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ANZAC Ready Response Force

Prime Ministers John Key and Julia Gillard held bilateral talks in Wellington on 16 February 2011 during Prime Minister Gillard's first official visit to New Zealand. The Prime Ministers welcomed the opportunity to meet and committed to holding annual Prime Ministerial talks. In particular, the Prime Ministers welcomed the agreement by senior officials to develop a joint framework for crisis management cooperation to include annual consultations and a joint crisis management exercise aimed at enhancing the ability to provide reciprocal assistance. The Prime Ministers reaffirmed that both countries' interests were served by the closest possible cooperation, coordination and collaboration on national security and defence. Defence White Papers in both countries have committed to the contemporary ANZAC relationship, including by sharing key capabilities. The Prime Ministers welcomed the establishment of an ANZAC Ready Response Force to respond to regional contingencies.

New Zealand is working closely with Australia to give the ANZAC tradition greater contemporary relevance. Building on joint security and stabilisation activities in places such as Solomon Islands, New Zealand committed to the creation of a Pacific-focused ANZAC Ready Response Force. This Force will respond to short-notice security events, including stabilisation operations, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. Today, many Pacific Island states face chronic social, economic, environmental, and governance stresses. Few countries in the region can claim to have mastered the difficult challenges of globalisation, and the cumulative nature of these stresses means that the outlook for the South Pacific over the next 25 years is one of fragility. The fragility of the South Pacific may lead to a more complex operating environment for the NZDF in the future. Military engagement with the region will be most effective if it enjoys the consent and support of the receiving state.

Operations in New Zealand's maritime zone and the South Pacific are the starting point for choosing military capabilities. This means that the NZDF needs to be a deployable force - able to send troops and equipment by sea and air over thousands of kilometers. This capability is essential to operate effectively in the South Pacific, but it also enables the NZDF to conduct operations further afield. Continued and close interaction with the Australian Defence Force (ADF) at all levels is important to ensure that levels of interoperability are sustained. It also offers potential efficiencies. Much is already done in this area through the mechanism of Closer Defence Relations (CDR).