Defence Capability Plan expands NZ’s military
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) will increase the size of its military and acquire new amphibious ships under the latest Defence Capability Plan (DCP) released on 11 June.
The NDZF will grow by 1,500 personnel, with the army reaching 6,000 personnel by 2035. The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) will get a new LPD ship in the mid-2020s and possibly a second after 2030.
The new LPD will operate alongside the navy’s existing sealift ship HMNZS Canterbury, which is now due to retire in 2030. The DCP stated that over the past ten years the ‘operational and environmental
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