E Timor a heavy load on NZ force

By FRANCESCA MOLD

The Defence Force desperately needs a rest period after it pulls out of East Timor so it can get troops back into combat mode and get used to new equipment.

Retiring Defence Force chief Carey Adamson said Timor had been a heavy burden in both financial and manpower terms.

He said the arrangement with the Government had been for the troops to be in Timor for a year, but they had been there since September 1999.

"It has been a huge commitment," said Air Marshal Adamson.

"To last till November this year, we really had to push things to the limit in terms of resources.

"We keep our fingers crossed and say yes, we can do it. It's been a struggle, but we'll make it."

The commander of Joint Forces New Zealand, Major-General Martyn Dunne, echoed Air Marshal Adamson's views.

"We now need to pack up by the end of the year and regenerate ourselves and prepare for whatever is ahead.

"It's been the biggest deploy%ment since prob%ably Korea and you could almost include Vietnam in that.

"New Zealanders should be justifiably proud of the effort that has gone in."

Air Marshal Adamson said the troops needed extensive training to help them to catch up on fighting skills, which had been put on the backburner in Timor.

"When you're peacekeeping, you can't go round practising war fighting," he said.

Exercises with Australia and other countries had been cancelled because of the tour of duty in Timor and it was important to catch up, said Air Marshal Adamson.

There was also new equipment which the troops needed to learn to use, including the light armoured vehicles for the Army and new vessels for the Navy.

General Dunne said it was impossible to predict the future, and the force was aware of several troubled countries which could flare up and require help from New Zealand at any time, including the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Some of those who had served in Timor had completed two tours, which had taken them away from their families for a long time, the general said.

But they had all volunteered to go back for the second tour.

"It's a heavy commitment, but it's also professionally rewarding."

nzherald.co.nz/defence