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Post by thelensofhistory on Oct 1, 2015 13:04:07 GMT 12
Considering what Goff (and Clark et al) did to our boys when they came back from Vietnam methinks its a little bit rich of him to now do the 'I'm shocked, I'm amazed' routine. Hypocrisy-much IMHO. Some of us DON'T forget what went on... FWIW, being seen as the 'champion' of the NZDF evidently suits the NZLP's current 'get John Key' meme, but be under no illusions; because they are ultimately all pacifists (and don't like things that go 'bang'), to such people as Goff, the NZDf is something to be emasculated at all costs (the 'Strike Wing' comes immediately to mind). The fact that NZ will be defenceless as a result is totally irrelevant - ideology is all. This latest (carefully manufactured) hysteria is just another step along the same path... Nor should it be forgotten. Vietnam Veterans and their off spring (I am the son of a 5RAR veteran) will appreciate this. www.facebook.com/Children.Of.Vietnam.Veterans.OfficialPage/photos/a.519249018119730.113503.137155872995715/1014268761951084/?type=3&theater
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Post by thelensofhistory on Sept 29, 2015 23:21:34 GMT 12
Successive governments have been able to gut the NZDF because the general public tends to lack the understanding about the importance of the armed forces. The problem is going come down the not to distance road when it comes back to haunt us.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 29, 2015 23:57:24 GMT 12
A terrible price is going to be paid, when the day comes when the NZDF needs the capabilities the Skyhawkes and the F-16's would have offered. I hope the people who could see this coming will march up in protest against the MP's who let it happen.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 18, 2015 22:35:18 GMT 12
Yeah , I do think the Australians will fit out the Type 26 or another design to suit their own needs. The RAN will aim for interoperability with the USN. Yeah New Zealand should aim to purchase four hulls. They could be fitted out by local industry. Although the weapons and combat system will have to be installed overseas.
I think a replacement for HMZS Canterbury and the Protector-class OPV's could be thrown into the deal as well.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 7, 2015 19:12:21 GMT 12
When planning the invasion of Japan, from what I have read over the years MacArthur suddenly took a liking to Australian troops. (MacArthur declined to use Diggers in the liberation of the Philippines.) So I think that any available RAF and RNZAF squadrons would have seen operational combat. Purely from memory 75 squadron was ear marked to destroy the bridges that linked the island's of Kyushu to Honshu.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 3, 2015 16:26:34 GMT 12
Hopefully this is of interest to any of my fellow WW2 buffs who may be on the boards. The master recording of Emperor Hirohito's speech announcing Japan's World War II surrender has been brought back to life in digital form, ahead of the 70th anniversary of the end of the war on September 2. The Imperial Household Agency on Saturday released the original audio from the vinyl master records of Hirohito's radio broadcast on August 15, 1945. The surrender speech by the emperor, known as the Gyokuon-hoso, or "jewel voice broadcast", had been available only as a low quality copy made by the US occupying forces in 1946. The four-and-a-half-minute speech was digitally remastered by the agency. Background noise can still be heard in the new version, but an agency official was quoted by the Yomiuri Shimbun as saying: "The voice pitch and intonation reflected the emperor's natural atmosphere and was close to his real voice." In the speech the emperor announced the nation's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, which demanded Japan's unconditional surrender, pledging "to pave the way for a grand peace for all the generations to come by enduring the unendurable and suffering what is insufferable". The speech was recorded on August 14 at the Imperial Palace, and the emperor's announcement was broadcast at noon the following day. The five vinyl master records, which have been kept as part of the imperial family's collection, are among historical documents and materials made available to the pubic this year to mark the war-end anniversary. The agency also released photos and films of a bomb shelter at the palace, which has not been used since the end of the war. The shelter was the venue of an imperial conference on August 14, 1945, when the emperor officially decided to surrender days after the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "We judged it is of great significance to make the major symbolic items related to the end of the war widely known to the public at the timing of the 70th anniversary," the agency said, according to Kyodo News. In April, Japan's current Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko visited the Pacific nation of Palau to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Some 10,000 Japanese solders were killed during a two-month fight in 1944 on Palau's Peleliu island, along with 1,700 Americans. The couple visited a Japanese-built memorial and met with veterans and local residents. www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/japan-releases-original-audio-of-wwii-emporers-surrender-speech/6666520
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Post by thelensofhistory on Aug 1, 2015 15:29:18 GMT 12
Sorry if this has already been posted. A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster has flown over the Gold Coast and Brisbane this morning in a show of support for White Ribbon Australia's biggest fundraiser of the year. The high-wing, four-engine heavy transporter departed from RAAF Base Amberley at 10:00am and headed to the northern New South Wales coast before turning back, flying approximately three kilometres off the coast by Byron Bay, Tweed Heads, and the Gold Coast. It then flew around the north of Stradbroke Island before heading west towards Brisbane and over the Gabba. About 11:30am the Globemaster flew along the Brisbane River before turning north over Toowong and returning home to Amberley. The flyover was in support of White Ribbon Night, which is on today. The event is an annual initiative intended to raise money to support White Ribbon Australia's work to deliver vital violence prevention programs across the country. It is one of White Ribbon Australia's biggest fundraisers. The C-17A Globemaster has three times the carrying capacity of the C-130 Hercules, allowing Australia to rapidly deploy troops, supplies, combat vehicles, heavy equipment and helicopters anywhere in the world. It can carry up to 77 tonnes, ranging from an M1 Abrams Tank, four Bushmaster vehicles, three Black Hawk helicopters, or be converted to an aero-medical evacuation capacity. www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-31/air-force-globemaster-flyover-gold-coast-brisbane-white-ribbon/6662446
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jul 29, 2015 15:09:52 GMT 12
My guess is that the RAN will go with the Type 26 modified for tropical service , improved defensive measures and maybe additional surface warfare capability. Smaller frigates/Corvettes are fine if you exclude the air/missile defence role, anti shipping missiles and cruise missiles. I could see the NZ government opting for two Frigates or even the Black Swan Class sloop-of-war if it comes to fruition.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jul 28, 2015 20:08:16 GMT 12
The game is still in Alpha. So it's still early to make a judgement call on how it will turn out. Still judging from what I have seen the game looks promising.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jul 28, 2015 19:40:16 GMT 12
Why not? Anyone who decides to bomb Government and private properties in order to make a political point and an attempt to spark some sort of revolution through terrorising the community is quite clearly a terrorist. These were terrorist attacks, no question of it, in my opinion. Agreed. I think given the recent shooting at a US Marine recruiting office , the topic is very relevant. It does sadden me that this is the case.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jul 22, 2015 16:22:19 GMT 12
What a wonderful set of photos, thanks for sharing Peter!! I second this.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jul 12, 2015 19:38:59 GMT 12
Give them all troopseats, that will shut the whingers up. Would that be sitting on the floor or something akin to a bench?
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 25, 2015 20:04:54 GMT 12
If the Govt updates the Air Force and Navy transport fleets they'd be used to cart the Army around the South Pacific faster/more efficiently, which is still in keeping with the 2000 policy. If I was an Army planner I wouldn't exactly be running for cover. The real issue is that the NZDF doesn't have a adequate force structure , thanks to the adoption of the policy. The pending White Paper is really the government's last chance to make any meaningful defence policy decisions. I am not holding my breath.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 19, 2015 20:56:34 GMT 12
Letting Treasure dictate defence policy is like putting Homer Simpson in charge of Nuclear Power. A greater focus on the Southern Ocean makes little sense when the ongoing territorial disputes in Asia. What happens in Asia will dictate NZ destiny over the next 10 - 15 years.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 17, 2015 23:19:30 GMT 12
Isn't adding two more frigates to a conflict simply adding two more targets? We need maritime strike fighters, not boats. Great question. I do think that both are required. Strike aircraft to provide air cover and frigates to provide ASW. TBH I think that modern day military planners have completely lost sight of what is install for frigates in a future conflict. They will have a high attrition rate in the same way destroyers did in the Battle of the Atlantic. My way of thinking is that the NZDF core roles should be amphibious warfare and countering Area Access/Denial operations in Asia and the South Pacific. People are welcome to disagree (flame away) but I think that is doesn't make sense for the HMNZS Te Mana and Te Kaha to deploy to the Middle East or The Horn of Africa. Any conventional military threat to NZ is going to come from Asia. In the event of war breaking out in Asia what good will the navy's frigates be if they are deployed on the other side of the world?
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 17, 2015 21:27:57 GMT 12
The problem like with any specialist industry is that when you get rid of it, regaining that level of knowledge and experience takes years. It is cheaper in the long run to retain it. Over the years I have made this to different people concerning the RNZAF "air combat arm". It is always easier to call on a skill set when it is needed then having to recreate it from scratch.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 17, 2015 21:18:16 GMT 12
Future conflicts will be medium to high intensity and some of them will be in New Zealand's backyard. I would argue that the RNZN being equipped with 4 frigates is the bare min. The replacements for the Anzac Class Frigates will need to incorporate the Air/Missile Defence role. I think the NZ government will rule out the Type 26 frigate based on the per unit cost.
One of the rebounding effects of the UK government's defence cutbacks will be an increase in per unit costs in new naval vessels. By ordering fewer hulls the cost will rise significantly. The lower costs that come from mass production will vanish. The New Zealand government only ordering two replacement frigates would encounter the same issue. No opportunity exists to drive down the price on the basis of ordering 4-6 vessels.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 16, 2015 1:10:56 GMT 12
Australia is budgeting 1.8% of GDP for defence, and targeting 2% in future. NZ has a disadvantage being far away from everywhere, but 1.8% of GDP shouldnt be so bad? We should first be trying to compensate for the years that we were lucky to spend 1.1% of GDP and deal with the block obsolescence we have at the moment. We are certainly not geared up for anything like a medium intensity conflict, and MoD still think we have too many LAVs. Yeah the option of buying Frigates that are built for but not with won't be available. The idea has been discredited by the cost the Australians have incurred upgrading their Anzac Class frigates. Also the declining international situation very much discredits the idea. Had the government began to compensate for the long period of gross under funding and reductions in capabilities in 2008 a figure a "sudden spike" in defence spending wouldn't have been required. A responsible government would have restored the RNZAF "air strike" capability as a starting point. New Zealand is just going to have to face the next decade military wholly unprepared and relearn some hard lessons about the value of air and sea power.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 11, 2015 17:30:04 GMT 12
I think its about the relative priority the population as a whole believes defence should get, because defence budgets have to be backed up by support from the voters instead of bleating from greenish looking stirrers. I guess they get travel sickness. Yeah the problem is that their will at some point in the not to distance future be serious consequences because of this point. A look at the forces involved with INTERNET. www.victoria.ac.nz/hppi/centres/strategic-studies/publications/strategic-briefing-papers/East-Timor.pdf
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Post by thelensofhistory on Jun 9, 2015 18:04:40 GMT 12
The force structure of the RNZN needs an overhaul in order to accommodate 4 frigates. It is worth noting that when INTERFET took place the RNZN still had 4 frigates and the Skyhawks were still in service.
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