1 00:00:00,320 --> 00:00:04,080 Speaker 1: Bryan bridgew Zealand is open to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: Here's the Prime Minister this morning. I'll tell you what 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: he said. He said we are open to sending troops 4 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:12,880 Speaker 1: to Ukraine. He also wants to get defense spending close 5 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: to two percent of GDP. We're currently spending just over 6 00:00:15,720 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: one percent. The former Defense minister is Ron Marky's with 7 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: me this evening. 8 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 2: Hello, Hello, Ryan, how are you today? 9 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: Very well? Thank you. Do we have the capacity to 10 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: send well, would we have the capacity to send troops 11 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: to Ukraine? 12 00:00:29,240 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 2: Well, it depends what role and what function they were 13 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,440 Speaker 2: being asked to perform. Ryan, I think we know from 14 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 2: the many deployments we have around the world that some 15 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 2: deployments might just be one or two officers, maybe a 16 00:00:44,479 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 2: dozen in different locales, not like the I think the 17 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: eight we've got the United Nations. It might be larger 18 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 2: the twenty eight we've got with your multinational force and observers, 19 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 2: or you know, if we're considering the seven thousand odd 20 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 2: that we sent to Ease teamor over a extended duration, 21 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 2: that was quite a different deployment as was Bosnire. So 22 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,640 Speaker 2: it really comes down to what does New Zealand want 23 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 2: to do and what role would it want to take 24 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 2: up in a peacekeeping mission? Are we going to put 25 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 2: troops on the ground to enforce a peace keeping a 26 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 2: deal or are we going to make cups of tea? Well? 27 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: Good question. What do you think about this idea that 28 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 1: we pump out spending up to two percent? Were currently 29 00:01:31,600 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: at about one point two I mean, that's but we're 30 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: talking billions and billions of dollars here. It would happen 31 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: and presumably over a long period of time, but do 32 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:40,600 Speaker 1: we need to do that? 33 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:44,200 Speaker 2: Well? When I wrote the New Zealand First Defense Policy 34 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 2: way back in the nineteen nineties and I advocated that 35 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 2: we should be targeting a budget of two percent of GDP, 36 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 2: a lot of people scoffed at it. And I think 37 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 2: even the dimmest researchers will find which parties in the 38 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 2: Parliament have always resisted increasing defense spending. I think we're 39 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 2: anywhere near one point one percent right now. Ryan. We 40 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 2: hit that high in my time as Minister of Defense, 41 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:10,919 Speaker 2: but we've slipped back again. I guess the fund that 42 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:13,839 Speaker 2: the base question right now is if we are going 43 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,320 Speaker 2: to deploy an elements to assist with the peacekeeping operation 44 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 2: in Ukraine. What would that look like and how much 45 00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: money would that require? Who's going to pay for it? 46 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 2: Are we going to see an immediate injection into the 47 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 2: Defense Force to meet such a commitment? And what is 48 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 2: the commitment going to be is? I don't think you 49 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 2: can deploy troops anywhere without providing the resources, both material 50 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 2: personnel or be they material personnel or fiscal And to 51 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 2: expect the Chief of Defense Force to make a deploy 52 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:47,359 Speaker 2: troops on another mission without having an increase in his 53 00:02:47,480 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 2: budget to cover that would not be sensible. It would 54 00:02:51,360 --> 00:02:52,600 Speaker 2: be setting people up to fail. 55 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: Certainly sounds reasonable to me. Ron, Thank you very much 56 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,360 Speaker 1: for that. Ron Mark, who's the former Defense minister with 57 00:02:57,440 --> 00:02:59,959 Speaker 1: us just gone fourteen minutes after five the Prime Minister 58 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:01,640 Speaker 1: this morning. This is what he had to say on 59 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: sending troops to peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. 60 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:05,679 Speaker 2: I think we've got a long way to go. We 61 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 2: are very supportive of Ukraine. We'd be open to it. 62 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 2: We stand with the Ukraine. It's important, you know, we 63 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 2: have these values about nation states, sovereignty, you know, rule 64 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: of law. You know, we'd be open to that. There 65 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 2: you go. 66 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:17,079 Speaker 1: I mean a lot of what had gone to the 67 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: bridge before we get there, isn't there for more from 68 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:23,200 Speaker 1: Hither duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news talks it'd 69 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.