“The changes in the domestic and international security environment mean our response and preparedness must change too,” Little said. “We need the strategies and the capabilities to respond.”
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The wide-ranging review also prioritised deeper defence ties with its only military ally, Australia, and closer links to other partners in the region, including the US, whose presence in the Indo-Pacific was “critical” for New Zealand’s security.
Long protective of its independence, New Zealand banned nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered ships from its waters in 1984.
The review, initially scheduled for completion by mid-2024, comes as the country’s defence forces are stretched thin despite significant investments by the Labour government to upgrade parts of its Vietnam war-era aircraft fleet and boost military salaries to improve retention.
Three of the Navy’s nine ships remain idle because of staff shortages, and plans to build a ship suitable for patrolling in the harsh conditions of the Southern Ocean are suspended.
Defence Force chief Kevin Short said the defence force needed to give the government options to protect and promote the international rules-based system that guarantees the country stability, security and prosperity.
Reuters
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