Front line approaches Kiwis
NZ's contingent of military training specialists have barely arrived and the folly of this military (mis)adventure is already becoming apparent, writes Armstrong.
NZ's contingent of military training specialists have barely arrived and the folly of this military (mis)adventure is already becoming apparent, writes Armstrong.
The Defence Force says New Zealand soldiers have settled into their base in Taji, Iraq, and have started training local troops to fight the so-called Islamic State.
New Zealand soldiers have arrived at Camp Taji in Iraq to begin their deployment, the Defence Force has confirmed.
A Defence Force vessel carrying more than 150 staff who helped with the relief effort in storm-ravaged Vanuatu has returned to New Zealand after more than a month away.
An advance party of about 85 Australian and New Zealand troops left Australia yesterday in a joint training mission now called Task Force Taji.
Prime Minister John Key was unable to name the head of the Islamist terrorist group Isis - but nor could the Australian Defence Minister.
Kiwi troops are leaving for Iraq today to begin a two-year deployment working alongside Australian forces.
The deployment of 106 Defence Force personnel to a military base in Iraq will include just 16 trainers, the New Zealand Defence Force chief confirmed yesterday.
Herald political writer John Armstrong says the PM's decision to bypass the media when announcing his decision shows he is failing.
Prime Minister John Key has all but confirmed that up to 100 New Zealand Defence Force staff will be sent to the Middle East to help Australia train Iraqi soldiers to fight Isis .
Cabinet is expected to approve sending soldiers to help Iraqi forces fight the Islamic State group when it meets tomorrow.
Winston Peters says Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee should pay $43,550 in costs for an inquiry into his 'arrogant' security breach at Christchurch Airport last year.
NZ troops are preparing to return to Iraq, a decade after Kiwi soldiers were last in the violence-wracked nation. On Monday the cabinet is expected to set the ground rules for the deployment.
Replacing ageing military equipment is often fearsomely expensive.
The announcement that 150 NZ Defence Force personnel will begin pre-deployment training for Iraq at Linton and Waiouru military camps has been condemned.
A victim of a former air force sergeant convicted of abuse and rape over a 12-year period has slammed the Defence Force for its inaction.
Being far from his children on Christmas Day is hard for Major Brett Grieve, especially when he's stationed in Antarctica, but he knows it's all part of his duty, he says.
The Defence Minister has paid tribute to the events the Defence Force has participated in this year, including the search for missing flight MH370.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters claims "large-scale" military preparations are under way at New Zealand bases in anticipation of a deployment to Iraq.
The Prime Minister has said no directive has been given to the Defence Force from Parliament to prepare troops for deployment to Iraq.
Soldiers “fitness bombed” joggers on Auckland’s waterfront as part of a campaign to improve the fitness of those wanting to enlist.
The Government's carefully thought through approach to battling Isis at home and abroad is an extremely pragmatic and smart political strategy, writes Bryce Edwards.
John Key says he believes Isis is full of 'very bad people' and a military response is morally justified - but hasn't yet made a decision on whether NZ will fight them.
PM John Key appears to have been misinformed by the Defence Force about the nature of a Washington meeting of the United States-led coalition to defeat Islamic State.
The armed forces look set to increasingly rely on drones to defend New Zealand.