New Zealand will spend $1.6B on military aircraft in a plan to double the defense budget

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand ‘s government announced new military spending Thursday of 2.7 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.6 billion) to replace aging aircraft, with senior officials who unveiled the package citing rapidly growing global tensions and a deteriorating security environment.

The purchase of military planes and helicopters was the first procurement announced in a government plan, disclosed April, to double defense spending from 1% to 2% of GDP in the next decade. New Zealand’s military spending has trailed that of its larger partners in the Five Eyes intelligence sharing group of countries — which includes the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia — and the bolstered budget reflects a shift in how the remote island nation is responding to strategic competi