Could New Zealand defend itself? Inside the Artillery's Brimstone exercise

[@CFox.7]

A big thank you to the 12 people of the NZ army who showed up for this exercise !

[@lokiwayguard3664]

lol My bro that is so funny to me because when I used to be an instructor in the NZ Army I was assigned to the Territorial Force reserve battalion up in Auckland and we used to put on training exercises for the reserve soldiers and for the whole of the Auckland and Northland Area we would get like 26 or sumtimes 34 soldiers show up then one training weekend in the middle of winter we had an all time low of 12 show up for what should be a Battalion of 800 soldiers.

[@RK-cj4oc]

​@@lokiwayguard3664 Do they not have to show up?

[@ravenkk4816]

@@RK-cj4octhey do , but….

[@maksfaaoa3264]

I spoke to a teenager last year and he said he wants to join the military, I asked him what’s stopping him he said that they don’t recruit people with criminal records and plus his grades weren’t too good so he might just go into trade and learn how to do fencing, I told him that it’s a shame that his criminal record is stopping him from doing what he wanted to do and serve his country he replied that him and his 4 best friends all wanted careers in the defence force but neither will be recruited and when asked what his mates are doing he said they are unemployed and just play video games. My thinking is perhaps the defence force need to reconsider their recruitment policies around who can join, these are young men with no direction in life eager to be of service to their country but have been told that they will not be able to join because of minor convictions and bad grades, imagine if youngsters are encouraged at a young age to pursue a career in the defence force, teach them discipline and give them a purpose I believe we’d have less crime being committed by young people who way too often grow up and join gangs and become criminals when they’re adults

[@snigie1]

Once they get in they get a criminal record by default anyway ​@@maksfaaoa3264

[@jaydensalisbury1782]

Once aunty pulls out that jandal yall are done for

[@-Cancer-]

fr fr

[@IbrahimservantofAllah]

Where is our navy? We're an island nation 70% of our budget should be naval and anti air, if we get invaded we wouldnt last a year

[@Kiwi_Dave]

Only defence we have is ocean and distance. If any enemy can conquer that, we wouldn't last a week.

[@PJ-pj8lr]

Unless NZ grows a brain, & learns from Switzerland.

[@bobdillon1138]

Less.

[@Gumpmachine1]

Exactly, we rely on the umbrella of American hegemony for our security

[@PJ-pj8lr]

@@Gumpmachine1 smart alliances are good, but to no not carry our own weight is shameful.

[@Gumpmachine1]

@@PJ-pj8lr totally agree but unfortunately the defence force is the whipping boy when it comes to government budgets

[@donbrashsux]

We still have the Bob Semple Tank so don’t worry to much it’s a beast

[@TRUMP20Z4]

POW!

[@postminchoppa]

Especially mark 2 known as the gerry brownley

[@fionnnorgrove3128]

Its never lost a battle.

[@ronniepickering3711]

Do we still have any Schofield's?

[@bobsemple07]

yup

[@1LLU5IVE]

I served in the infantry. Short answer is no. Any force that came here would end us. We would die.

[@skidlinerz]

Lol abit blunt but ok 😂

[@henkmagnetic3103]

Hope when they come, they don't pick the weekend or Public Holiday.

[@tumon1000]

Totally agree. We’re a soft target with little defence. No disrespect to our armed forces, there just isn’t enough of them. Oh and the government is busy disarming the population so good luck in having civilians stepping up.

[@RubyDoobieScoo]

We could take Tuvalu if they tried something.

[@tumon1000]

@@RubyDoobieScoo only if they’re not looking

[@politenessman3901]

From who is the question. NZ needs a combat airforce that can deliver significant numbers of anti ship missiles. without that NZ is at the mercy of how busy the allies are, and any threat to NZ already has Aust heavily engaged.

[@downunderprepparedness]

Rapid Dragon has entered the chat

[@Damien567777]

agreed we just need strong navy and airforce for real defense. drones, antiship etc

[@seanbiddle2023]

Anti ship missiles I agree, but we should invest in drones over airplanes, a mix of both

[@politenessman3901]

@@seanbiddle2023 manned aircraft have versatility and on board judgement.

[@konstantinseltsov5403]

​Of course we should. We are rich enough for that.

[@405thouttadiegogarcia3]

This video failed to address any of New Zealands geostrategic interests, it's security concerns, it's stragic environment and the current and future changes to that environment. And at no point did it ask the question of what capabilities new Zealand has, will have, or could need to develop to deal with security challenges. Long range radar, like Australia's JORN network, perhaps in cooperation with Australia. A bolstered and drastically increased RNZAF maritime patrol & surveillance fleet, longer range land attack and anti ship missiles, long range self propelled missile artillery like HIMARs, and base hardening/civil defence/supply material stockpiles. All of which would realistically have to be coordinated in concert with Australia. Aging short range artillery like those shown in this video, LAVs or tanks or fighter jets would play a very limited and largely ineffectual role. This video merely showed a towed artillery battery on exercise. What a joke

[@blairmiller9160]

You explained our millitary...a joke

[@smash8865]

Well said. I'm wondering what advantage or reason an invading force to even bother.. Agricultural infrastructure? FOB for invading Australia? Antarctica??

[@shanehall6081]

Logistics and violating the territory of other nations to mount an invasion mean theres no nations that could invade nz that arent our allies. However we could easily be effected by conflict in commercial shipping lanes or less likely but more severe another nation mining our sealanes and ports to bully us out of supporting our allies resisting there attacks. As an ocean trade dependent country with no road or rail connections to our major suppliers our living standards would severely drop as a result. We need a larger fleet of opv's and frigates-something similar to the italian ppa concept maybe- and more maritime patrol aircraft like but not exclusively the P-8. But they need missiles. Both anti ship and self defense aam's and a new torpedo and updated sea mines. After that we need to look at a ballustic and cruise missile interceptor system with like mentioned above a networked JORN equivalent to work with either a ground based interceptor or frigate baded or both.

[@kenfowler1980]

They wouldn’t have to, we Australians will be there - just as you guys would be with us!

[@dystortia6626]

your f35s range is up to 2200km. was thinking they might be able to cruise over, drop their payload, and refuel somewhere here in nz. just hope there aren't many enemy fighters as theyre not dogfighters.... its a shame aussie never bought any f22s, they wouldve easily made it over here!

[@Dicksonia_squarrosa]

​@@dystortia6626 F-22s were never allowed to be exported to any country, so Australia couldn't have bought them even if the government wanted to.

[@wattlebough]

@@dystortia6626RAAF KC30A MRTTs tankers to the rescue. Could even use Norfolk island as a refuelling point.

[@dexterplameras3249]

@@dystortia6626 F35s are not as valuable as submarines in defending the shores of NZ. A landing force would be sunk before it reaches NZ with Australian submarines. The only real threat is if a superpower with carriers and submarines decides to invade. And there are only two viable superpowers, China and the USA. I don't see them spending all their resources just to invade NZ.

[@Mosesmombassa]

Australia and all her islands (NZ is circled however Tasmania is not)

[@fishkickable]

Middle Earth hasn't seen firepower like this before!

[@muzzaduzz613]

RNZAF has no combat capability - any future adversary would have total air superiority making artillery etc redundant.

[@davidbradley3227]

I don’t even know why we prentend we’d have any chance. Nz government has consistently let down its people

[@Muritaipet]

To have air superiority in New Zealand, they also need aircraft carriers.

[@fantomgod6328]

Its fine New Zealand is so isolated they wouldnt be able to support any air operations against us without a HC or AC

[@võitja]

​@@Muritaipetwhich is unlikely as China's aircraft carriers are only able to operate in waters close to China and Russia which is even further away wouldn't be able to reach either

[@võitja]

​@@davidbradley3227I agree we should increase the defence budget to 2% of GDP at least but NZ is mainly an expeditionary force an invading force reaching New Zealand is unlikely as china doesn't have many aircraft capable of reaching this distance only about 3. And as soon as the forces reach here they would be overwhelmed. They also wouldn't be able to return with reinforcements. If they went a naval approach New Zealand and Australia could probably engage them as we have plenty of ASM's and our p8 Poseidons carry anti ship and submarine bombs and torpedoes. But let's be honest Australia or USA would take them out with a ballistic missile before they reach anywhere hear us

[@TRUMP20Z4]

The NZ airforce , of 3 drones, will destroy the enemies!

[@henkmagnetic3103]

With the 757 leading the charge, oops can't fly with only engine on the wings.

[@henryairconcepts2999]

@@henkmagnetic3103 Dont forget our mighty Tiger Moth and a bag of Winston Pieter's poop

[@bassetdad437]

And enemy survivors will succumb to hakas.

[@brokensun100]

Not a chance, under resourced, under provisioned, under skilled. Not the military's fault, politicians must step up.

[@ANZACJugger0]

100% I reckon we send the whole of parliment to fight the first wave

[@rogergotstoned3291]

Agree.

[@Liam-h3x8h]

Agree with everything except 'under skilled'.

[@Jamison1888]

100 people maybe...... that are trained to use he artillery. What do we have 7 guns or something? Cant defend 2 islands with 7 guns

[@Gumpmachine1]

We have about 30-40 artillery pieces of various calibre but as the Ukrainian war has shown it’s the ammunition stockpiles that count We’d simply run out of ammunition long before the lack of guns was a issue

[@21kiwi24]

​@@Gumpmachine1other than 105mm, what other calibres?

[@Stephen-bq4nq]

​​@@21kiwi24We only have 105mm guns.

[@Gumpmachine1]

@@21kiwi24 87.6mm towed artillery aka 25 pounder

[@21kiwi24]

@@Stephen-bq4nq I know

[@Genguman7430]

NZDF may not be the largest, but the same could not be said about its tenacity and personnel skill. Keep it up, lads.

[@andrewsteele7663]

This is the first time I have seen a review of the NZ army other than news bites. But when I was serving 40 years ago. My interactions with the NZ defense members were always positive and they were truly professional in their approach to their job and their turn out. And it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the fight in the dog.

[@rexhurley4380]

Even when I served in the days of Anzus we were reliant on outside support, hang on for 4 days and wait for the Yanks. The reality is if anyone has the ability come this far we are toast. As for now, what a joke of a question 7 Territorial and 2 RF Battalions now only a single full battalion, no chance at all. As always we will be able to deploy a token force at the request of our Allies. Can we ever go it alone, dream on.

[@terryharris1291]

When I was serving 1 RNZIR had 5 full companies in Singapore.

[@manic65cvn]

The fact the Herald is asking this question says alot about the knowledge their reporters.....

[@david6920-r6z]

In both world wars New Zealand had enemy warships enter our territorial waters

[@GrunkaLunka]

in both world wars it would be relatively easy to do so compared to doing this today

[@NelsonZAPTM]

@@david6920-r6z probably every nation had enemy warships in its territorial waters during ww 1 & 2

[@SD78]

In WW2, Auckland was defended by multiple coastal gun batteries.

[@david6920-r6z]

@@SD78 I visited a very large calibre WW2 era anti-ship gun in Wellington established to combat a Japanese invasion. Ironically (from memory) it arrived in late 1943 by which point the tide of war in the Pacific had turned against the Japanese

[@boomertuxx]

@@SD78a couple at Ccokle Bay too.

[@robmurray32]

pretty sure we would wave the white flag if anyone invaded or thought about invading

[@khoorirune4573]

Not this North Island Rambo!

[@mapper7310]

speak for yourself.. no one is gonna have an easy time invading somewhere 2000 kms from the nearest significant landmass

[@Chris-d6m6o]

​@mapper7310 a single aircraft carrier would do it within a fortnight.

[@Drewad17]

And how does that invading force’s logistics tail work??

[@kiwiryker]

As a kiwi , our defence is upmost important, Rich kiwis and companies donate a cannon , A M777 howitzer costs 3.7 Million US , How cool would it be to say that your company helped NZ defend it self

[@RandomKiddVR]

@@MrPopo-nn7kp you're dumb

[@minedminemind5656]

And it'll arrive via Amazon 1 week after the battle, depending on Public Holiday times. Lol

[@DavesIneosGrenadier]

Very few countries could defend themselves from a larger determined enemy. That is why we form allies and partnerships.

[@jon1801]

Without fighter cover? No way.

[@dynamo1796]

We can’t defend shit, fighter cover is waaaay down the list of things we don’t have that we’d need to mount a basic defence

[@gmeme9252]

AA is the biggest threat to aircraft today. Look at how much the airfares are used in the Russia Ukraine war, aside from launching bombs from behind their own lines.

[@tonysambar]

No fighter or bomber aircraft WTF😮

[@TRUMP20Z4]

its ok, we aussies have a few.

[@võitja]

We have 4 or 5 P8 Poseidons which carry bombs torpedoes and the whole lot

[@anthraz]

fighters are useless.

[@lovemysport7902]

Yeah right... NZ's best bet would be to get Fozzie on board to help design a 'Rush D'...

[@ataxpayer723]

The NZ Army has always been a light infantry unit, based around lightweight artillery.

[@võitja]

NZDF is mainly an expeditionary force

[@damolux3388]

No, silly question really. The question should be, could NZ contribute in a meaningful way towards regional security against a near peer in a mid to high level intensity conflict. To which the answer would also be no. The NZDF is woefully under staffed, under funded and under equipped. It has been this way for many many years under successive goverrnments. Right now the NZ Army could not deploy and sustain a force similar to the first Timor deployments in 1999. A sad situation.

[@Motumatai3]

A Defence Force is about so much more than a simplistic throw away line as this. In a word NO. We could not, and most probably never have been able to defend our coastline, if that's what by inference you can call defending NZ. But a Defence Force does far more than that. Sending 100 highly skilled and capable kiwi soldiers into a combat zone to do what many nations soldiers do poorly or not at all (build relationships with all parties, is worth what other nations may throw thousands of troops at, for less gain (political and militarily). But all our Political parties have kicked the can down the road ever since the Wall came down, and we now have an extremely top heavy Defence Force, hollowed out of any real on-the-ground capability. You are looking at a decade minimum, to regain any decent sustainable capability, and that's only if all parties sign up to sufficient funding that will do the job. And not the current farce of circular funding, that's when the Defence Force is levied all sorts of charges that extract significant $$ from the allocated funding to actually do stuff. Capital charge. RUC, registration of motor vehicles, etc etc etc. A Defence Force is one of a Nation's critical institutions. Its NOT a business.

[@Spadesshovel]

🥱

[@captainted486]

🤦​@@Spadesshovel

[@Chris-d6m6o]

"Build relationships with all parties" is how you lose wars, just look at Afghanistan. Where the west was obsessed with cuddling and kissing its enemies instead of erasing them.

[@motorbikeadventuresnewzeal1404]

We don’t have the numbers

[@carlohernandez3941]

The answer is no.

[@kingdaddy328]

this country couldn't defend a poo going into a toilet

[@TroySurmon]

😂😂

[@TroySurmon]

.25% airforce, .25% navy, .50% army 99% ready to be taken over

[@DavidSmith-yi8ou]

Definitely not if you’re involved.

[@khoorirune4573]

Cos you fell in while skivving and blocked the bloody thing.Get your shit together!

[@Chris-d6m6o]

​@d.a2500 serving is worthless without a robust military infrastructure. You could be the greatest warrior mankind has ever know but you'd be immediately stomped by a cheap drone.

[@kiwi_bloke]

Love it. Former Stadia here. Joined in 1973. Would love to see the changes in the survey team if you do another video

[@brickobunga8629]

Comments show why half the country would rather live on the benefit than get a job, why do something yourself when someone can do it for you.

[@danielelkin995]

These guys couldnt catch me and my mates driving a Ute along the beach when we accidentally breached their fire zone…on a beach.

[@samvandermade7420]

they dont have any fire zones on a beach. Unless your talking about inside the training area?

[@danielelkin995]

@@samvandermade7420 up ninety mile beach. There is signs saying about a live fire zone and to turn back. We didn’t until they came over a sand dune and the chase was on.

[@primafacie6442]

Mid 20th century defence force right there, no satellite space or drone air capability or hypersonic weapons….this should be on the History Channel.

[@tahanaparker2660]

Never fight a war you never started.

[@yellowpitch1080]

Thank you for your service.

[@imnothefather027]

Against who?

[@SamEEE12]

105mm outranged and outgunned by 155, only better in a high-angle fire required in mountainous terrain. Other than two ships no sovereign AA systems, no sovereign capability of air superiority. It would be real scrappy. Not sure why we ever got LAV platform, for area of operations + doctrine a really weird choice. Edit: I think we also gave away our direct fire sights for the artillery guns to the Ukrainians, that was a specialist skill the NZ gunners had and that's one less thing the artillery is useful for.

[@SimonMaudeShowreel]

Congrats New Zild Harald. This video piece absolutely fails to answer the question the title of this video asks.

[@petnahc]

Did anyone see what are the artillery aiming at?

[@samvandermade7420]

most of the time is kinda just vivid bushes they can see. But more they are given a target by a DI and then they will observe the round and watch where it lands and then proceed to adjust it on the target

[@TMarkLenthall]

Same as Australia, tourists with weapons cache brought in over time, attacking armouries over Xmas, and power infrastructures and mobile phone exchanges. Only thing stopping it happening is the long sea and air transportation resupply.

[@vishmonster]

It would help if the government funded the airforce properly and expanded their remit to include a significant cyber-offense capability.

[@JR5112]

Dont have to watch a single second to answer that question

[@alexpalmer776]

The military budget in NZ is an insult to its mayor Ally. NZ should be spending around 2.5% to 3% of GDP at least to make some sort of a show of it. NZ armed force personnel are great pound for pound but The criminal and outlawed bikie gangs are better funded and armed and have more soldiers. Bloody disgraceful.

[@ricb123]

Sshhhh don't tell anyone but they are our light armored columns....

[@BigRedNZ1]

Maybe your argument would be better received… if you bothered to spell check.

[@peterearl9114]

Your welcome to donate your money, personally I don't want to pay any more in tax

[@võitja]

I don't think the Mongrel Mob recieves 4 Billion a year😂

[@alexpalmer776]

@@võitja I don’t know have you checked the exchange rate?

[@brucecouper]

No, however that's why we have / need strong allies

[@snigie1]

Lol with our zero airforce, Sam's, anti shipping missiles etc? Oh, I'm sure we'd be terryfying

[@võitja]

We have ASM's😂

[@keeganvalentine3373]

The Poseidon has mk54 torpedoes if my memory serves me correct

[@MrJames_1]

NZ will never have to defend itself on its own. The story mentioned NZ assisting Ukraine, same as we are doing here in Australia. It's a two-way street. Other nations will help us both. Look at RIMPAC running right now. Au/NZ are there working with 27 other nations to make sure we can all work together using our specific specialities.

[@KanoKaiji]

Defend Against what?

[@njm361]

What do you think?

[@warrenwiechern345]

We dont have any enemies, we have Allies across the Globe!

[@Saltfactorynz]

Im not sure why New Zealand doesn't do what switzerland does and have civilians trained as basically idle personnel that can be activated when in crisis? i would surely bolster numbers of useable troops.

[@FuriousePanda]

Make no mistake people, if we were attacked by any meaningful adversaries, we would be destroyed. Without long range radar and air defence, those howitzers wont get off a single shell, and because they absolutely would have air superiority, that black hawk wouldnt even be able to leave the airfield. We rely on our distance and allies to defend us.

[@petestringer5283]

Let AVM Carey Adamson have the last word! In April 2003 he was recorded as saying " we've only got two battalions......but...combined with the firepower of tens if thousands of private gun owners foreign forces might we'll find themselves harried by guerilla style opposition long after the Beehive had fallen. But we can't have that can we.... Confiscate those privately held weapons now I say

[@mapper7310]

if anyone is able to get remotely close to the beehive in the first place, the world, and NZ is probably fucked already

[@Chris-d6m6o]

​@@mapper7310 it'll take an aircraft carrier about 2 weeks. Your myths of "isolation" are irrelevant.

[@NelsonZAPTM]

​@@Chris-d6m6o Aircraft carriers don't hold territory.

[@Stephen-bq4nq]

​@@Chris-d6m6othat's unless another country engages the carrier before it gets here

[@Chris-d6m6o]

@@NelsonZAPTM yes they do, especially when it's a pair of islands with no airforce.

[@multi-media69]

In a dire situation where all money is put into the military budget yes, I think we could. Though small our forces are top quality.

[@rogergotstoned3291]

Love those Gun Tractors and their set up.....watching from 29 Palms.

[@herrakaarme]

Seeing how New Zealand and Finland have roughly similar populations, I always thought the armed forces would be comparable in some ways, only with New Zealand obviously investing much more in the navy. Like NZ would have a few modern diesel-electric submarines, a bunch of minelayers, a good fleet of missile boats, and then a few corvettes/frigates as well. I assumed New Zealand would have a much lighter army, which is the main focus in Finland, but the air forces would be comparable. My shock was thus huge when I learned New Zealand has extremely tiny defence forces. Finland hasn't been able to afford submarines since the WW2, but it's not the critical focus. I was 100% certain it would be absolutely something New Zealand would have, no compromises there. Yet New Zealand has none. The navy is tiny also otherwise. You can't still replace air forces with anything else for the time being, yet NZ has no fighter jets. The army is also much, much lighter than I expected. All that being said, geopolitically the locations of Finland and New Zealand are like night and day, so comparing them is useless. Safe havens are really nice. Military is basically nothing but a huge money sink until you need it. If you never need it, the money can be used elsewhere to make citizens' lives better.

[@nomadtales]

I would say that nowadays the NZ Defence Force is more akin to Ireland than Finland. They are both on the world's periphery. And whilst NZ are not neutral, like Ireland, they benefit from having allies that would come to their rescue if need be. This is probably why they have not invested in the military like Finland has.

[@sarcasmo57]

Good luck NZ.

[@benteaika4007]

no need to attack nz... its cheaper to jusy buy it. everything is for sale particuarly right now.

[@ChristopherWHerbert]

Some of the vehicles in the video were 30 years old. Which is a reflection that this NZDF is using vintage equipment, and that is not exactly a positive thing

[@danielkleiner7369]

That isn't a 105 surplus from the Korean war right?

[@terryharris1291]

russia is using gear from WW2 and Korean war time.

[@rexhurley4380]

No we used 25pdrs and us 105s in Korea That's a FH 105 brought when Helen Clarke refused the army's request for FH155s in the 90s because 155s were considered offensive weapons...

[@jakob7693]

@@terryharris1291 And how many do they have?

[@wellingtonian2009]

Those Unimogs must be at least 40 years old.

[@knowahnosenothing4862]

I wish our politicians would figure out the armed services is the best form of social welfare going and invest in it.

[@waylanddavick9459]

I think we need to double or triple our military capabilities. Our people are excellent, there just isn't enough of them, they are underesourced and they don't get enough respect from the Government.

[@GheeFrod]

👍 Thanks for your service g ❤

[@anthony9thompson]

NZ actually does pretty well on their very small defence budget . They are good at stretching their dollar

[@ThunderspearNZ]

They're also really good at wasting dollars on useless things.

[@Qwerty-r2v1l]

They forgot the haka

[@Josiahcarter2081]

Whoa! Comment section is open . Got no say on this one nz herald? .

[@voidscreaming1012]

Protect NZ soverignty? Brother, the politicians youd protect have destroyed soverignty.

[@planetofthegael]

Do the New Zealand Defence Force recruit lads from overseas?

[@anthraz]

say that again. does a country recruit people to join a military who arent in the country the military operates under.

[@jinjaman101]

is that a question

[@KipKil1igan]

Why is every western nation still training like all their movement hasnt been spotted by dji drones well before they get anywhere? That whole gun line would be gone

[@knowahnosenothing4862]

Correct. It's obsolete trash.

[@Stephen-bq4nq]

Armies have to move regardless.

[@aaronthomas4980]

Australia don't party without NZ Arty, god bless you glorious bastards

[@johanvanbeek7138]

Not sure it answers the basic question?

[@oxfordernest2449]

Good to see cellphones in hands taking selfies lol

[@cruxisification]

Last wargame I partook in you could not use mines, clusters ,or gas. Hamstring by the "rules based order of things". Stuff getting killed for some rules a asshat in beehive signed up for.

[@FoxFlare]

It's been a while since I've had a good laugh after reading that thumbnail

[@BonesTheCat]

Our defence is our distance from everywhere and lack of usefulness for staging an invasion on Australia. Indonesia would go before we did. If someone had the ability to ship an army out here unmolested, we'd lose in hours. Resistance would be guerilla warfare from the bush. We'd lose the country until an international response came and won, but that would need to be an American carrier group.

[@whya2ndaccount]

Kia Ora from the other side of the ditch. Again Kiwis doing a lot with very limited resources (we got rid of our L119, 105mm Light Guns some time ago).

[@seaplanepaul5354]

Yes. Our Royal New Zealand Navy Can. Our Navy is the only service capable of defending against incoming drone and missile attacks, projecting power across the seas, and self sustaining its self in a hostile environment. Time to reduce army expenditure from 62% of our defence budget and redirect those funds into our Navy.

[@hinefamily7565]

Strange that an Island nation is land centric (focused) when Navy and Air Force are relegated. There is a common sense reason why England had a standing navy before an army. NZ Artillery have not been used in combat since the vietnam war, the very reasons our fighter wings were disbanded were not applied to the army. The Army can't move anywhere outside New Zealand without Navy or Air assets and would be quickly subdued if our maritime and Air routes were compromised.

[@steveaustin9386]

There's no doubt about the fighting ability of the NZ army that they have. Without doubt, the problem would be the lack of manpower and weapons.

[@davidorourke5795]

Depends on against who! Could probably hold off Fiji, but might struggle against China!

[@jackson22668]

Unless there are Chinese New Zealanders willing to join up for espionage and sabotage to help the cause, it might even out the field, but I doubt the rest of the country will treat us well under the circumstance

[@wattlebough]

New Zealand doesn’t have a hope of defending its self. That’s what Australia is for.

[@blairwalker3003]

Years ago I was in auntie arm and we played 106 gun had a 50 on top to mark the target and a 106 shell and the where big rounds to the 105 and our 106 made a bigger noise talk to them about damage ears do not what to

[@TheStonedsanta]

Bit late to start asking that, we can’t even house everyone.

[@FreeSoulSikh]

Any attack on NZ will be by Navy and Airforce. Drones will be play hug part in NZ defense and not let infantry land on our shores. We must invest in secure network for defense communications and drone control. Artillery will play hug part in our defense and we must have infrastructure to make millions of artillery shells every month. We must have machinery to dig out tunnels quickly. Basic military training for our youths must be compulsory for 1/2 months during high school education.

[@henkmagnetic3103]

Do they have to stop using their phones when training?

[@samvandermade7420]

nah

[@shanewallace1126]

Yes, against todays threat enviroment. Expertise can be used as base for expanding capacity in the future. Peace🙃

[@Sparta1993]

NZ needs high quality special forces. Highly advanced missile forces. And naval forces

[@BH-ro4ly]

NZ needs everything except more sheep and cows.

[@multi-media69]

we do have high quality special forces, NZSAS, but you're right on the other things

[@Alex_Jones_Fitness_Official]

Already have great special forces. We're lacking in air and naval power and size.

[@user-br3lq1ix5x]

and here comes the drone

[@lorenrb80]

If they aren't sighting artillery using drone crews then we are very behind the ball already

[@user-rf9ws7hp3e]

Defend ourselves from what ?

[@narkysharky2135]

We need a Navy/Airforce upgrade due to our geographic position. These artilary units wouldn't scratch a ship more than a couple kms off the coast so they aren't really worth much. If an enemy force in on our mainland, then it's already too late.

[@haydensmith7551]

Defend what exactly??

[@LukeBunyip]

Kiwiland will always thwart Emutopia... darn you!

[@NelsonZAPTM]

And take back Pavlova!

[@ngallakp62]

Not after handing in all the semi automatic weapons. If we implemented a policy the same as sweden we would at least stand a chance

[@A_Vodka]

short answer no long answer we could hold out long enough for the pacific fleet to arive

[@douglasnakamura6753]

The way things are moving soon NZ will be able to field anti ship missiles on long range drones.

[@UriahD85]

When the army sold off a fleet of unimogs with the starting bid of $5000

[@rokinz3270]

We need an airforce plus we need some serious investment in air defense for regular air craft and drones

[@iced_out_hello493]

Thats okay if we dont have a force we have God! If he wasnt real then why do we mention him in our national anthem and why hasnt our country been touched🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿💯