Todjaeger
Potstirrer
A minor quibble here. NZ could decide (very foolishly IMO) to rely upon a littoral maritime strike CONOPS, but in order to do so, this would essentially mean ceding to any potential aggressor all the approaches to NZ, and force the NZDF to wait until aggressor forces have already penetrated and are within reach of, if not already into NZ's home waters. From my POV this would be a slightly more aggressive NZ response, and about as appropriate as the Green Party's passive non-compliance defence policy plank in response to invasion.11. Sweden’s CONOPS is littoral strike, using terrain masking for the RBS 15 to hit home. In contrast, NZ is surrounded by open water (and cannot apply littoral maritime strike CONOPS). With so many Swedish speaking sailors that are trained there, Singapore is intimately familiar with Sweden’s CONOPS for littoral strike and submarine warfare.
What people need to start realizing, and unfortunately many still do not, is that NZ defence really needs to be a forward defence. Even waiting until hostile or potentially hostile forces are within the 200 n mile EEZ really it too late. By the time a force gets around to establishing itself in the NZ EEZ, it will already have had plenty of time and opportunity to apply pressure to or take control of vital SLOC chokepoints that have either direct impacts on NZ, or on NZ's crucial partners in trade and/or defence.
With that in mind, I am very much in favour of the NZDF expanding upon and/or rebuilding capabilities which are both directly useful for NZ, but also expand upon or are complementary to those of allied nations, and Australia in particular. With that in mind, I am somewhat less keen than others about the RNZAF re-raising an ACF. Not so much because I do not see a use for, or potential need, to have fast jet tac air with Kiwi roundels, but because of my assessment of the state of the NZDF overall. It becomes a question of priorities both in terms of what capabilities will be needed most, which would be needed soonest, etc.
My personal assessment of a Kiwi ACF is that it would be useful in expanding the security of NZ proper, provide opportunities for Kiwi forces to train with friendly air, as well as a OpFor for counter-air training, and provide a combat contingent which could be used to aide the defence of Australia in the event of an A-NZ activation of the ANZUS treaty. All good and worthy uses, but I suspect that the extra coin required to get back into the fast jet game (which would be significant, and required for a number of years) could be better spent by increasing the P-8A Poseidon buy, and/or bringing the start of the Frigate Replacement Programme forward by several years alongside a commitment to a 1:2 replacement for the ANZAC-class frigates.