Jutland, Denmark and Norway but had no direct command responsibilities in peacetime. Walker saw his role as publicising the threat. The region faced an overwhelming and expanding Soviet force and while he did not expect Soviet direct attack he did see a strategic threat of expanding influence aimed at neutralising the Nordic countries (and possibly beyond) and clearing the path into the North Atlantic. Pointing this out did not endear him to some politicians and even his NATO superior. He retired from the army in 1972. Walker was Colonel of 7th (Duke of Edinburgh's Own) Gurkha Rifles from 1964 to 1975.