Joint Defence Contingent mooted by Aus and NZ govt

[flyinkiwi]

www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/2772003/Anzac-defence-contingent-considered

New Zealand and Australia's prime ministers have asked their defence chiefs to investigate a joint Anzac defence contingent.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced the initiative at a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Canberra today.

Mr Rudd said the defence chiefs had been asked to scope the idea of a joint contingent, which could be deployed at short notice. It would include both Kiwi and Australian soldiers.

The Australian PM described it as an "exciting idea" which built on a longstanding tradition of the two forces working side by side.

"There are going to be defence and security scenarios in the future where it is going to make a lot of sense for both of us to quickly and jointly deploy. Therefore, why not look into the possibility of how we could institutionalise this."

Mr Rudd said it was early days and there was lots of work to be done.

[Dave Homewood]

Sounds like a positive step for our military to work closer with Australia, but will this mean our troops will be deployed to war zones again?

[corsair67]

Well, the NZDF is in Afghanistan, and that appears to be a war zone.

[skyhawkdon]

A great idea but to turn an idea into reality it will require NZ to up its financial committment to ensure equipment and personnel interoperability is maintained at the same level as Australia's. Just look at the huge capability gap that has developed between the two countries in the last 10 years... It all comes down to dollars - NZ spends less than 1% of GDP on Defence, Australia spends at least twice that and has committed to increase it. I can't see the NZ Gov't committing to anything more than 1%.

[madaero]

great idea i think,personally.

[beagle]

we will get some hand me down Caribou's and hornets

[corsair67]

we will get some hand me down Caribou's and hornets

Caribou's would make a good replacement for the Andovers - if only they weren't so old!

[madaero]

we'll get the use of the c-17 transporters 2.

[phil]

Yes but the Aussies have quite different foreign policy than we do - they deployed a lot of troops to Iraq, something NZ didn't.

What happens next time the Aussies want to send troops somewhere the Kiwi's don't? How binding will this joint thing be, and if it isn't, how genuine and useful is it?

[beagle]

Aug 20, 2009 16:47:06 GMT 12 madaero said:

we'll get the use of the c-17 transporters 2.

Auckland taggers already have

[corsair67]

Yes but the Aussies have quite different foreign policy than we do - they deployed a lot of troops to Iraq, something NZ didn't.

What happens next time the Aussies want to send troops somewhere the Kiwi's don't? How binding will this joint thing be, and if it isn't, how genuine and useful is it?

She'll be right - if the NZ Govt grows a pair! ;D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Phil, that was precisely the point I was truing to make, though not as well as you did.

I think it will be that the forces of both countries will be ready to move at a moment's notice together as one, but only after the politicians on both sides of the Tasman (and the media) have spent weeks debating the crisis and "should we go?" first.

[lesterpk]

Yay, get deployed alongside and do the same work as an Aussie, and get paid about 2/3rds of what they do. That will work fantastic for unit morale.