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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 27, 2017 21:54:57 GMT 12
Good article. Not so sure about Phil Goff being the Labour saviour of the NZDF though. He was a big part of the 2000/2001 Labour Defence slash and burn. Agreed, reading the article gave me the same impression. IMO, NZ having no military capabilities beyond a small coast guard may occur by the year 2030. Eventually a future government will no longer be able to delay purchasing new frigates and aircraft. I suspect the RNZN faces the greatest risk due to scale of economy. Ordering only 2 hulls (the Anzac frigate replacement) is a sure way of increasing the final bill. The RNZN combat arm may be scraped all together.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Feb 14, 2017 12:15:34 GMT 12
The essential problem is the UK government fails to understand you cannot gut the defence budget and still expect the same level of operational capabilities which includes a global presence. If you take away global reach it's the same kind of road successive NZ governments have chosen to take.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 25, 2016 19:37:01 GMT 12
As a retired CDEM Officer, I believe the issues with the organisation are that there is a lack of commitment from the political arena to adequately resource the organisation at all levels. The links between each level are frequently ambiguous, poorly planned and often heavily reliant on goodwill of the volunteers who are the coalface. More full time staff at all levels, clear statements of responsibility and a willingness to work together would go a long way to make a complicated system work in times of high stress. First of you would have to convince people at the volunteer level in a place like Invercargill that Civil Defence is more than something that appears in the news and on their rates bills. Southland CDEM has a volunteer coordinator. Yet I haven't heard a peep from Southland CDEM in over 2 years. My aim isn't to grumble. I think without a major event like the Canterbury Earthquakes there simply isn't any interest in the Civil Defence sector.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 25, 2016 18:30:45 GMT 12
I have just spent the last 2 days in civil defence workshops down south with a very big focus on earthquake preparedness and recovery. The scenarios we went through ARE bloody scary. This earthquake sequence is far from over according to the scientists. The bungled West Coast Civil Defence warning was made with very good intentions. Rather than shoot the messenger everyone should heed the message. 1 in 5 Wellington civil servants are now out of their offices and the list is growing by the day. Wellington and many other places around NZ are just not prepared enough for the big one that will come one day (and it may be sooner than any of us want to think about). In my experience a lot depends on the part of the country you live in. Southland CDEM seems to exist at the bureaucratic level more than anything else. On the other hand the experiences with the quakes in North Canterbury has seen a active community in Waimakariri CDEM.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 19, 2016 22:08:52 GMT 12
I like the model of the RN auxiliary force. Keep a range of logistical and support ships available for use in the likes of disaster relief without sacrificing more high end front line capabilities. The model worked great until budget cutbacks gutted the RN. In essence I think the problems can be boiled down to the fact NZ doesn't produce any military or civilian strategic thinkers.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 19, 2016 20:02:44 GMT 12
Snafu, if the worst happens in terms of a military disaster time may have already run out for it to have been averted. By that I mean even if there is a sudden change in Defence Policy new hardware can't be put into service overnight. The bureaucratic acquisition process would alone take years. I don't like saying any of this. Fingers crossed that I am wrong.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 16, 2016 15:14:31 GMT 12
A good training run for the NZDF in the event of a wartime emergency knocking out defence related infrastructure.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 14, 2016 12:59:33 GMT 12
Virtually the whole country felt the first one and there have been loads of quakes since. Bloody nasty, that long rolling quake scared the crap out of me I even felt the quake very mildly in Invercargill. Who needs Hollywood anymore? In between Donald Trump and earthquakes the world is plenty interesting enough.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Nov 9, 2016 22:09:34 GMT 12
Given the outcome of the US election this topic may become a relevant one again for NZ! If Trump expects the US allies to pull their weight more then we have some work to do! I have been thinking the same for awhile. NZ may be finally forced to adopt a sound defence strategy build around Air and Sea Power.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 21, 2016 17:12:15 GMT 12
There is plenty of housing here now. Prices have actually dropped because there is more supply than demand (take note Auckland, it does work!). It is also a lot cheaper out in the big new subdivisions at Rolleston (near Burnham) than it is in Chch itself. Well I hope the subdivisions out at Rolleston are better situated than they are around Kaiapoi. When I left North Canterbury the housing estates around Kaiapoi were going up in a flood prone area or a area which had been farmland in summertime only. It is surely a case of buyer beware.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 13, 2016 16:01:16 GMT 12
If China goes to war in that region, how will New Zealand be able to react? We cannot condone it, we cannot take up arms against them, and we cannot speak out against it without repercussions. So much of our industry is now Chinese owned now, and most of our goods in stores including a lot of our food is manufactured there, plus in Auckland 1 in every 12 people are now Chinese. NZ will hesitate to say anything against China as it'll mean economic collapse. NZ's relationship with China has really compromised our own sovereignty in a lot of ways. Thanks Helen... The duration of the war and how far southward Chinese military expansion comes would be factors which would come into play.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 12, 2016 14:34:43 GMT 12
Indeed, with the Chinese rattling swords, And the Poms, French and Yanks all winding up the Russians right now, it's like we're suddenly back in the Cold War, only it's worse as the leaders of these countries nowadays have very few clues. Completely clueless to the fact Russia is ironically playing the role Germany did in WW2. Not to mention China is filling the role of Japan.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 12, 2016 14:26:38 GMT 12
***SARCASM WARNING*** What a wonderful "benign security environment" we live in today. You said it better than I could have done so. No good is going to come from the South China's Sea territorial dispute.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 9, 2016 20:26:32 GMT 12
Everyone else is significantly closer, and we are much closer to places they regularly operate in. And if you thought NZ Defence cuts were bad, the Brits' have been much worse. Considering the population difference between the UK and NZ it is possible to make such a argument. Essentially the cutbacks have a reduced the RN in size more akin to the RAN than it's old Cold War self. Notable the RAN doesn't have any flat tops in service and in the near future the RN will be short on amphibious ships. In short if something unexpected happens the RN will want to borrow HMAS Canberra and the RAN would want HMS Queen Elizabeth after she enters service.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Sept 13, 2016 18:15:28 GMT 12
Finally a NZ politician stating that Helen Clark's "benign strategic environment" no longer exists... but I have news for you Gerry, it never existed! Does that mean we get our Air Combat Force back? Nicely said. I couldn't agree more. All I can say is at times like I find NZ political leaders to be embarrassing.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Sept 13, 2016 18:10:53 GMT 12
Dreams are free Don.They are wasting all the budget on more bloody ships. In short a combination of daft political decisions and a lack of public in Air and Sea Power is at work. I think Dave's statement has hit upon something very important. Air Power 101 tell us ships don't fare well without air cover. Coming back to the topic. The upgrades to the P-3 Orion's is a small win for the RNZAF.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 21, 2016 23:08:18 GMT 12
Hi Baz, I have sent a message to Tim Costley regarding the money, hoping he can send us a bank account number. I'll let you know what I hear back. Note also the word SKY behind John. (part of WHISKY) You should be able to finish off your restoration with $120 I guess? I am not sure if this will help or not. A Bank Account number can be found on the Trust's Website. www.missingwingmantrust.org.nz/#!financial-support/rx5gs
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 14, 2016 23:23:22 GMT 12
I would like to wish those who are hosting one of the meals all the best for doing so. A great concept that I hope will raise plenty of funds for the Wingman Trust.
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Post by thelensofhistory on May 26, 2016 14:21:43 GMT 12
MadMac I agree with everything you have said. Since our politicians are fools the outcome of future events can only reflect this point.
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Post by thelensofhistory on May 25, 2016 15:10:52 GMT 12
If that is all that is holding up the white paper, well its not worth waiting for. We need to ditch this balanced Force BS quick smart, marine force projection (air & space based) is all that we can afforded in sufficient quantity to defend New Zealand. For that to happen NZ politicians would need brain transplants.
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