N.Z. DEFENCE NEEDS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29620, 16 September 1961, Page 13

N.Z. DEFENCE NEEDS

Organisation

Of Army "The Press" Special Service WELLINGTON, Sept. 15. The pressing need in New Zealand’s defences was to have effective forces ready to move immediately, said the Minister of Defence (Mr Eyre) today, commenting on the White Paper on defence. Emergencies could occur when naval ships could sail and R.N.Z.A.F. aircraft take off in hours, but the Army, except for the battalion in Malaya, did not meet this standard. Initially, New Zealand could give greatest support to its allies by the employment of a land force, but it must be a force in a prud-ently-graduated state of preparedness, so emphasis had been placed on the building up and training of an efficient Army, the Minister said.

Giving details of the selective training scheme, Mr Eyre said national servicemen would be selected and given their initial training in their twenty-first year and would serve with their units in their twenty - second, twenty-third and twentyfourth years. They would have the option of taking one year of full-time service with the Regular Force in lieu of the 14 weeks of initial training and the three years of unit training. The selective national service system would produce only the number of territorials necessary to provide an adequate and efficient Army, and would impose the minimum strain on the manpower resources of the country, the Minister added.