Table of Contents
At the time of the publication of the 1997 Defence White Paper, it had become apparent that the New Zealand Government was being faced with a range of decisions which it needed to take to overcome the widespread obsolescence of major items of military equipment. Whilst previous chapters have focused on some of the major needs of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) or the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), or, as in the case of HMNZS Charles Upham joint service requirements, this chapter will focus on one central requirement necessary for re-equipping the Army—Light Armoured Vehicles, or LAVs.
The 1997 White Paper noted that ‘immediate priorities include the replacement or upgrading of the current fleet of M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers’.[1] At a Cabinet Meeting the previous month, it had been agreed that upgrading the Army’s combat capability was a priority ‘to overcome current shortcomings in its ability to undertake the more likely short term tasks, particularly peacekeeping missions’.[2] The following year Cabinet approved in principle the expenditure of NZ$180 million to acquire armoured vehicles, comprising both Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Fire Support Vehicles (FSVs). The funding was to provide sufficient armoured protection for the deployment of an infantry company group, replacing the 77 M113s and eight Scorpion FSVs which were then being operated.
Just over a year later, the Cabinet Strategy Committee approved a major change to the operational concept of the Army, agreeing that it become a motorised infantry force. This move to motorisation of the Army was to require a significant increase in the number of armoured vehicles required, and, as an interim measure, approval was given for the expenditure of NZ$212 million, which it was estimated would provide sufficient lift for one battalion group, and for one company from the second battalion. Cabinet approved both the change in operational concept and funding at a meeting on 24 May 1999.
With the return of a Labour-led government later that year, a commitment to re-equipping the Army was reinforced. The Government’s Defence Policy Framework, released in June 2000, noted:
Priority will be given to the acquisition and maintenance of essential equipment. Our core requirement is for well-equipped, combat trained land forces which are also able to act as effective peacekeepers, supported by the Navy and Air Force.[3]
Two months later at a meeting on 21 August 2000, Cabinet approved in principle the purchase of 105 Light armoured vehicles at a projected cost of NZ$611 million. This was to be a significantly controversial acquisition project decision, leading to no less than four official reviews or inquiries.[4]
This chapter briefly explores the development of the use of armoured vehicles in the New Zealand Army and then examines the events that led to National’s initial decision in 1997 to proceed with acquiring new armoured vehicles. The subsequent decisions to approve the motorisation of the Army, and increase the amount of funding available shall then be reviewed, before exploring the decisions of the Labour-led Government which led to the purchase of 105 fully equipped LAV IIIs, and, finally, commenting on their introduction into service.
New Zealand’s first armoured regiment was the Divisional Cavalry Regiment, formed during the Second World War. The Regiment was despatched overseas in three echelons, the second of which was diverted to England to assist in its defence during the Battle of Britain. The Regiment operated a variety of tracked and wheeled armoured vehicles, and saw action in Greece, Crete, the Middle East, North Africa and Italy.
Following the war, for several decades the New Zealand Army operated both wheeled scout cars and armoured cars (predominately made by Daimler), as well as tanks. Valentine tanks were introduced in 1941 and served until 1960. Centurions were operated between 1950 and 1968[5] , whilst the last tank operated by the Army, the M41 light tank, ten of which were introduced from 1960 on, was officially withdrawn from service in 1983.
By this time, the Army was operating two main types of armoured vehicle, the venerable M113A1 APC, and the Scorpion FSV. Designed in the United States in the mid-1950s, the M113 had entered New Zealand Army service in 1969, and over the next few years 77 were delivered in total. The M113 proved to be reliable for many years, and it saw service overseas in both Bosnia and East Timor. The last of the M113s were formally withdrawn from service on 19 November 2004. The Scorpion, which entered service in 1983, was a somewhat different proposition.
The 1978 Defence Review indicated that New Zealand could no longer afford main battle tanks, and that the M41s would be replaced with a ‘cost effective alternative’,—the Scorpion.[6] The first Scorpions, built by Alvis Limited of Coventry, were delivered to the British Army in 1972. Designated a Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) or CVR (T), the Scorpion was fitted with a 76mm gun, and a militarised 4.2 litre Jaguar petrol engine. Twenty-six Scorpions were delivered to the New Zealand Army from August 1982 onwards. Major General Piers Reid, former Chief of General Staff, was scathing about the vehicle: ‘We bought the Scorpion—that was a bad decision. It was a disastrous vehicle, built for Autobahns. It fell apart in the matter of a decade.’[7] These sentiments were echoed by officials:
The Scorpion light tank is currently in use as a reconnaissance and fire support vehicle. It is not well-suited to the fire support role. It has experienced recurring mechanical problems which have attracted high maintenance costs and have forced the withdrawal of all but eight of the original 26 vehicles.[8]
The Scorpions were finally withdrawn from active service in July 1998.
[1] The Shape of New Zealand’s Defence, A White Paper, Ministry of Defence, Wellington, November 1997, p. 9.
[2] Cabinet paper CAB (97) M40/8A, p. 2.
[3] The Government’s Defence Policy Framework, Ministry of Defence, Wellington, June 2000, p. 7.
[4] These were:
Ministry of Defence: Acquisition of Light Armoured Vehicles and Light Operational Vehicles, Report of the Controller and Auditor-General, Wellington, August 2001, p. 20;
Douglas White QC and Graham Ansell, Review of the Performance of the Defence Force in Relation to the Expected Standards of Behaviour, and in Particular the Leaking and Inappropriate Use of Information by Defence Force Personnel, Report to the State Services Commission, Wellington, 20 December 2001;
C.R. Carruthers QC, Report of Inquiry into the Propriety of a Letter Allegedly Generated from within the Army, Wellington, 18 March 2002; and
D.K. Hunn, Review of Accountability and Structural Arrangements between the Ministry of Defence and the New Zealand Defence Force, Wellington, 30 September 2002.
[5] Centurions in New Zealand, available at <http://kiwisinarmour.hobbyvista.com>, accessed 27 October 2008.
[6] Defence Review 1978, Government Printer, Wellington, p. 35.
[7] Major General Piers Reid, Personal interview, 3 September 2003.
[8] Armoured Vehicles, Cabinet Paper attached to STR (98) 34.