Vol. 74/No. 48 December 20, 2010
The rulers here have for many years been rebuilding their links with U.S. imperialism after their formal alliance was ended by Washington in 1985. That came after the Labour government banned visits to New Zealand ports by U.S., British, and other nuclear-armed or propelled naval vessels, a move coming out of the protest movement here that opposed the imperialist assault on Vietnam.
In a shift from the previous governments efforts to disguise military operations under the banner of peacekeeping, aid, and diplomacy, the White Paper more clearly spells out the combat role of the New Zealand military in defending the interests of New Zealand imperialism in the Pacific and around the world.
It signals the governments intention to strengthen military collaboration with other traditional allies like the United Kingdom, Canada, and, in particular, Australia. To assist this collaboration and prepare for future combat, the White Paper projects beefing up the Defence Forces frontline capabilities to allow more troops to be deployed overseas for longer. The Special Forces will be enlarged, air and sea transport capabilities improved, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capacity stepped up. Naval combat capacities will also be upgraded, in particular to ensure the continued operation of New Zealands newest frigates, a key part of the NZDFs contribution to imperialist operations, such as patrolling the Arab-Persian Gulf.
Uniformed personnel in nonoperational postsup to 1,400 peoplewill be freed up for deployment and replaced by civilian employees. Military bases will be reviewed and combined.
The NZDF comprises 9,673 regular troops, 2,314 reservists, and 2,590 civilians, a small but heavily deployed force, according to the paper. In the future more effort must be placed, it says, on recruiting personnel from non-traditional sources, including from ethnic groups, which are under-represented in the NZDF.
The paper stresses the role of the New Zealand military in backing the rulers interests in the Pacific, including against their imperialist rivals. In particular it projects continuing NZDFs intervention in Timor-Leste and in the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands, where the NZDF has been since 2003. It also projects continuing the 70-year presence of the NZDF in the Middle East and participating in United Nations-led peacekeeping operations in Africa.
U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton recently visited New Zealand and signed a new agreement for closer military collaboration between the two countries. Clinton described her trip as part of a committed, concerted effort to restore Americas rightful place as an engaged Pacific nation.
In a press conference November 5, Clinton praised New Zealands participation in the U.S.-led intervention in Afghanistan. Since 2003, the New Zealand government has maintained a 140-strong Provincial Reconstruction Team in Bamiyan Province, Afghanistan, and in August resumed deployment of Special Air Service troops to the country.
Front page (for this issue) |
Home |
Text-version home