Russian presence ‘concerns’ Minister

Press, 31 October 1981, Page 6

Russian presence ‘concerns’ Minister

PA Tokoroa The Minister of Defence (Mr Thomson) expressed “considerable concern” last evening at what he said was the relentless growth of Soviet military power. He said in an address to the annual conference of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association that this growth had been coupled with major strategic adnrtt irx

He said in an address to the annual conference of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Association that this growth had been coupled with major strategic advances not limited to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, as in the past, but now also in Asia and the Pacific.

Deciding that there was very little New Zealand could do about it “because of limited resources and a perhaps lukewarm public attitude towards our defence needs” was merely side-step-ping the issue. Mr Thomson said, “We are obliged to do as much as we can to ensure our country’s security.” The Soviet blue-water fleet now had a "commmanding presence” in the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. “In these circumstances New Zealand is not as isolated, not as distant from

this threat as might have been the case only five years ago.” It. might be assumed that to meet this threat New Zealand should re-evaluate its defence objectives prescribed in the 1978 defence review, putting greater emphasis on expanding its armed forces and responding to the Soviet build-up with one of its own. But New

Zealanders did not like “to > think about the unthinkable.” • “We are a benevolent-.? people: we covet no nation’s ’■ territory nor do we envy its 7 philosophy ... we present no - threat to anyone and as far 7. as we can see into theimmediate future, even tak-;7 ing into account the menac-? ing growth of Soviet power,-7 our territorial integrity is)' under no imminent threat." '