A soldier with the 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment during a training exercise. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
A soldier with the 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment during a training exercise. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
New Zealand soldiers have taken part in urban warfare and amphibious training exercises with three other Pacific nations.
Kiwi troops practiced urban warfare in some environments closely resembling Middle Eastern cities.
The Dawn Blitz exercises in California featured Mexican troops for the first time, along with Japanese soldiers and US Marines.
Soldiers with the 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
Geopolitical analyst Dr Paul Buchanan said the training was largely routine but could be of help to any Kiwi troops who might be deployed to Iraq or Syria.
New Zealand has sent 143 troops to train Iraqi soldiers in Taji, Iraq.
This week, Prime Minister John Key said although no greater deployment was imminent, he would consider eventually sending Kiwi troops to Syria, if a UN Security Council resolution mandated it.
Dr Buchanan expected the troops in Camp Taji to be replaced in November, six months after their arrival.
"Participation in these exercises will allow the troops...to then rotate into theatre after this first six-month deployment is over."
Dr Buchanan said the Prime Minister's comments on a possible Security Council resolution showed the Government was now open to possible "mission creep" in the Middle East.
Soldiers with 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment patrol during a training exercise. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
Yesterday, Colonel Hugh McAslan, the Kiwi army brigade commander, told Marine Corps Times the Dawn Blitz training was good exposure for his troops.
"New Zealand is a small country, so we don't have a lot of the assets that you are exposed to here."
Colonel McAslan said Dawn Blitz helped build partnerships crucial in New Zealand's neighbourhood.
He said Kiwis could find themselves operating at short notice in the Pacific with other countries, especially in disaster relief.
Marine Corps Times said New Zealand sent 102 members of Victor Company, 1st Battalion, with the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment.
Soldiers with the 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
The exercises came as the coalition against the Islamic State faced an increasingly complex situation in the Middle East.
Turkey has entered the war against the extremist group but has also intensified attacks on its longstanding Kurdish enemies, who have withstood many Islamic State onslaughts.
Meanwhile, Russia has ramped up support for its ally Bashar Al-Assad, Syrian president.
Mr Assad's enemies accuse him of multiple atrocities against the Syrian people.
Soldiers with the 1st Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Photo / Facebook, U.S. Marine Corps
Thousands of Syrian refugees fleeing regional conflicts have sparked a political crisis in Europe and intense political debate here too.
Meanwhile, Dr Buchanan said another exercise of interest was happening in the Cook Islands, where Kiwi troops were working with British, American and Chinese engineers.
On Friday, the Defence Force said Tropic Twilight aimed to hone Kiwi soldiers' abilities to deploy alongside other militaries to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Southwest Pacific.
Dr Buchanan said the inclusion of military engineers from China was notable."You're basically saying 'we recognise you guys have a stake in the game down here' and that's interesting," he said.
