New Zealand Defence Force personnel deployed to Europe have quickly integrated with international partner militaries and commenced supporting Ukraine's self-defence.
NZDF logistics personnel are working within the International Donor Co-ordination Centre in Germany assisting multinational efforts to cohere and coordinate the movement of donated military aid to Ukraine.
The personnel are working as part of the IDCC ensuring equipment donations are in accordance with Ukraine's operational priorities, coordinating the logistics for donations, and matching transport to aid consignments.
The first Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules flights transporting military aid between staging centres in Europe occurred last week.
The Hercules is based at the Royal Air Force base at Brize Norton, in the United Kingdom. It flies to centres in Europe to load and transport military equipment consignments to forward staging points from which the equipment is moved into Ukraine.
Commander Joint Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour says it's pleasing to see NZDF personnel embedded in international teams, planning air movements and managing the distribution of donor contributions in support of the self-defence of Ukraine and the maintenance of international rules-based order.
'Our personnel are professionally carrying out their duties, coordinating well with personnel from other nations on the logistics and transportation of donor contributions.”
RNZAF Wing Commander Lisa D'Oliveira, the commander of the Air detachment, says personnel were pleased to get underway with their first tasks moving military equipment and helping Ukraine, with more to come in coming weeks.
New Zealand Army Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Ropitini, the commander for the logistics detachment, based in Germany, said her team was underway in the international coordination centre, working with partners to get donor supplies to Ukraine.
The work of the logistics team had been essential to ensuring the most appropriate tasks for the Hercules were identified and confirmed, and the team was proud their efforts to secure the first tasks had been successful, she says.
'Everyone is pleased they're doing tangible work to get military aid to the Ukrainians.”
The deployment of the Hercules, air transportation and logistics personnel is in addition to the deployment of NZDF intelligence staff to the United Kingdom, an officer to the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters and a liaison officer to work at a NATO headquarters in Belgium.
The NZDF's open source intelligence capability is also being utilised, and a consignment of helmets, body armour, radios and other equipment was sent earlier to support Ukraine's self-defence.
8 comments
I bet Putin is shaking in his boots...
Posted on 04-05-2022 12:41 | By morepork
The Kiwi Air Force is on the job... It may be only ONE aircraft, (flying on reconditioned engines), but there are KIWIs at the controls, and that spells the beginning of the end for the tyrant. Seriously, I hope they all return safely.
Logistics
Posted on 04-05-2022 14:49 | By Slim Shady
NZDF are experts at logistics. They ran MIQ for 2 years and it was so complex booking people into hotel rooms they invented the lotto.
Phht
Posted on 04-05-2022 14:54 | By Slim Shady
Logistics. Please. Pick it up and put it over there. Without breaking it. They couldn’t run MIQ so how are going to help fend off Russia.
Donations
Posted on 04-05-2022 15:02 | By Slim Shady
What does “logistics for donations” entail? Is it checking the bank account? Rattling a tin? Or organising the garage sale?
Kiwi Air
Posted on 06-05-2022 07:13 | By Slim Shady
60 year old airplane. The Wing Commander said flying around Europe was very complex and a huge learning curve. I just hope the pilots are better than Kiwi car drivers. I hope the rickety old plane is reliable. They’ll do well to not get in the way and cause a tragedy.
@Slim Shady
Posted on 08-05-2022 13:54 | By morepork
As someone who HAS "flown around Europe" I can confirm that it IS complex and requires extreme concentration. I stopped taking friends for weekend jaunts in a Cessna 172 out of Muenchengladbach because it was fun for them, but just stressful for me. European airspace is tightly controlled and even though everyone is supposed to speak English, there are those that don't or are unintelligible when they do. I don't envy our fliers having to cope with a War going on as well...
@morepork
Posted on 09-05-2022 15:24 | By Slim Shady
Pull yourself together man. I actually flew a bombing raid on the Luftwaffe at Muenchengladbach. There was no radar or air traffic control. You were flying by the seat of your pants and the skies were swarming with German Fokkers, but we didn't find it 'stressful'. Mind you, we were made of sterner stuff and had to maintain a stiff upper lip. We had a couple of kiwi chaps in the squadron and they weren't too bad once they'd been shown the ropes. They would be turning in their graves to hear you saying weekend flying is 'stressful'. This country has gone backwards. Kiwis have gone all soft.
@Slim Shady
Posted on 11-05-2022 13:36 | By morepork
Thanks for your response, Slim. I don't consider recreational flying to be in the same league as what you experienced, and consider myself chastised... The stress I alluded to was caused by the fact that Germany was divided, and if you inadvertently strayed into the wrong space you could be disintegrated by a modern missile, without warning. My focus was on being in the right space, while the passengers were all enjoying the scenery. I found it stressful, so I stopped doing it. But I would not pretend it was anything like the stress you experienced. You're probably right, and Kiwis are a bit soft. (At least I can speak for this one...)
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