New Zealand Defence Force
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| New Zealand Defence Force Te Ope Kaatua o Aotearoa |
|
|---|---|
| Service branches | Royal New Zealand Navy New Zealand Army Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Headquarters | Wellington |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Governor General Anand Satyanand (as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand) |
| Minister of Defence | Phil Goff |
| Chief of Defence Force | Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae |
| Military age | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001) |
| Available for military service |
984,700 males, age 17-49 (2005), 965,170 females, age 17-49 (2005) |
| Fit for military service |
809,519 males, age 17-49 (2005), 802,069 females, age 17-49 (2005) |
| Reaching military age annually |
29,738 males (2005), 28,523 females (2005) |
| Active personnel | 9,051[1] (ranked 129) |
| Reserve personnel | 2,240 |
| Deployed personnel | 732 (as at 2 March 2007) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | NZ$1.7 Billion (2006-07) |
| Percent of GDP | 1% |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of New Zealand |
| Ranks | New Zealand military ranks |
The New Zealand Defence Force consists of three services: the New Zealand Army; the Royal New Zealand Navy; and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The Commander-in-Chief of the NZDF is New Zealand's Governor-General Anand Satyanand who exercises his power on the advice of the Minister of Defence, Phil Goff, under the Defence Act 1990. The commander and head of the NZDF is the Chief of Defence Force (CDF), Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, who also acts as the primary military advisor to the Minister of Defence.
New Zealand's armed forces have three defence policy objectives; to defend New Zealand against low-level threats, to contribute to regional security; and to play a part in global security efforts. New Zealand considers its own national defence needs to be modest, due to its geographical isolation and benign relationships with neighbours.[2] As of September 2008, approximately 600 NZDF personnel served overseas in the South Pacific, Asia and Middle East areas.[3]
Contents |
[edit] History
- Further information: Military history of New Zealand
New Zealand's military developed from the United Kingdom, which provided security for the European settlers in New Zealand, and later when the colony achieved dominion status. An independent New Zealand military only developed in the early twentieth century, and later served with Australians alongside the British in both World War I and II. As New Zealand grew more independent of the British, closer military ties were developed with Australia and the United States.
New Zealand is a signatory of the ANZUS treaty, a defence pact between it, Australia and the United States. Since the United States suspended its obligations to New Zealand in 1986, due to the latter's anti-nuclear policy that refused certain US ships access to ports, New Zealand co-operates only with Australia under the treaty. Before entering New Zealand, US ships must declare whether they are nuclear propelled or carrying nuclear weapons. Since the US has a policy of "neither confirm nor deny", they have not visited New Zealand.
The NZDF came into existence under the Defence Act 1990.
[edit] Branches
[edit] Army
New Zealand's Army consis