Soviet use of Vietnam to increase —Ministry

Press, 22 October 1984, Page 1

Soviet use of Vietnam to increase —Ministry

PA Wellington Western Intelligence reports indicated that Moscow is about to step up yet again the scale of its military operations from the Cam Ranh Bay base in South Vietnam, the New Zealand Defence Ministry revealed yesterday.

The Ministry gives this information in its briefing papers to the incoming Government, made public by the Minister of Defence, Mr O’Flynn. Western military experts are concerned that the Soviet Union may be planning to move its supersonic Backfire bomber into the Vietnamese base from the eastern Siberian bases to the north. The Backfire bomber would have the capability of striking targets in Australia and New Zealand if based in Vietnam, said Mr O’Flynn. The huge Cam Ranh Bay complex was developed by the Americans during the Vietnam War and has seen an increasing Soviet presence since the fall of Saigon. Further activity has been centred on the base of Da Nang, just to the north. “Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam has become the most important Soviet naval and air forward operating base outside the Warsaw Pact area,” the Ministry’s briefing papers say in a section dealing with strategic circumstances in the Pacific. “The significance of the

Soviet presence in Vietnam lies in the ability to operate from there in obstructing the vital sea routes in the South China Sea and the Malacca Straits. Vietnam also confers a counter to the major United States presence in the Philippines.” The briefing papers note that the Soviet Pacific fleet is now significantly larger than its United States counterpart. “Their tactical aviation fixed-wing force in the Far East . has also been strengthened. Missiles, including the SS2O, established in Eastern Siberia are now able to dominate all of East and South-East Asia. Longrange aircraft can reach out almost to New Zealand. “The over-all effect of recent force expansion programmes had been greatly to enlarge Moscow’s power projection capabilities in the Pacific.” The Soviet Union, the Defence Ministry says, is now in a position to put significant military pressure on Japan, South Korea, and the A.S.E.A.N. bloc. “In the South Pacific Soviet maritime activities

have the potential for military application. Soviet research vessels are frequent visitors to the area and are occasionally accompanied by research submarines. “Such activity, combined with fisheries research, has made the Soviet Union the foremost expert on South Pacific oceanography. Through this work the Soviet Union has tried, to a limited extent, to expand its influence with South Pacific Governments. Bids have been made to provide oceanographic assistance to Western Samoa and the Solomon Islands. So far they have been declined.” The papers say that while there is no explicit military threat at present to New Zealand, “there is an increased potential for intrusion into the South Pacific by outside Powers”. Commenting on the papers, Mr O’Flynn said he was concerned that there should be informed and balanced debate about defence issues. The publication of the papers would help promote this. Further report, page 5