I don't think the issue is affordability, but rather necessity with a bucketload of political expediancy thrown in for flavour.
New Zealand, by virtue of their geographic location if nothing else, doesn't really need much of a defence force that I can see. Not a lot of powerful enemies in the south pacific after all.
Heard a rumour years ago when I was in the infantry that the only reason Australia even had MBTs was tradition. It's not like any of them have even sniffed another country since Vietnam in the late 60s, let alone faced an actual enemy.
|