NEW ZEALAND FORCES

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 37, 7 November 1942, Page 8

NEW ZEALAND FORCES

American Command USE OF RESOURCES OF PACIFIC Defence Of Dominion The recent announcement by the Minister of Defence, Mr. Jones, about United States command of the New Zealand Army/ was amplified yesterday by the General Officer Commanding the New Zealand Military Forces, LieutenantGeneral E. Puttick. He said that from the moment the United States assumed responsibility for the Pacific it was recognized that unless that responsibility included New Zealand itself there was a risk of divided control and of failure to make the best use of all the resources in the Pacific.

General Puttick said that, for example, the danger of attack on New Zealand depended very largely on the United States naval plan for the Pacific and on the army and air forces stationed in the various Pacific islands and their ability mutually to support each other. Only the United States commander of the' Pacific area could gauge the effect of these measures on the defence of New Zealand, and obviously the strength of the forces required to be'maintained in New Zealand depended very largely on an appreciation, of these factors. Distribution Of Forces. “The Commander of the South Pacific area in which New .Zealand is situated, who is kept informed by his Commander, the Commander of the Pacific, is in the best position to weigh up the various considerations and could determine from time to time the most suitable distribution of forces throughout the area,” said General Puttick. ‘*He is thus in a position to make requests to the New Zealand Government for forces to be employed in the area basing ills requests on the general military situation. It would then be for the New Zealand Government to decide, after reviewing all factors, including manpower and other civil aspects of the matter as well as the militarv factors, whether the'requests of the United States Commander should be acceded to. “It should be recognized that in agreeing to United States Command over the New Zealand Forces, the New Zealand Government does not and cannot divorce from itself responsibility for tlie adequate defence of New Zealand and responsibility for ensuring as far as it can that New Zealand forces dispatched into the Pacific are adequate for their task and suitably supported. Measures For Home Defence. “The New Zealand Chiefs of Staff are still responsible for advising the Government on these matters. as they are responsible for consulting the United States Command on them and also for carrying out such directions of the United States Command as are in accordance with the policy of or are approved by the Government. In practice the measures for the defence of New Zealand by its home forces will remain the responsibility of the New Zealand Chiefs of Staff guided by such advice as they receive on the strategical situation from the United States Command.

“The training of New Zealand forces will also remain a New Zealand responsibility, though obviously any special training required to lit troops for a particular role and especially if co-operation with United States troops were involved, would be discussed with the United States Command.. Close co-operation has been maintained with United States commanders of those forces who, in an emergency have an operational role in the New Zealand home defence forces under New Zealand command. A considerable quantity of United States training manuals, etc., has also been made available to the New Zealand forces. British Equipment. “The New Zealand forces are equipped almost entirely with British equipment, though it has large nunimers of United States tommy-guns, rilles, and machineguns, vehicles, tanks, and a few heavy guns. Various factors, such as the role of New Zealand troops—whether independent or otherwise —availability of United States equipment, and the time factor, nould determine whether any of our troo]>s would make an increased use of United States equipment.

"Right from the start there Ims been close co-operation and consultation with the local United States command, which has always been invited to ask New Zealand for any co-operation or assistance required, and a good deal has already been done in that dit'ection.

"So far as lhe New Zealand Army is concerned, the announcement regarding United Slates command goes little further than official recognition of what had already been arranged between the respective commanders. It is all to the good and should cement the co-operation and goodwill already evident 'in the relations between the two forces.”