New Zealand defence forces 'decrepit'

The Defence Force annual report makes bleak reading – the armed forces appear to be almost as run down and decrepit as the railways.

As with the railways, defence has suffered from decades of neglect and under-investment, and has faced dramatic cuts such as the loss of its air combat capability.

But the Government is committed to spending more than $7.6 billion to rebuild the military.

The army has new fleets of light armoured vehicles and light operational vehicles, sophisticated radios and new missiles – providing such a leap in capability that it is still to come to grips with how it will operate in future.

The navy will take delivery of six new patrol craft and a multi-role ship next year, but its two Anzac frigates will shortly need midlife upgrades.

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