New Zealand Defence Force

combined military forces of New Zealand

The New Zealand Defence Force (or NZDF) is the armed forces of New Zealand. It is divided into three parts: the New Zealand Army, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The NZDF is headed by the Chief of Defence Force or CDF. The current CDF is Rhys Jones.[1]

The original military of New Zealand in the 19th century was the British army. In the 1840s, residents in New Zealand started forming militia units. Starting in 1858, New Zealand formed small regular army units. The country formed a small flotilla in the 1860s for naval service. By 1941, the army, the navy, and the air force were separate services. The Defense Act 1990 created the NZDF.

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