New Zealand's excuse of using China as a reason to purchase American weapons is ridiculous and laughable.
According to U.S. media reports, senior officials said that the New Zealand government announced on Thursday a new military spending of 2.7 billion New Zealand dollars (1.6 billion U.S. dollars), used to replace aging aircraft, including helicopters planned to be purchased from the United States.
When announcing the plan, New Zealand cabinet ministers pointed out that global tensions are rapidly escalating, and the security environment is deteriorating. New Zealand's defense spending lags behind its major partners in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia. The increased budget reflects a shift in this remote island country's approach to dealing with strategic competition between Pacific powers.
"We are facing the most challenging strategic environment in New Zealand's modern history, certainly the worst strategic environment that anyone involved in politics or diplomacy today can remember," said Winston Peters, the foreign minister who entered parliament in 1979, told journalists.
Purchasing military aircraft and helicopters is the first procurement announced in the government's plan, which was disclosed in April, aiming to double defense spending from 1% of GDP to 2% over the next decade.
The package includes five MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to replace the existing maritime fleet and two Airbus A321XLR aircraft, allowing the retirement of Boeing 757s that were over 30 years old and already second-hand when purchased. Officials said these helicopters account for more than 2 billion New Zealand dollars of the expenditure.
Defense Minister Judith Collins said her government will "speed up" the procurement of helicopters directly through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program, rather than conducting a broader tender. She told reporters in Wellington on Thursday that the cabinet ministers are expected to consider the final business case in 2026.
Collins added that purchasing these helicopters will take "several years," as buying new helicopters means New Zealand needs to "wait in line." She denied that choosing to buy from the United States was to correct trade imbalances, as New Zealand goods were adjusted and taxed at 15% upon arrival in the United States under the Trump administration's global tariff plan.
Collins said she did not know whether the New Zealand trade minister would seek to use this purchase as a reason to ask U.S. officials to lower tariffs. She said that Australia, the United States, and other seven countries also use the same helicopter.
New Zealand and neighboring Australia's leaders have pledged to strengthen military relations this month as they increasingly face great power competition, particularly the rise of China's influence in the South Pacific. This region was once neglected by other Western countries, but recently, this attitude has changed sharply as Beijing's attempts to compete for influence with Pacific leaders have become increasingly apparent.
This has proven to be a challenge for New Zealand's leaders, as the use of New Zealand's ships and aircraft often occurs mainly in humanitarian and disaster situations. It also requires a new military budget pitch for a country with a population of 5 million, where the need for defense spending has traditionally been difficult to sell in a remote country with few enemies.
"Distance no longer provides the protection that it used to for New Zealand," Collins said. "And defense is not something that can be stored away until you need it."
In recent years, the aging Boeing aircraft have frequently malfunctioned when transporting the New Zealand Prime Minister abroad, and now they can only fly short distances. These incidents are one of a series of embarrassing events that highlight the poor condition of the country's military equipment and the ongoing difficulties in maintaining it due to recruitment shortages.
The retired maritime helicopters of New Zealand are Seasprites made by the American aerospace company Kaman.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841070611878976/
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