Steel Talon

WORKING WITH THE AIR FORCE: EXERCISE STEEL TALON

Soldiers from 5 Movements Company, 16 Field Regiment and the High Readiness Task Unit are training with the RNZAF on Exercise Steel Talon as this issue of Army News goes to print.

Exercise Steel Talon is a major tactical flying exercise in the central North Island designed to improve interoperability, test gunnery skills, and hone transport and air lift techniques.

A strong premise running through Exercise Steel Talon is the relationship between the Air Force and the New Zealand Army.

This was strengthened during fast roping training at Linton Military Camp for members of the High Readiness Task Unit from an NH90 helicopter, hovering about three storeys off the ground.

Lance Corporal Darren Pace said the training was to ensure the soldiers are qualified to work out of the Air Force’s NH90.

“This particular training is really important to make sure that we can use it as an infiltration method in any situation. So if an NH90 can’t land on a surface including a building, structure or the ground, we can get on the ground and carry out our mission,” he said.

“It’s so important to have that interoperability between the two services. They are obviously operated differently, but it is so important that we have a smoothrunning process operating between us, so that when we go overseas we work as a good team.”

The NH90 was an ideal platform for the fast roping, “especially for the amount of people it can carry”, LCPL Pace said.

“It’s quite handy for the High Readiness Task Unit and when we conducted an exercise involving weapons practice earlier this year it was great to see how well the infantry could work with the Air Force.”

The July issue of Army News will include full coverage of the exercise.

Legislative changes to support the wellbeing of veterans and their families

The Minister for Veterans Ron Mark has welcomed the First Reading of a Bill that will make legislative changes to further improve the veterans’ support system.

The Veterans’ Support Amendment Bill No 2, which will amend the Veterans’ Support Act 2014, passed First Reading today. The bill addresses a number of the recommendations of a 2018 report into the operation of the Act by Professor Ron Paterson.

“The changes being made will have an immediate impact on the wellbeing of our veterans and their families,” said Mr Mark.

Increased access to mental health services is being proposed, along with more support for the families of veterans. The amendment bill will also be an opportunity to make the Act fairer.

“Occasionally deployments can’t be made public for security reasons, and not being able to gazette these deployments, as the

The provisions in the Veterans

Support Amendment Bill No 2 will: • enable Veterans’ Affairs to fund mental health services for veterans with acute needs before eligibility has been established; • enable treatment and rehabilitation services provided by Veterans’ Affairs to continue when a veteran is imprisoned until they have been transferred to the Corrections system; • extend some services to families, for example counselling, where this is necessary for the veteran’s well-being;

Through July and August,

NZDF Insurance providers are offering the opportunity for RF, TF and most civilian employees to obtain additional life, income protection and critical illness insurance, up to prescribed Act requires, means those taking part don’t qualify for services and support from Veterans’ Affairs,” said Mr Mark.

“The amendment would give the responsible Minister discretion, for security or operational reasons, to declare operations to be qualifying operational service without requiring that they be gazetted.

“This announcement, together with the new funding provided across the three previous Budgets, as well as actions already taken by Veterans’ Affairs to improve their processes, show significant progress has been made to improve the veteran support system and to implement the recommendations of the Paterson report.

“The veterans of New Zealand have been waiting a long time for the improvements Professor Paterson called for to be brought into effect. They do not deserve to wait any longer, and it is my intent that the Bill is passed prior to the end of this Parliamentary term.

“For that reason, the Bill will have a short period at Select Committee, and will be reported back to the House by 21 July 2020.

“I encourage those interested in the veterans’ support system to engage with the Social Services and Community Committee as it

What amendments to the Veterans’ Support Act 2014 are being proposed?

considers the Bill,” he said. modernise definitions in the Act, such as the term “child”, which will change to better reflect the make-up of modern families; extend the Children’s Bursary to cover situations where the veteran and child live overseas; and to extend the definition of recognised tertiary institutions; abolish the five-year restriction on childcare assistance; enable Veterans’ Independence

Programme household support services to continue for 12 months when a veteran goes into care, so as to assist their spouse or partner; limits and ages, without the requirement for a health assessment (under MIBP Tier 2).

For TF members cover under

Tier 2 extends to cover outside of

NZDF and includes events arising from illness and accident

make it easier for surviving spouses or partners to access pensions and be reimbursed for funeral costs when a veteran dies; standardise a grace period of 28 days following the death of a veteran, to minimise chances of debt building up if payment of an entitlement is not immediately stopped; better recognise psychological illness conditions that are attributed to, or aggravated by a veteran’s service; Members are also able to obtain life and critical illness cover for partners/spouses, up to prescribed limits, under MIBP Tier 3.

give Veterans’ Affairs discretion to recognise injuries, illness, or death should they have occurred when a veteran was briefly absent without leave, or committing a minor offence; enable Veterans’ Affairs to continue providing a spouse, partner, or family with a veteran’s entitlements if the veteran is imprisoned, until other arrangements can be made; increase flexibility for decisionmaking timeframes; provide the responsible Minister with discretion, for security or operational reasons, to declare To find out more or obtain a quote, email MIBP at nz.nzdf.enquiries@aon.com or Phone 0800 642 748 operations to be qualifying operational service without the requirement to publish a notice in the Gazette; and align the process for setting Veteran’s Pension rates with the process for setting other

NZDF MIBP SPECIAL 60 DAY OFFER:

MIBP Tiers 2 and 3 – No health assessment required for additional insurance cover (up to prescribed limits and ages), subject to answering no to 2 questions.

Veterans’ Support entitlements.