Navy ships plan ‘not best option'—N.Z. Party

Press, 28 July 1987, Page 7

Navy ships plan ‘not best option'—N.Z. Party

PA Wellington The Government’s plan to replace New Zealand’s ageing frigates with four ships built to an Australian design are not necessarily the best option for the Navy, the New Zealand Party says. The party’s chairman, Mr Stephen Greenfield, has announced the party’s defence policy in which he called for cheaper offshore patrol boats to replace the frigates. “Four ships are totally insufficient for the vast expanse of sea we have responsibility for,” Mr Greenfield said. The Prime Minister, Mr Lange, recently announced that the present four frigates needed to be replaced with new vessels with a range of 6000 nautical miles, an endurance of at least 30 days, a

speed of 24 knots, the ability to handle a medium helicopter, a medium-calibre gun of 76mm or larger, a point defence missile system, surveillance systems and a ship-launched torpedo system.

But Mr Greenfield said a smaller and more economical vessel, with weapons and helicopter platforms and a longer range was available, and could be built at Whangarei. A fleet of eight of these vessels would provide a better peacetime service.

The party policy also called for combining the Armed Forces with civil defence, search and rescue, coastguard and coastal radio services to boost efficiency during peacetime. All New Zealanders would be re-

quired to undergo six months national service, with volunteers doing military training.

Mr Greenfield said the defence forces must be matched to perceived threats, the biggest of which was "the threat from within.”

“The biggest threat to New Zealand’s stability at the moment is from pressure groups pushing a number of causes with little regard to the means for obtaining their desired ends,” he said. This covered areas of race, land and industrial action. “There is only a difference of degree, and not of principle, between a jet being hijacked in the Middle East in support of a cause and passengers in New Zealand (by plane or ferry) being used in support of an industrial

cause.” ’’ The other perceived threats were terrorism, regional instability and global nuclear warfare.

Mr Greenfield said the defence policy was the greatest change in stance from the party’s 1984 manifesto, which called for a state of armed neutrality, cuts in defence spending, and withdrawal from A.N.Z.U.S. The new policy also called for a withdrawal from A.N.Z.U.S., and the negotiation of a broaderbased non-nuclear treaty with all independent nations of the South Pacific. Nuclear weapons would not be permitted to enter New Zealand but visits by American warships which gave an assurance that no nuclear weapons were on board would be welcomed.'