New Zealand And Australian Armies To Talk

The three day annual Army-to-Army talks between New Zealand and Australia starts today at Linton Military Camp.

The talks assist in maximising the interoperability of the two Armies and work to improve our understanding, effectiveness and bilateral rapport, building on our long-standing and close alliance.

Discussion and information exchanges will focus on matters of mutual interest, including force development, future operating concepts, doctrine, training, personnel and materials.

The talks will also provide a forum to identify and solve interoperability issues and common problems, discuss engagement initiatives such as individual and combined training programmes and personnel exchanges, and identify long-term capability development issues that have potential to improve interoperability.

New Zealand Army's, Brigadier Paul Southwell and Australian Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Ian Gordon will lead the discussions in which 7 Australian and 13 New Zealand delegates will attend. >

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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>>