General

The New Zealand Army was formally formed from the New Zealand Military Forces following World War 2. Attention focused on preparing a third Expeditionary Force, potentially for service against the Soviets. Compulsory military training was introduced to man the force, which was initially division-sized. However succeeding governments reduced the force first to two brigades and then a single one, preferring to allocate many of the available resources to maintaining the New Zealand infantry battalion in the Malaysia-Singapore area, (that battalion, designated 1st Battalion RNZIR by that time, was brought home in 1989).

New Zealand is a party to the ANZUS security treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States. In February 1985, New Zealand refused nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed ships access to its ports. In 1986, the United States announced that it was suspending its treaty security obligations to New Zealand pending the restoration of port access. The New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, and Arms Control Act 1987 prohibits the stationing of nuclear weapons on the territory of New Zealand and the entry into New Zealand waters of nuclear armed or propelled ships. This legislation remains a source of contention and the basis for the United States' continued suspension of treaty obligations to New Zealand.

In addition to the various wars between iwi, and between the British settlers and iwi, New Zealand has fought in the Second Boer War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency (and committed troops, fighters and bombers to the subsequent confrontation with Indonesia), the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and the Afghanistan War, and sent a unit of army engineers to help rebuild Iraqi infrastructure for one year during the Iraq War.

The New Zealand military has three branches: the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. New Zealand considers its own national defence needs to be modest; it dismantled its air combat capability in 2001. New Zealand has contributed forces to recent regional and global peacekeeping missions, including those in Cyprus, Somalia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Sinai, Angola, Cambodia, the Iran/Iraq border, Bougainville and East Timor.

Overview

Military branches :
New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF): New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force (2006)

Military service age and obligation :
17 years of age for voluntary military service; soldiers cannot be deployed until the age of 18 (2001)

Manpower available for military service :
males age 17-49: 984,700
females age 17-49: 965,170 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service :
males age 17-49: 809,519
females age 17-49: 802,069 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually :
males age 18-49: 29,738
females age 17-49: 28,523 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure :
$1.147 billion (FY03/04)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP :
1% (2005 est.)