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Vol. 74/No. 48      December 20, 2010

 
New Zealand military
expands for new wars
 
BY FELICITY COGGAN  
AUCKLAND, New Zealand—In its first military review in 13 years, the New Zealand government released a “Defence White Paper” that projects a significant reshaping of the New Zealand Defence Forces (NZDF). It anticipates more wars ahead; an ongoing commitment of New Zealand troops currently deployed in Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, and other countries; and a stepped-up emphasis on the need to be an “active, engaged and stalwart partner of the United States.”

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 government’s 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 government’s 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 Zealand’s newest frigates, a key part of the NZDF’s contribution to imperialist operations, such as patrolling the Arab-Persian Gulf.

Uniformed personnel in nonoperational posts—up to 1,400 people—will 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 NZDF’s 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 America’s rightful place as an engaged Pacific nation.”

In a press conference November 5, Clinton praised New Zealand’s 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.  
 
 
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