National today released further evidence of the covert operation to undermine the future of the airforce and navy to gain preferential treatment for the army. "Letters last year show that the former Army Chief of Staff Piers Reid was hired by the Chief of Army General Staff Maurice Dodson on two contracts of $49,000, just below the $50,000 limit of his discretionary spending.

"Maurice Dodson, head of the army when the Gordon document was written, was able to hire Labour policy supporter Major General Piers Reid for these contracts without any questioning from his overall defence chiefs.

"Dodson was infact following the line of paragraph 22 in the Gordon document 'the mechanism to fight the second front is now straight forward. Each individual in charge of a campaign conducts their campaign utilising the resources of their primary appointment.'

"Piers Reid was contracted to head the Military Studies Institute whose officers are funded by the army to attend the Centre of Defence Strategy, which he also heads. Piers Reid has been a very public supporter of this Government.

"It's clear the Government is continuing to fund Piers Reid, a part of the 'second front' in the Gordon campaign. The Gordon strategy included capture of the academic debate.

"The Government must explain why it shuts down the Centre for Strategic Studies headed by David Dickens but continues to fund Piers Reid's centre.

"The Government has applied the usual attacks on anyone who doesn't agree with it this week by personally attacking David Dickens, a man it is a also trying to shut down because he has given frank comment about the ideological road the Government has taken in defence.

"These letters together with the Gordon document show the Labour Government has had the wool seriously pulled over its eyes by the army and those in high position in it.

"They show that it is most urgent that an inquiry is conducted into the army," Mrs Shipley said.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>