NEW ZEALAND’S DEFENCE SHARE IN PACIFIC SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24898, 11 June 1946, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND’S DEFENCE

SHARE IN PACIFIC SCHEME

VIEWS OF SIR KEITH PARK

How New Zealand might defend herself from enemy air aggression was discussed by Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Park in an interview yesterday. The Dominion, he claimed, was in no position to defend herself from any determined attack from a first-class power,' but it was not necessary that she should be, or that she should break herself economically trying to provide an impregnable defence. Her safety lay in the over-all defence scheme to protect the whole Pacific, in which she would have her allotted role. Sir Keith Park, who emphasised that his views were entirely nis own and not official, discussed manpower .and research in relation to the Dominion s defence. There were a number of powers in the Pacific—he listed the United States, the British Empire, Holland and Russia—but it was essential that the British and the Americans, as having the biggest stake, should have a predominant share in Pacific defence. The Empire’s over-all defence scheme in its turn would be part of a UNO plan, he said. The Dominion s own share would have been the subject of discussions recently in London, attended on behalf of this country by the Deputy-Prime Minister, t the Rt. Hon. W. Nash. Two Sources of Attack

New Zealand itself was liable to attack from two sources, Sir Keith said. One was from island bases in the Pacific, and the defence scheme as a whole could guard against that by seeing that suitable bases never fell into hostile hands. The other air attack could come from submersible aircraft-carriers, which coming briefly to the surface, could dispatch a load of long-range bombers, and then seek safety in submerging—possibly even to a depth beyond the reach of atomic bombs. That did pose a difficult problem.

“New Zealand still could not on her own put up an adequate defence to any determined attack by a first-class power,” he continued,, discussing the prospect of such a raid. The economic cost of providing such an adequate defence would break so small a country. Therefore, he reiterated, New Zealand’s defence lay in its active participation in the defence of the Pacific as a whole, in which the Dominion would be allotted its share in Empire strategy. The country had to have a peacetime air force, in order that the right type of men, disciplined and educated, were available should war come. There must be that reserve of trained personnel. Research in the latest weapons could be done centrally for the Empire as a whole, New Zealand aiding perhaps by providing some of the scientists and some of the money. Then from pooled research, New Zealand could receive her share of new weapons when they were available. Defence Allocations It was important, too, that there should be a proper priority, he said, in the allocation of money between the services in defence. Trie war of the future, with the new weapons, did not mean vast armies being kept under arms. Armies and navies would still be essential, but first priority must be given air defence of a country’s base. Without that defence, the soldiers and sailors could not even go to the service stores to draw their kitbags and mobilise before the war would be over. David could easily beat Goliath in the next war, provided David had spent the time and money in the development of the right sort of weapons. Armies would be used for moppingup work and for occupations, and the navy to safeguard the carrying of stores and men, but they must have the air power to defend the country’s bane—not only its ports and its service installations, but also its industries.