New Zealand is losing its ability to aid global security because of cuts and changes to its defence forces, a leading military expert says.
Geoffrey Till, who has arrived in Wellington to take up a strategic studies post at Victoria University, said New Zealand had gone softer on defence than most other countries by disbanding air combat capabilities and cutting the fighting strength of the navy.
He said: "New Zealand has gone further in pushing toward the softer end and more localised security than most countries have, and the consequence of that - especially on very low rates of defence spending - is a much more limited capability to join with others in broader defence.
Nobody in their right mind wants war. The trouble is not everybody is in their right mind. In fact some of todays world leaders are frankly insane - and it has always been this way.
The thing is that New Zealand is surround by thousands of miles of water. That makes us feel safe.
Most New Zealanders of no direct experience of war, it is something that happens elsewhere because the people over there are not as mature in their civilization as we are or because the evil Bush/Cheney regime wants to steal Arab oil or some such inanity.
These sort of attitudes are based on sheer ignorance and what little knowledge of history the holders of these opinions have are usually based upon a distorted telling usually written and presented from a left wing perspective.
Our political leadership is from the Vietnam generation, those that participated in that conflict did not do so as combatants but as protesters (who were in fact combatants for the other side). I don't have to name names do I? I have heard tell that one current cabinet minister actually hung the Viet Cong Flag on the Cenotaph the day Saigon fell. An act so shameful, especially in light of the 57 New Zealanders who gave their lives in that conflict, that this man should be a pariah to all New Zealanders, our equivalent of Benedict Arnold rather than a cabinet minister.
Instead he has gained a responsible position in New Zealands civic life.
Fact: for the majority of mankind there is the ever present possibility the tanks can roll across the border at any time.
If this happens the first line of defence has to be their own military backed up by the citizenry. History also tells us that when the invader comes a proportion of the citizenry will collaborate with the him. In fact many of the worst atrocities of the second world war where committed by Nazi collaborators and these atrocities were perpetrated against their own countrymen.
And the second line of defense has to be having allies prepared to come to your assistance. But such arrangements have to be reciprocal
With both of these in place hopefully any potential aggressor will think twice before invading.
And it usually works. I firmly believe that Europe has known the longest period of peace in history because of the Nato alliance and the military strength of the United States in particular.
And we too had an alliance with the United States, shamefully broken by the Lange Labour government.
Of all the damage Labour has done to the future security and prosperity of New Zealand, the withdrawal from Anzus and the weakening of our defense forces must rank amongst the highest.
Alas National is too scared of the sixties hippies to take a firm stand on this, or appear to be anyway.
The ocean maybe fortress walls that will protect us for the time being but it may not always be that way.
And when they fail us we might find ourselves terribly alone and defenseless.
...this man should be a pariah to all New Zealanders, our equivalent of Benedict Arnold rather than a cabinet minister.
As opposed to those men who pointlessly sacrificed 57 New Zealanders at the behest of a foreign govt? At least Goff's foolishness didn't reap a harvest of dead bodies.
In fact many of the worst atrocities of the second world war where committed by Nazi collaborators and these atrocities were perpetrated against their own countrymen.
You could of course replace "Nazi" with "Communist" in there without losing any meaning. OK, call me a pedant.
Posted by: Psycho Milt | February 13, 2008 at 10:52 AM
It didn't? The boat people didn't happen? The "re-education" camps?
Pol Pot?
No I wont call you a pedant - the only issue with I might take with that statement is that the Communists who did these things were generally of not invaders but were home grown tyrants. However the hanging of the Vietcong flag was an anachronism, Saigon did not fall to the Viet Cong but an invading army from north Vietnam and thus the appropriate flag to fly would have been the North Vietnamese one. However the Viet Cong flag help perpetuate the lie that Saigon fell to the locals over throwing an oppressive government rather than to an invading army from a foreign land
However returning to the first point the 57 New Zealanders who gave their lives in SE Asia were in fact fighting to prevent exactly the sort of tyranny you bought up in your second point.
Sadly in that part of the world the battle was lost and the major reason for that was the actions of those who opposed that campaign.
luckily overall Communism was contained and eventually for the most part is now a dead cause.
And some of the credit for this goes to those 57 New Zealanders who lost their lives in SE Asia and as far as I know none whatsoever to any current New Zealand politician. Please somebody prove me wrong on this.
Posted by: andrei | February 13, 2008 at 02:18 PM
"I don't have to name names do I?"
Yes, please do. I have no time to really follow or study these people so help me out with a name.
A local book seller tells me the original photo of some protestors in a book on the RNZAF Skyhawks has Helen Clark on the edge of it. The book picture is cropped to fit and she was cut out. Pity.
Posted by: John Boy | February 13, 2008 at 09:34 PM