Panetta Announces Warmer Military Ties on New Zealand Trip
By THOM SHANKER
Published: September 20, 2012 - Klipping The International Herald Tribune
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Defense Secretary Leon E. Panettaarrived in this South Pacific island nation Friday, becoming the first Pentagon chief to visit here in three decades, an absence prompted by a breakdown in ties after New Zealand prohibited American nuclear warships from its territorial waters.
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In a sign of Washington’s efforts to increase military-to-military cooperation, Mr. Panetta announced that the Obama administration had modified United States policy so that, in the future, the defense secretary can authorize individual visits by New Zealand naval vessels to Defense Department or Coast Guard facilities.
Although New Zealand now participates in American-led naval exercises, its ships must dock at commercial ports in the United States, and not at military bases — a reciprocal ban in response to that imposed by New Zealand on American warships.
New Zealand has pulled its Special Operations forces from Afghanistan and will focus on training local security troops, but it still has about 180 troops on the ground there operating a provincial reconstruction team. The dangers remain: New Zealand has lost 10 troops in combat, including 5 in August alone. One of those killed was the first female combat death in the nation’s history, officials said.
“The deep respect the United States military has for the New Zealand defense forces has only grown over this decade of war,” Mr. Panetta said.
Mr. Panetta also confirmed during the visit that the United States had completed its drawdown of 33,000 “surge” troops in Afghanistan.“As we reflect on this moment, it is an opportunity to recognize that the surge accomplished its objectives of reversing Taliban momentum on the battlefield, and dramatically increased the size and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces,” he said in a statement. He added, “It is important to underscore that even as our surge troops return home, there are roughly 68,000 Americans who remain in a tough fight in Afghanistan, alongside their NATO and Afghan partners.”
Improving relations between the United States and New Zealand hve resulted in the two countries signing new documents to re-establish avenues for dialogue and pledging cooperation on Asia-Pacific security issues.
Even so, Mr. Panetta said he did not push for a renewed, formal mutual-defense treaty with New Zealand. This final stop on a weeklong mission that included visits to Japan and China was intended more broadly to nurture closer military-to-military ties with an important South Pacific security partner.
That sentiment was echoed by New Zealand’s defense minister, Jonathan Coleman, who said there was no need to recreate the treaty alliance canceled in 1986. Both nations “are enjoying the benefits” of a growing security partnership, he said, without “reverting back to the way things were.”
He said that New Zealand’s continued prohibition on nuclear warships would remain in place but was no longer a hindrance to security cooperation with the United States.
Both defense officials said areas of increased military cooperation between the countries could include efforts to counter piracy and halt nuclear proliferation, as well as joining forces for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
The last defense secretary to visit was Caspar W. Weinberger in 1982.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: September 21, 2012
An earlier version of this article misspelled the given name of New Zealand’s defense minister. He is Jonathan Coleman, not Jonathon.
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