"A small country can make a significant contribution to peace support operations."

Lt. Gen. Tony Birks
Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force

"New Zealand is willing to shoulder a fair share of the new peacekeeping burden," says Lt. Gen. Tony Birks, Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). New Zealand soldiers, sailors, and airmen are currently taking part in nine different peacekeeping operations, working in a dozen different countries.

Lt. Gen. Birks, explaining the New Zealand Defence Force philosophy for peacekeeping operations, stated that "personnel who are well trained for conventional combat operations can readily convert to the special disciplines required for peacekeeping." If troops can cope with the worst case, they can then adapt to a less demanding military environment. The NZDF develops specific training packages to provide the appropriate briefings and additional training required for particular missions.

New Zealand has agreed to maintain its group of UN Military Observers in the former Yugoslavia until early 1998, its demining training team of NZ Army Engineers in Mozambique until 1999, and yet another Kiwi demining training team is joining the new multinational effort in Laos. New Zealand has a long history of such support; NZDF personnel have been involved in UN and other peacekeeping missions continuously since 1952.

Afghanistan and Namibia

New Zealand's demining training contributions began in 1989 with the UNMCTT (United Nations Mine Clearance Training Team) in Peshawar, Pakistan (intended to train Afghans after the ten-year Soviet/Afghan war). That same year, Kiwi engineers joined a combined Australian-New Zealand Army unit in Namibia as part of UNTAG (UN Transition Assistance Group). Since then, the New Zealand Army has contributed personnel to mine clearance training in Cambodia, Mozambique, Angola and now Laos.

Cambodia

Following the collapse of the USSR, the number of multinational peacekeeping operations grew. UNTAC (UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia) was one of the first of the major post-Cold War UN operations, as well as a first for engineers for mine clearance training. Also, NZ Army signalers staffed a combined Australian-New Zealand communications unit, and Kiwi naval personnel joined other nations in patrolling Cambodia's waterways and coastline. As a result of these efforts, UNTAC was a successful peacekeeping mission.

Somalia

As UNTAC ended, Somalia was the next major international operation. Initially, an NZ Army supply detachment was sent for UN duties. But when UNITAF (Unified Task Force) was instituted to enforce peace in Somalia, so that the famine relief supplies could actually get through, New Zealand also sent a detachment of Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) "Andover" tactical transport aircraft to support the new military operation. In addition to its air operations, the RNZAF detachment operated a number of medical clinics in Mogadishu, Somalia. After the UNITAF operation ended and the RNZAF detachment left Africa, the New Zealand Army supply unit remained in Somalia as part of UNOSOM II (UN Operation in Somalia), working under a Malaysian force commander.

Papua New Guinea

Closer to home, in 1990 the Royal New Zealand Navy provided three ships as a venue for talks intended to find a solution to the Bougainville uprising in Papua New Guinea. That accord later collapsed, and in 1994 the NZDF, with units from Tonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Australia, helped form the South Pacific Peacekeeping Force which enabled a new round of talks to take place.

Rwanda

Humanitarian relief was the reason for a subsequent 1994 RNZAF operation which deployed a C-130 detachment to Rwanda, working for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The RNZAF detachment stayed in central Africa for two months, until the worst of the crisis was over and longer-term UN aid arrangements were in place.

Former Yugoslavia

But by that time, the civil war in the former Yugoslavia had gained international attention. The initial New Zealand contribution to the UN operation, UNPROFOR (UN Protection Force), was a number of military observers. Then in 1994, as UNPROFOR was strengthened, New Zealand also sent a company group of infantry with a troop of armoured personnel carriers. Operating in the Vitez Pocket, the Kiwis were deployed with a British battalion, and also worked with Canadian and Dutch units. When UNPROFOR was replaced by the NATO I-FOR(Implementation Force) after the Dayton Accords, the infantry company returned home. However, a dozen or so New Zealand officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force remain, some for UN duties and others in I-FOR (Implementation Force) staff positions.

Arabian Gulf

While the Army and RNZAF had obvious roles in these operations, it was the UN-authorized Maritime Interception Force (MIF) in the Arabian Gulf that lead to the RNZN deploying frigates to peace-enforcement duties. HMNZS Wellington joined the MIF in October1995 until January 1996, while HMNZS Canterbury deployed for three months from September 1996. According to the commander of the U.S.5th Fleet, Canterbury made 47 queries and 20 boardings during its deployment, detecting one sanctions-buster with Iraqi gas/oil hidden in the ship's ballast tanks and voids.

Others

Other New Zealanders remain on peacekeeping duties today: in the Sinai with the MFO (Multinational Force and Observers); in Lebanon, Syria and Israel with UNTSO (UN Truce Supervision Organization); in Angola, Mozambique and Cambodia; inside Iraq with UNSCOM (UN SpecialCommission). And, not too long ago, a Kiwi brigadier commanded the UN Military Observers in Eastern Slovenia.

Most recently, the NZDF contributed to another effort to resolve the Bougainville crisis. During mid-1997, peace talks were hosted at Burnham NZ Army camp in New Zealand, with air transport provided for the warring parties by the RNZAF. An RNZN frigate deployed to Papua New Guinea waters to support the delegates during their return. The Burnham Agreement resulted in Operation BEL ISO to monitor the truce until the peace agreement was signed in May 1998.

And, during the first half of 1998, New Zealand gunners joined a British artillery regiment in the former Yugoslavia stabilization force.

All these operations are "worthwhile endeavours" said Lt. Gen. Birks, gaining "local successes" and, for the Kiwi servicemen and women, "a great deal of satisfaction." But the general noted that "greater attention needs to be given to taking advantage of lessons learned during each mission." He explained that under the auspices of the Pacific Area Senior Officers Logistics Seminar (PASOLS), New Zealand has produced a handbook for UN operational logistics support, to serve as an executive summary to the UN Operational Support Manual. "It incorporates lessons learned from all participating nations over a range of UN deployments," Lt. Gen. Birks noted.

Yet the sheer size of the peacekeeping workload means that regional organizations are picking up the conflict resolution task. Lt. Gen. Birks pointed out that the emphasis has moved from individual professionalism, as is demanded of UN military observers, to "the collective application of the profession of arms." The range of activities undertaken by the NZDF shows that "a small country can make a significant contribution to peace support operations," he concluded.