Finally someone acknowledges RocketLab makes us a military target
RocketLabs are NOT some number 8 wire start up, they are franchisee members of the American Military Industrial Complex,
What NO ONE in NZ ever wants to say out loud is that because of RocketLab’s connection to the US Military, their launch site in NZ makes them a legitimate military target for China or Russia, FINALLY someone acknowledges RocketLab’s makes us a military target…
Former United States President Dwight Eisenhower famously once warned of the dangers of the pernicious influence of what he called the “military industrial complex”.
In a recent op-ed for the New Zealand Herald, David Santoro, president and chief executive of the Pacific Forum based in Hawaii, invites New Zealand to join this very military industrial complex through, among other things, joining Pillar II of the Aukus security pact.
Pillar II of the pact is a trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States to develop and share advanced military technologies and defence capabilities jointly, distinct from the nuclear-powered submarine acquisition covered under Pillar I.
Santoro says it “offers an ideal framework to upgrade military capabilities without compromising New Zealand’s nuclear-free identity”.
But closer alignment with the US and the UK through collaboration with non-nuclear technologies such as artificial intelligence, cyber defence and autonomous systems, would amount to participation in the technologies of modern warfare, including lethal drones and increased surveillance of civilian populations.
Overseas, such technologies have increasingly seen the targeting of civilians and children and the blurring of distinctions between civilian and military functions.
The military-industrial complex drains trillions of dollars globally and is responsible for killing and maiming thousands of civilians, including children.
Further, countries such as Israel are among its major players. Our involvement could inhibit future boycotts and sanctions against Israel, many of whose leaders have been indicted by the International Criminal Court.
The transparency provided by our freedom of information laws for government procurement does not extend to foreign affairs and defence.
An example of the dangers of overseas control is a 2016 agreement between New Zealand and the US governing space launches from Aotearoa.
The agreement is fortified by legislation empowering the Government to regulate which companies and nations can use our launch facilities.
No one would deny the need for some regulatory oversight, but the agreement means the US essentially establishes a veto on use of our sovereign space launch capabilities.
Rocket Lab’s launch complex on the southern tip of the Māhia Peninsula in Hawke’s Bay is a private orbital launch site. We have every right to be proud of Rocket Lab’s achievements.
However, Santoro refers to the Mahia Peninsula as a “unique resilient platform” for satellite launches and as providing “critical redundancy to Western orbital infrastructure during a crisis”.
Its use during any crisis could make this country a target and draw us into the conflict, whether we wanted to be part of it or not. Instead, during crises we should enact rules to prohibit the use of facilities in this country for war-like operations.
NZME
… FINALLY!
This is a point TDB has been making for about half a decade now.
RocketLab is a franchise of the American Military Complex and they have made us a legitimate military target!
The reason we bought those new Helicopters with torpedo capability is to hunt subs off our East Coast who might strike the RocketLab’s launch site!
We are never allowed to discuss how Rocketlab has made us a legitimate military target and no one is ever allowed to challenge it.
Welcome to NuZilind, where the cow shit is thick and the people are thicker.
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The whole venture is great for the workers who can earn high wages and keeps them here in NZ . It gives us a feeling of protection from a powerful friend
Total crap. They are american collaborators. And, very few of them even New Zealanders.
How much money did our government put into this project and how many jobs did it provide for NZers.
a) too much and b) if you go through Rocket Lab’s LinkedIn profiles and save all their details to a database for future use, as I have, very few New Zealanders are involved
A few of us have been saying this for a while now. Of course we are now a legitimate military target with Rocket Lab so affiliated to the USA! How niave and dumb can we be? It’s so obvious and very dangerous for our small country. Yes, while we may be proud of Rocket Lab we must also see the dangers to our innocent people so need to enact rules to prohibit the use of facilities in this country for war-like operations. I would prefer Rocket Lab moved to the USA so we can get on with fixing the awful mess our country is currentley in now.
The company name is RocketLab (no ‘s’ at the end). Accuracy counts when you are trying to make a point.
Yes, accuracy counts in missile targeting too.