The New Zealand Defense Force
The late 21st century has been kind to the NZDF; new challenges have given it both
purpose and (more importantly) government funding.
Allowed to decline by successive governments between the 1970's and 2020's, by
2025 the NZDF had largely traded it's original purpose as a military force for a
variety of other roles - mainly peacekeeping, disaster relief, and law enforcement.
Then came the Antarctic War. A full battalion of NZ soldiers went to the ice, with the
distinct possibility of seeing active duty. The war demonstrated to both the
government and the NZ population that a military force was necessary, especially
given the range of modern ships and aircraft. It also created a surge of national
pride, and a sense that New Zealand could be influential in the world.
In the years after the Antarctic War the NZDF enjoyed a major period of
high government spending, that lasted about ten years. The following twenty-five years were
a period of stability; people had not forgotten the Antarctic War, but it was no
longer fresh in their minds. Then in the 2070's the TSA appeared; an obviously
hostile alliance, with potentially both the capability and the motivation to
attack New Zealand or it's allies.
By 2100 the NZDF is against benefitting from high government spending. The threats of
the TSA and PRC, combined with the need to depend the new frontier of the Pacific
dependencies have resulted in a small, but professional and long ranged force, able to
provide a swift responce even across considerable distances.