New Zealand’s army chief: Pacific nations need tailored military training

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — As the U.S., China and other powers vie for strategic influence in Pacific Island militaries, the army chief of New Zealand told The Associated Press that not all of the larger nations bidding to offer support are supplying what tiny island nations find most helpful.

New Zealand, which has trained Pacific soldiers for decades, has little military might and has instead long cultivated its reputation through a type of humble soft power when its armed forces are stationed abroad. It has drawn trust by encouraging frank relationships and “diversity of thought” among its training partners in the South Pacific Ocean, Maj. Gen. Rose King told the AP in an interview at defense headquarters in Wellington on Friday. The army’s highest ranking official, who was appointed in June, is the first woman to lead a branch of the New Zealand military.

“One of the things we’re hearing from some of the Pacific nations is lots of people offering help, but it’s not necessarily the help they want or need,” she said. King’s remarks come during an explosion of what she termed the “great power competition” for Pacific influence, with the vast oceanic region of tiny island and atoll nations becoming one of the world’s most fraught sites of geopolitical contest.

China’s influence in the region alarms the West

King did not single out countries by name. Military chiefs in New Zealand are in non-political roles and are not permitted to comment publicly on government policy. That includes decisions about foreign affairs or military deployments. But New Zealand’s 2023 defense policy statement cites China’s assertive push through the Pacific over the past decade shoring up security deals and agreements to train or equip