‘Action? not words’

Press, 9 June 1980, Page 4

‘Action? not words’

Defence ties between Australia and New Zealand should be strengthened by more action rather than | more talk, according to a visiting Australian defence 'adviser.

Dr R. J. O’Neill said on Friday that New Zealand lin particular could benefit from joint purchasing of military hardware, and from the establishment of a joint command structure.

“"Dr O’Neill is head of the Australian National University’s strategic and defence [studies centre, and he is the | academic adviser on strategic studies to the. Australian Joint Sendees Staff College. He has taken part in Government inquiries and commissions on defence and foreign relations, and is the official historian for the Australian role in the Korean War. He is in Christchurch to' address the Institute of In-! ternational Affairs seminar' on New Zealand’s defence in; the 1980 s. New Zealand and Austra-I lia would benefit from a commonality of weapons if. they established joint pur-i chasing, Dr O’Neill said yesterday. This would mean, for instance, that the New Zealand Navy could order the frigate it now needs from Australia, which is, building its own frigates. “It would be a bigger and

better ship for the same price or even less, and it would give both countries greater flexibility,” he said. New Zealand could possibly save $5O million on the deal, as the Australian construction cost of $250 million was $5O million less than orders that New Zealand could place elsewhere.

Exercises were held between Australian and New Zealand services, but a joint command structure was

! needed before one had to be imposed in an emergency. Dr O’Neill said.

However, co-operation should not lead to a joint withdrawal from the A.N.Z.U.S. agreement, to set up a “neutral bloc.” Neither country could afford armed neutrality, as it required that they be virtually economically independent, and hold arms sophisticated enough to protect their neutrality

Remaining in A.N.Z.U.S. was the best course for Australia and New Zealand; they should not worry about the inability of the United [States to rush to their 'defence if a Super Power attacked them, as such powers were unlikely to have set the take-over of New Zealand or Australia as a priority, he said. ; New Zealand had a special role to play in the defence [of the Pacific, by providing help to developing countries [that wanted to patrol their 200-mile fishing zones. | Apart from the good will | that would result from such laid, it would serve to keep the Russian presence out of Pacific islands, where the Soviet Union might offer construction programmes in return for fishing bases.