What NZ must learn from Germany’s sudden €20 billion military meltdown

Dr Oliver Hartwich
Newsroom
30 June, 2026

We have a new colleague at The New Zealand Initiative. Our latest senior fellow is Major General John Howard, retired. He built this country’s defence intelligence and is the only New Zealander given an executive role inside the United States’ Defense Intelligence Agency.

John is finalising a paper on New Zealand’s frigate replacement. I was reading a draft last week when I heard news from Berlin.

To read the article on the Newsroom website, click here.

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