13 Aug 2021

Minister concerned about reduced ability of Defence Force

From Morning Report, 6:42 am on 13 August 2021

The Defence Minister admits there's a serious situation with the reduced ability of the defence force to respond to a major disaster. The Chief of Defence Force is also warning about the impact of the ongoing MIQ mission. At any one time about 1300 Defence Force staff are rotating through MIQ which means key people aren't always available for training and usual operations. Border restrictions are making the situation worse, severely restricting training opportunities and access to key equipment. Peeni Henare spoke to RNZ's political editor, Jane Patterson.