As China expands its presence in the Pacific, New Zealand is significantly increasing defence spending, planning roughly $7bn in upgrades to capabilities including drones, helicopters and strike systems. Recent Chinese naval exercises near Australian and New Zealand waters underscored concerns that geographic remoteness no longer guarantees security, notes WSJ. The daily argues that Wellington’s shift reflects a broader regional trend of military rearmament amid intensifying great-power competition, though it must balance closer security alignment with allies against its economic reliance on China.
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We’re not? We’re replacing things that have needed to be replaced for quite a long time, but no government had wanted to pay the bill.
A big thing holding us back is a shortage of skilled personnel and they pay freezes have only made that worse.
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As China expands its presence in the Pacific, New Zealand is significantly increasing defence spending, planning roughly $7bn in upgrades to capabilities including drones, helicopters and strike systems. Recent Chinese naval exercises near Australian and New Zealand waters underscored concerns that geographic remoteness no longer guarantees security, notes WSJ. The daily argues that Wellington’s shift reflects a broader regional trend of military rearmament amid intensifying great-power competition, though it must balance closer security alignment with allies against its economic reliance on China.
We’re not? We’re replacing things that have needed to be replaced for quite a long time, but no government had wanted to pay the bill.
A big thing holding us back is a shortage of skilled personnel and they pay freezes have only made that worse.