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.

A soldier faced disciplinary action after he set off a Claymore mine in a live firing exercise in Afghanistan, injuring himself and another soldier.

Air force commanders allowed a dangerous and deadly culture of rule-breaking that ultimately resulted in the deaths of three young airmen, a court has found.

A guilty plea is expected today from the NZ Defence Force over health and safety failures which led to the deaths of three men in a 2010 military helicopter crash.

The future of New Zealand peacekeeping is under increasing scrutiny as it bids for a seat on the United Nations Security Council.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman says he can't rule out civilian deaths at the hands of foreign troops as part of a joint raid with NZ soldiers in Afghanistan.

Two inquiries have begun into the award of an $80,000 military contract after the Defence Minister was told the private company doing the work was owned and run by serving personnel.

The head of New Zealand's anti-doping agency says athletes are failing to speak out against drug cheats within their codes out of loyalty to their team mates.

A Kiwi soldier wounded by friendly fire in Afghanistan has paid tribute to a US Air Force search and rescue crew after they received one of the US military's highest honours.

Lieutenant General Tim Keating was sworn in as Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force at a ceremony in Wellington today.

'Nothing was located.' A jet-skier's reported sighting of a World War Two sea mine sparked a fruitless search in Lyttelton Harbour.

The family of dead soldier Rory Malone claim the Defence Force have treated them like 'second-class' citizens and the insensitive handling of his funeral arrangements caused them unnecessary stress.

Two defence staff killed themselves and seven others attempted to do so in the past year.

Defence Minister Jonathan Coleman has denied accusations the SAS is under-equipped for battle.

Testing for anabolic steroid use should be considered by the NZ Defence and Police forces, a coroner has recommended following an inquest.

A staff sergeant in the SAS has told a court martial about how surplus United States military equipment, including a truck, was used by New Zealand armed forces in Afghanistan.

One of the charges against a SAS soldier facing a court martial has been withdrawn this morning.

A SAS soldier accused of stealing service property didn't know the gun accessories were owned by the Army, his defence lawyer told a court martial today.

New Zealand's navy officers are combing through parts of the Solomon Islands in a bid to rid the country of World War II explosive remnants.

The Navy's offshore patrol vessel has set off again for the Southern Ocean to monitor fishing in the region.

The Defence Force paid US$1,000 to the families of two elite Afghan soldiers who were killed while the SAS was mentoring them.

Old soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with serving troops this morning to commemorate Armistice Day on the 95th anniversary of the end of World War I.

A new twin-engined air force helicopter will need all its rotors repaired or replaced, at a cost of millions of dollars, after being hit by lightning.

The first female Papua New Guinea army officers have just completed a rigorous training exercise, with the help of a New Zealand Army Captain.