Canberra 'okay with spending on armed forces '

The NZ Government's announcement on armed forces spending this week should not cause major anxieties in Canberra, but concern remains over the uncertain direction of defence policy, says a top Australian analyst.

"I don't think they will cause a great deal of angst," said Dr Stewart Woodman, of the Australian Defence Force Academy. "If you look at Bougainville and East Timor, the professionalism and commitment of the New Zealand forces were greatly appreciated."

Orion maritime surveillance aircraft remained a key part of New Zealand's defence effort, but giving them more sophisticated capabilities was not the highest priority "in the present environment."



Dr Woodman said there was still concern about the lack of clarity in the direction of defence policy.

"What the Government appears to be doing at this stage is making immediate decisions to allow its defence force to do what it's doing now. That's pretty hard to argue against, but it's only half the story.

"Another question is, 'Do I maintain the major capabilities I need to in order to do a number of tasks that may not come up now, but in the next five or 10 years?' It's that answer that's lacking."

- NZPA

Herald Online feature: our national defence

Participate in our online forum.