Iain LEES-GALLOWAY

Defence Spokesperson
Tuesday, 26 October 2011 MEDIA STATEMENT

Labour will bring the SAS home in first 90 days Labour will withdraw New Zealand’s SAS troops from Afghanistan within 90 days of assuming office and will not send them for another rotation, Labour’s Defence Spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway said today.

Labour is immensely proud of the SAS, of their courage and heroism,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“But Labour does not support their continued deployment. “We should not be putting the SAS in the middle of a civil war between a corrupt government and a brutal, fundamentalist opposition, where allegiances are constantly shifting and accountability hard to establish,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“We will bring them home as soon as possible – within 90 days -- and their involvement in the Afghan civil war will end there.”

At the launch of Labour’s Defence policy in Palmerston North, Iain Lees-Galloway said New Zealand has a proud history of participating in UN-mandated or supported operations around the world.

“Labour supports continued participation in operations where our presence has a demonstrable and positive effect, such as the ISF in Timor Leste and RAMSI in the Solomon Islands.

“Labour will take an independent stance on which operations we choose to participate in. We need to be mindful that we have a small and focused defence force, and we should not stretch our personnel and equipment beyond their capacity.”

Iain Lees-Galloway said a Labour Government will consult with security partners about developing an exit strategy for the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan by 2014. “The PRT has been effective and worked well with the local administration under Governor Sarabi.”

Releasing Labour’s Defence policy today Iain Lees-Galloway said: “New Zealand is rightly proud of its military and of our ability to contribute to international efforts to bring stability to volatile regions around the world.

“Maintaining a defence force that can be deployed overseas on peacekeeping, reconstruction, disaster relief and, where necessary on UN-mandated, full combat missions, is vital to our security.”

Highlights of Labour’s policy include:

• Ensuring the NZDF has sufficient uniformed and civilian personnel to carry out all the tasks expected of it
• Ensuing the NZDF has the equipment and training it needs to carry out all its tasks including overseas deployment
• Retaining the Linton Army Camp
• Continuing to enhance NZDF capabilities and RNZAF Ohakea
• Investigating establishing a Defence College in Palmerston North
• Ensuring NZDF bases and buildings are safe and secure
• Exploring the NZDFs role in carrying out R&D both in the interests of enhancing its own capabilities and in contributing to innovations with civilian applications.

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