3 of New Zealand's 9 naval vessels idle as tensions rise

LUCY CRAYMER REUTERS WELLINGTON Three of New Zealand's nine naval vessels are sitting idle in port, as higher civilian salaries lure personnel out of the military, the Defense Force said on Wednesday, even as tensions between China and the US and its allies in the Pacific rise.

The HMNZS Wellington, an offshore patrol vessel, went back to New Zealand early in the morning from what was intended to be a three-month deployment in the Pacific and was taken out of service in Nov because of shortages, the New Zealand Defense Force said.

The Wellington is the third ship to be put into care and custody with two other vessels another offshore patrol vessel and a smaller patrol vessel for operations close to shore pulled off the line and their crews were reassigned last year. The vessels have crews of 24 to 42.

A letter from the Chief of the Defense ForceDefense Force Air Marshal Kevin Short to the Minister of Defense said that workforce issues are impacting ship availability to deliver naval outputs. Risks remain to Naval output delivery if attrition and hollowness can't be addressed in a timely manner. The NZDF has just over 15,000 personnel, including civilian staff, and about 2,800 are in the Navy. In May, the Defense Force said it would spend $90 million $57 million over four years to raise the salaries of the lowest-paid workers. The personnel figures are expected to be improved by 2026 -- 2027, according to officials.

A NZDF spokeswoman for the New Zealand Defense Force NZDF said that having so few ships available makes it harder for the navy to handle multiple challenges at once.

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The problem is particularly acute as the US, Japan, Australia and other countries in the region square off against China and try to influence. The lessons learned from Russia's invasion of Japan are now taking shape, and new defense spending plans are taking shape.

New Zealand, which spends roughly 1.5% of its GDP on defense, announced this year it would review its defense policy in light of regional geopolitics and climate change. The review is not expected to be completed until 2024.

The Navy's attrition rate was 16.5% in the year to Nov, with staff leaving for jobs in the private sector, where salaries have gone up due to a tight labour market.

New Zealand's Defense Force is dealing with ageing equipment and a large number of personnel assigned to border quarantine facilities.

Minister of Defense Peeni Henare acknowledged in an email that staff losses hurt the Defense Force, but said the government was committed to rebuilding it.

There is more to do, he said.

The country is replacing its fleet of C-130 cargo planes and P- 3 maritime patrol aircraft MPA and the first of four Boeing P- 8 A Poseidon MPA due to arrive this month. Plans for a new military vessel built for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica were put off this year.