Actualización de la peticiónHelp Ukraine defend itself with NZ’s surplus armoured vehicles #NZLAVForUkraineAdditional support New Zealand could offer Ukraine

Finn ColmanWellington, Nueva Zelanda
15 jul 2022
In addition to sending armoured vehicles there are several related things New Zealand could do to assist Ukraine further.
I will list these things out below. These are not a replacement for sending armoured vehicles, they are things we could do in addition to that:
- Send more C-130s. Many people don't know this, but New Zealand actually has 5 C-130 Hercules aircraft. One of these was sent to Europe to assist with airlift operations of equipment to Ukraine. It did a very good job and transported a lot of equipment, but it has returned from its mission now. Meanwhile Ukraine still needs a lot of airlift of equipment to it. I am in favour of New Zealand sending at least one other C-130 back to Europe and preferably more than one. We would need to hold a couple in reserve for missions in the Pacific and Antartica, but I would have thought we could spare at least 2 for European airlift operations.
- Send our L119 Howitzers and ammunition. New Zealand has 24 L119 Howitzers. These guns are being used by the Ukrainian military. New Zealand was selected to assist with the training of Ukrainian military personnel on this gun because we are the only military among our allies who still operate this weapon. Both the British army and the Australian army used to operate this gun but they both operate newer guns now. The British military operates L118 guns and the Australian military replaced its L119s with M777 155mm artillery. It is questionable why New Zealand is still operating the L119 gun if none of our allies are still operating it, and hence we are not using common equipment that is interoperable with our partners. New Zealand could either just buy replacements for the L119s or we could get backfilled by our allies with more up to date artillery. This type of backfilling has occurred before when countries have donated older Soviet era equipment to Ukraine and been backfilled with newer NATO equipment.
- Send our Javelin missile launchers and missiles. New Zealand has 24 Javelin launchers and 290 missiles. Some of these missiles will expire soon so there is little point in keeping them in New Zealand. As our stock of these weapons is fairly small this would probably make more sense as part of a larger military aid package.
- Send some of our M72 LAW. Strangely everyone has talked about the Javelins, which New Zealand doesn't have a lot of, but New Zealand actually has 3200 M72 LAWs in stock, and Ukraine does use these weapons. New Zealand could send say 1000 of these to Ukraine and it would make quite a big difference.
- Travel to Ukraine in person. As far as I am aware no New Zealand MP has travelled to Ukraine in person since the war broke out. The Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese recently travelled to Ukraine in person and pledged an extra 100 million AUD in aid while he was there. The New Zealand government has repeatedly said that travelling to Ukraine achieves nothing, but this isn't true. While it is true that travelling to Ukraine is no substitute for actual physical aid, it does still achieve something. For a start it is a show of solidarity with Ukraine and it indicates a high level of commitment to their cause. Also, despite the billions in aid going into Ukraine the Ukrainians are essentially doing this on their own. Travelling to Ukraine is a great source of moral support and I am sure President Zelensky appreciates it. It is also a chance to witness first hand what is happening on the ground and gain greater insight and perspective into what is happening. And it would be a great opportunity to discuss face to face extra ways New Zealand could assist Ukraine. Obviously the Prime Minister visiting would have the most impact but any New Zealand MP travelling there would be an improvement. If I was an MP I would gladly volunteer myself to go, but I am not a politician.
The corresponding Tweet is here. Feel free to Like, Retweet or Reply.
Cheers,
Finn
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