Like thousands of other people I have been giving a lot of thought to the wrecking of the 'Rena” and all the filthy oil that has been drifting ashore. I wonder why our defence forces have not as yet been mobilised. This is an invasion of our territory just as surely as if an enemy was here doing the job.
We have a Navy, an Army, and an Airforce. I realise that a small part of the Army is working along the foreshore right now, clearing up the oil that has washed ashore.
I have no idea how many are involved but any pictures published do not show a great number. Surely there must be many more who could be sent to help with this most important work.
The Air Force has helicopters and fixed wing aircraft which could be on the job during daylight hours keeping track of floating containers and notifying their position to the Navy.
The Navy could be charged with, either getting the wandering containers towed to a suitable base from where they can be lifted from the water, or if this proves to be impossible, then the Navy should be ordered to sink, by gun fire - if necessary, any such dangerous containers.
Surely excellent practice for their gunnery people. They could imagine that they are firing at an enemy submarine which is just submerging (or surfacing).
The whole sorry business could legitimately be called 'an exercise”. Not the usual 'play acting”, but doing something worthwhile in a real emergency, the like of which we have never experienced before.
It would only take one, wandering, semi-submerged, container to tear a hole in say, a visiting cruise liner, so let us get rid of every one of them now, before we have another tragedy on our hands.
A thought for the future - every such overseas container vessel should be required to carry a New Zealand pilot while travelling around our coast. The cost of this to be borne by the shipping company concerned, - not by New Zealand!

S.J. Harvey, Tauranga.

Editor's note: NZ armed forces are heavily involved in the Rena crisis, including four naval ships and Sea Sprite helicopter; and Air Force Iroquois.
There are 255 personnel still working directly on the job. These are from all three services -- about 200 from army doing beach cleanup;35 from navy patrolling exclusion zone; 20 from airforce with helicopter support.
Full coverage of the disaster including the armed forces extensive deployments is viewable on www.sunlive.co.nz