Defence report reveals "get Dodson" campaign

The report into standards of behaviour in the Defence Force reveals an intense campaign to undermine support for the government's defence changes, Green Party Defence spokesperson Keith Locke said today.

An anti-government "faction in the army" has been on a "get Dodson" vendetta because of the army chief's support for a focus on a peacekeeping capability rather than the retention of an air combat force, said Mr Locke.

"The report shows an explosion of leaks this year designed to cause personal embarrassment to General Dodson and to undermine the Government's defence spending priorities."

Major General Dodson has been the key supporter of the Government's new course in defence policy.

"As recently as December 20th, he told the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade select committee of his support for the 'Defence Beyond 2000' report, which prioritised spending on army equipment ahead of maintaining an air combat force," said Mr Locke.

"While the leaking of such documents is reprehensible, we such should not forget to censure those National, New Zealand First and ACT politicians who used this information to fuel their campaign to try to keep the Skyhawks flying."

The Green Party is against any politicisation of the armed forces, and is particularly concerned that right wing parties have encouraged factional behaviour and the leaking of unauthorised documents for their own political advantage, said Mr Locke.

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>>