Navy contact with allies ‘critical’

Press, 1 February 1986, Page 9

Navy contact with allies ‘critical’

PA Wellington The Navy was not big enough to remain professional without contact and exercises with allied forces, said the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear-Admiral Cedric Steward, yesterday. Admiral Steward retired from the Navy yesterday after a career that began in 1949. "The maintenance of relationships with other friendly navies will become a critical, issue for the future as the R.N.Z.N. equid never be large efbugh to maintainißtfofessional standards with-

out the independent yardstick that operations with allies provides,” he said. “This is especially important in areas of trials, work-up and operational training where it is impossible for a navy the size of the R.N.Z.N. to provide the numbers of experienced personnel to staff the organisation the facilities required.” Admiral Steward said the Navy had borne a significant part of the burden of the United States reaction to the Government’s nuclear policy. The Navy had suffered a high turnover of pedple

in the last 15 months. In spite of these problems it has still completed the tasks asked of it, he said. The Navy might have to adapt to both of these changed circumstances. Admiral Steward said that like most New Zealanders he wanted to retain membership of A.N.Z.U.S. The pact was central to the long-term security of New Zealand. He said he agreed with a majority of New Zealanders opposed to the stationing of nuclear weapons on New Zealand soil. This was quite dif-

ferent, however, from the issue of port visits by allied ships that might be nuclear capable, he said. The group, Just Defence, said yesterday that the Lack of morale in the Navy was the result of years of too much emphasis on A.N.Z.U.S. The group was responding to Admiral Steward’s comments.

“While we should respect the views of Admiral Steward, we should recognise that they are colou&d by his own experie|ces in Korea and as a past commander of our

frigates,” said the group's spokesman, Mr Geoff Gregory. “By concentrating on compatibility with A.N.Z.U.S., which has meant involvement in overseas wars like Korea, New Zealand has poured money into large equipment like frigates and left the rest of the forces to go to seed,” he said. Frigates and other large warships had become impossibly costly to buy and run, and were too vulnerable and inflexibler for New Zealand’s defence.