N.Z. Given Role In Defence Force

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30938, 20 December 1965, Page 1

N.Z. Given Role In Defence Force

•SZ Press Association-Copyright) LONDON, December 19. The British Prime Minister (Mr Wilson) wanted Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Britain to form a collective force for defence east of Suez, the “Sunday Times” reported today.

The newspaper’s Washington correspondent, Henry Brandon, said the proposal was made to President Johnson by Mr Wilson during their talks this week.

Mr Wilson had told the President that Britain was no longer prepared to maintain a self - contained force with its own arms, bases and command structure east of Suez. Instead, he proposed the new collective force to which the four nations would contribute, Brandon said. The force would have a nuclear capability, to which Britain would make a contribution. Mr Wilson had thus given the United States notice that he wanted Britain to remain a world power, but only on the basis of inter-dependence with America. Brandon said this was the basic principle underlying Britain's defence review, and ft applied to both Europe and the Far East It was the only way Britain

could afford to preserve the kind of global responsibilities the United States would like Britain to maintain. Implications of the decision for the long-term future were far reaching, said Brandon. It meant Britain’s military contributions in Europe would not be altered in any basic and essential way. But, in the Far East, there would have to be a new, balanced, collective and integrated force based politically, perhaps, on the A.N.Z.U.S. Pact to which Britain was not a signatory. Such a force, Mr Wilson had 'told Mr Johnson, would contribute powerfully to the containment of China. Britain’s nuclear contribution to the force would be either with Polaris submarines or V bombers, or the American F-11l bomber if it were added to the British arsenal.

[Australia has ordered 24 Fill’s from the United States for the R.A.A.F. at a cost of 56 million Australian. These bombers can carry nuclear weapons. ] Brandon said the review forecast the decline of Singa-

pore as a British military base in the 19705.

A shift was envisaged to the Indian Ocean islands where military development was already in progress. A new strong point on the northern coast of Australia might be the principal anchor for modern, mobile striking forces. [The United States, which is building a huge communications centre at North-west Cape, Western Australia, has already seen the significance of the area. The base Will control the operations of American Polaris submarines in the area.] The review also provided for the replacement of Aden by military facilities in the Persian Gulf. By 1970, it was assumed some sort of settlement of the confrontation with Indonesia would have been reached. As a consequence, the inflated British force in that area could be substantially reduced. Brandon said Mr Wilson did not discuss the military aspects of the review, just the political implications.