The Post

‘Fighting’ quelled in southern war zone

- MATT STEWART

Political instabilit­y in the troubled – if fictitious – South Pacific nation of Becara at the top of New Zealand’s South Island has been suppressed by a Kiwi-led global interventi­on force.

Over the past five weeks, Becara – which takes in the Marlboroug­h, Tasman, Nelson and Buller regions stretching from Greymouth to Kaiko¯ ura – has been a training ground for soldiers from Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Chile, Brunei, Malaysia and Timor Leste. They were joined by small contingent­s from Australia, Canada, the United States, France and Britain.

Now in its fourth – and most ambitious – edition, the Southern Katipo military exercise is held biennially. This year, it involved 3000 people, 13 nations, six helicopter­s, 17 planes, five ships and more than 100 vehicles.

Southern Katipo, which began at the start of October and ended today, was a continuati­on of the 2015 scenario, in which New Zealand deployed a military contingent to lead a multinatio­nal joint taskforce that could help restore law and order after ethnic rivalries turned violent in Becara.

The taskforce conducted stability, support and humanitari­an operations, including the evacuation of those internally displaced by the violence.

Exercise director Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield said this year higher threat levels were used to create more challengin­g training environmen­ts for all operations.

Training for a longer period – now five weeks instead of the previous three – and in an expanded area was a ‘‘large leap forward’’ that had tested the Defence Force’s resilience in every area from communicat­ions to logistics.

‘‘In the context of this operation in the Southwest Pacific, we feel confident the New Zealand Defence Force could and would lead a joint operation taskforce into any situation we face.’’

The operation’s success owed much to the support of local communitie­s, Dransfield said. That relationsh­ip between the military and upper South Island residents was highlighte­d last week when defence personnel and locals banded together to save an orca that had been stranded for more than 24 hours at Marfells Beach, near Seddon.

Southern Katipo land component commander Brigadier Mike Shapland said when they got the emergency call, each taskforce member raised their hand to volunteer. There was a ‘‘smorgasbor­d of military’’ assisting, including engineers and stewards. It was a great way to help the community out and finish up the exercise, he added.

Alliances had also been strengthen­ed, with countries such as Timor Leste and Chile participat­ing for the first time, while Foreign Affairs and Trade representa­tives and Health Ministry officials were involved for longer and in greater numbers.

Other organisati­ons supporting the exercise included Customs, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA), Immigratio­n New Zealand (INZ), district health boards (DHBs), Red Cross and St John New Zealand.

Communicat­ion difficulti­es and the resultant friction with non-government­al agencies after the exercise shifted from a disaster scenario to an armed conflict was one issue of note – highlighti­ng networks needing to be solidified.

However, Dransfield said the 2017 operation had been a success. ‘‘There’s an appetite to do it again but for longer and with more complex scenarios ... it keeps everyone match-fit.’’

 ?? PHOTOS: SCOTT HAMMOND, BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF ?? A crew commander covers his troops from the turret of a light armoured vehicle (LAV) while on manoeuvres at Greymouth’s Omoto Racecourse during the last week of the Southern Katipo military and disaster-relief exercise.
PHOTOS: SCOTT HAMMOND, BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF A crew commander covers his troops from the turret of a light armoured vehicle (LAV) while on manoeuvres at Greymouth’s Omoto Racecourse during the last week of the Southern Katipo military and disaster-relief exercise.
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Three thousand people, 13 nations, six helicopter­s, 17 planes, five ships and more than 100 vehicles took part in the latest military exercise. Its mission: Halting violence in the fictitious but troubled South Pacific nation of Becara.
Three thousand people, 13 nations, six helicopter­s, 17 planes, five ships and more than 100 vehicles took part in the latest military exercise. Its mission: Halting violence in the fictitious but troubled South Pacific nation of Becara.
 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield
Lieutenant Colonel Martin Dransfield

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from New Zealand