Chiefs launch Anzac rapid reaction force

CANBERRA - New Zealand and Australia will form a joint Anzac rapid reaction force whose duties will include future disasters such as the Samoan tsunami, the two countries' defence ministers said yesterday.

New joint contingency plans for regional emergencies will also be drawn up over the next six months.

And New Zealand Defence Ministry principal adviser Dr Jim Rolfe will in November become deputy director of the Asia Pacific Civil Military Centre of Excellence.

The centre, near Canberra, supports the development of civilian and military capabilities to deal with foreign disasters and conflicts.

The Anzac rapid reaction force, which will regularly train and exercise together, will also be deployed at short notice to other crises, and will involve a revamped airlift agreement to create a more efficient transport capability between the two air forces.

The formation of the new force was confirmed in Sydney yesterday by Defence Minister Wayne Mapp and Australian counterpart Senator John Faulkner as the two countries began what Australian parliamentary secretary for international assistance Bob McMullan described as a co-ordinated effort in Samoa.

The unit builds on historic ties and recent operations in the Pacific.

Military planners want to make greater use of each others' equipment and capabilities, especially in transport and logistics.

The two countries are already linked through the 1991 closer defence relations agreement, share similar equipment such as infantry weapons, armoured vehicles and the Anzac frigates, and have used each others' naval support vessels and transport aircraft.

The new moves to give the Anzac spirit greater contemporary relevance across the spectrum of the two defence organisations was a priority for both nations, Mapp and Faulkner said.

As well as revamping the existing airlift agreement between the two air forces, which has already seen the Australians use RNZAF Hercules and B-757 transport and New Zealand equipment flown on RAAF C-17 Globemasters, transtasman information communication technology will be improved.

Mapp and Faulkner said the planned boost to regional security capabilities reaffirmed New Zealand's and Australia's commitment to Pacific states, including a continued presence in East Timor and Solomon Islands.