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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 4, 2015 19:21:58 GMT 12
Wow I am ashamed that NZ doesn't have its own defence industry.
Have the Danes solved the problems the USN has had with the modular on the LCS? The Harpoon missile is reaching the end of its life cycle. A combination of factors (US budget cutbacks and history of canceled projects in general) leave me wondering if the RN and the RAN will experience a capability gap when it comes to anti shipping missiles?
Providing they can be modified for conditions beyond the Baltic the Danish Frigates deserve serious consideration.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 4, 2015 19:03:49 GMT 12
There will be many here that have been positive vetted or have similar obligations. ie those that know can't and don't talk about such matters. I won't pretend I am up with the play but I knew the system and some of the guys that made it all work. I suspect a few of the readers here would even be still current in intelligence matters and the likes. They will have their own opinions obviously but once again won't be debating tales on a forum. You may be better off buying some of Hager's books, he strikes me as the type of plonker that is prepared to run with the fraction of the story that suits him. Again, some of these guys even believe themselves..... What a sad indictment of the Kiwi mentality that demands conformity of everybody's thinking. Information about the cut backs in US military spending is publicly available. So is info about the USN replacing frigates with LCS. If you choose to believe against common sense that you need to have access to classified intel to make any kind of judgments on what the future holds that is your business. For people like me who don't wish to get their coverage of world events from the Kiwi Media , we have to make our own judgments.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 3, 2015 14:18:06 GMT 12
All very good points. The Australian defence industry needs to retool because 3D printing has rendered current production lines obsolete. Sea 5000 requirments (image source) If the RNZN could get the same capabilities and remain inter operable with the RAN I am all for other options. What concerns me is the missile defence role. If in the event of war the Hobart Class AWD are deployed with a USN Carrier group NZ may be left vulnerable.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 2, 2015 19:26:22 GMT 12
Is anybody going to play this game? If so did you play Hearts of Iron 3? I played a little a bit of the second game in the series . The third game ran painfully slow on my old laptop so I was never able to give it a could go. In the previous games New Zealand was a playable country.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 2, 2015 15:51:45 GMT 12
But they are unlikely to bite the hand that feeds them... literally... but they may control it though. The NZ - China trade relationship of convenience and in no way is a security guarantee. Its clear as the US become more isolationist like it did in the 30's Aust and NZ will have to stand on there own two feet.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 2, 2015 0:18:59 GMT 12
For all the people who do not wish to tackle me on this topic in the thread I linked to above , please look into the effects of the Sequestration budget cutbacks on the US military. Long held assumptions about the size of the US military are changing.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 1, 2015 20:32:57 GMT 12
Why are you so obsessed about China, you're not Winston Peters are you? Obsessed no , realistic yes. As US defence cutbacks come into force China is growing stronger. By 2020 the USN will be down to one Carrier group due to the cutbacks. The Chinese will need time to train air crews for the additional carriers they build. At the time the Chinese are and will be developing their amphibious doctrine. The Chinese will settle territorial disputes via force.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Apr 1, 2015 19:14:36 GMT 12
Zacyates the short answer is a combination of factors. China territorial ambitions are going unchecked and they under taking a massive naval build up. Baronbeeza copy -paste your post into this topic and I will happily reply to your and anyone else's posts. I don't wish to go too far off topic.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 31, 2015 20:24:23 GMT 12
NATO is best left to its own devices. In the next 5-10 years Russia will go to war against NATO.
In the same time period or so NZ is going to face a war against China. Australia won't be in a position to defend NZ as they will be focused on events to the North of the country. All those combat capabilities that the NZDF was never going to need will have to be acquired and the NZDF reconfigured as a war time military.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 31, 2015 20:12:45 GMT 12
Does anyone here have any confidence left that the Minister of Defence and his department have any clues about what they are supposed to be there for, or any idea of how much damage their previous policies have done to the morale and credibility of the NZDF? I cannot help but feel that over successive years under people like Burton, Goff and now this drip of a minister, Coleman, the department must have no idea what a Defence Force is actually for and their purpose for being, and no clues of what direction it should actually be taken in. They just seem to have one policy, save money and hope for the best. Someone needs to tell them our Defence Force is there to preserve our freedom, and as is well known, freedom is not free. I feel the same way and you can throw Brownlee into the same mix as well. I don't post the full extend of my feelings on the shabby treatment the NZDF has gotten over the last 20 years or so because I don't wish to offend those who have served in uniform.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 31, 2015 18:52:03 GMT 12
Dave I am aware of the Limited Service Volunteer scheme. I have wondered why they just didn't go the whole hog. At the other end of the spectrum why not have the NZDF target the likes of Nursing graduates who are looking for employment? The in which NZ can get by with a bare banes military is running out .
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 30, 2015 20:53:53 GMT 12
Phil do you think it would be worthwhile for the RNZAF to have the gap year scheme?
Do you think the RNZAF will be able to sustain itself recruitment wise with its current public profile?
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 30, 2015 20:44:54 GMT 12
Is the fact Airbus is conducting such an advertising campaign in NZ a sign that orders a drying up for them in traditional markets? Don't be so negative; it's a bit of a theme for your posts! I'd take it as a sign that the programmes fixed costs are known, that profit margins have been eroded by increasing costs, and any sale outside the 'traditional' markets is extra margin. Its more that the decisions made by governments since the 90's have been gross errors that will cost the country dearly in the not too distance future. If I had reason to believe the government of the day would make a good decision I would feel a lot differently. I won't go on any further as I do not wish to go off topic.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 29, 2015 19:33:16 GMT 12
Many of the guys that did time with the mob must be wondering where these ideas are coming from. The RNZAF, in my day at least, would not be well equipped to deal with such types. I would think the situation would be much worse now. Why would you want to wish anything like this on the military ? I can't see any political party going near it and I still have strong memories of the 1972 election. We may be in a completely different environment now but if I am reading you correctly what you have in mind would have to be an unacceptable burden surely. Charter schools and the Prison Service may be in line with those suggestions but again I thought both of those institutions were already doing something similar. Have you ever served in the Defence Force in any capacity ? Somehow I can't see much of an Air Force perspective there. It would not go down well with the troops I am sure. I am just putting ideas out there for discussion. Your right about no political party would go near it. I can see your point concerning the Air Force. What happens when the RNZAF needs to expand beyond its current size? No I haven't served in the Defence Force. I do care about the armed services. If you want an example of a like minded person (the issue of CMT aside) check out www.savetheroyalnavy.org/ IMO a higher degree of public awareness about the role of the RNZAF and the other services is needed. Note I am not directly connected to the Save the Royal Navy Campaign but I did interview its founder for my podcast.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 29, 2015 19:00:18 GMT 12
Why on earth would you want to saddle a professional military with babysitting duties? A perfectly valid question. I think if the scheme was voluntary you would avoid the lazy bums. Up until the 90's the Australian Army ran an apprenticeship scheme in high schools.Everybody benefited the Army got skilled trades people. After they left the army young people had a trade that could hold them in good stead. Sure there would be more front up costs but in the long term it would pay off. The other argument I would make is having a bare bones NZDF is in polite terms darn right dangerous. At some point in the not too distance future this danger is going to be before us.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 29, 2015 17:44:34 GMT 12
And who would do the jobs of the military people assigned to train all these unemployed? Which outputs would you suggest we axe to provide personnel and funding training to all the unemployed? Okay two ways would exist if National Service or just was to reintroduced. The first way would be to push unemployed youths towards military service. This isn't practical for a number of reasons. My preferred option wouldn't be National Service/CMT in its original form. I would aim for military/civilian apprenticeships in Charter schools. Greater ties with universities and other training providers would be useful. Even with a voluntary scheme I think there would be clear benefits.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 28, 2015 15:27:49 GMT 12
It won't happen until NZ faces wartime conditions but I would like to see a return to National Service/CMT in NZ. I honesty think that unemployed youth's would be better off gaining a trade in the military than receiving the dole and trying to navigate the private sector job market. Those who aren't suited to service in the NZDF could serve in a Kiwi version of the Peace corps.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 28, 2015 14:44:33 GMT 12
Is the fact Airbus is conducting such an advertising campaign in NZ a sign that orders a drying up for them in traditional markets?
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 24, 2015 15:50:59 GMT 12
Given the cost of the upgrade wouldn't it have been better to bring forward the replacement of the Anzac Class frigates? The Anzac Class frigates were built for but not with which kept costs down. The strategic environment in Asia was a lot quieter in the 1980's than it is today.
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Post by thelensofhistory on Mar 22, 2015 19:52:11 GMT 12
If I can speak generally for a moment. The general public has little or no awareness of the role of the RNZAF and the rest of the NZDF. If they did the government wouldn't be able to get away with current spending levels/policies. The RN is suffering from the same problem the general public in the UK has forgotten the importance of the Navy to that country.
Political decisions by successive governments are finally catching up with the NZDF. When Helen canned the F-16 deal she removed the chance of such deals being done in the future. So instead of the NZ government having a deal with Australia to buy frigates ,aircraft and so on the current situation is at hand. Suffice to say I am mad as hell.
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