New Zealand, Australia sign pact to deepen naval cooperation新西兰和澳大利亚签署协议，深化海军合作
The New Zealand and Australian navies signed “Plan Tasman” this month, formalizing a blueprint for integrating the two neighboring sea services.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) signed “Plan Tasman” in Canberra this month, formalizing a blueprint for integrating the two neighboring sea services.
A follow-on agreement to the November 2024 Tasman Navy Framework (TNF), the new pact is meant to be a strategic guidance document governing the relationship between the two navies, a NZDF spokesperson said.
“It established the strategic dialogue architecture, defines the overarching goal of strengthening organizational and operational integration, and outlines the functional areas of cooperation,” the spokesperson told Defense News.
One new element includes an annual navy-to-navy strategic dialogue, led by the two deputy service chiefs, complete with working group devoted to various cooperation tasks, according to the spokesperson.
The new pact supports both nations’ commitment to closer defense relations and a shared vision of increasingly integrated naval cooperation aimed at securing the Indo-Pacific region.
Established in 1901, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) has 16,000 sailors — about eight times more than the RNZN — and eight bases. The RNZN has one base, Devonport, in Auckland. Women provide about 25% of the personnel in both navies.
Seven Anzac-class 387-foot frigates serve with Australia and two with New Zealand. The frigates, like most of the RNZN fleet, will reach their end of life in the mid-2030s.
In April 2026 the RAN signed a contract for 11 Mogami-class frigates. New Zealand has yet to decide between the Japanese design or Britain’s Type 31 frigate, ordered by Indonesia and Poland.
In August 2025, the RNZN ordered five MH-60R Seahawks to replace its existing Kaman Seasprites, which have been in service since 2001.
New Zealand is also strengthening its regional defense links.
In December 2025 New Zealand signed defense agreements with Japan. Two Japanese warships visited New Zealand last year and a Mogami-class frigate was in Wellington in May this year.
Two months later, India and New Zealand signed a defense cooperation agreement and pledged to strengthen maritime security cooperation after upgrading their diplomatic relations.
Nick Lee-Frampton is the New Zealand correspondent for Defense News.
新西兰惠灵顿——本月，新西兰皇家海军 (RNZN) 和澳大利亚皇家海军 (RAN) 在堪培拉签署了“塔斯曼计划”，正式确立了整合这两个邻近海军力量的蓝图。
新西兰国防军发言人表示，作为2024年11月《塔斯曼海军框架协议》（TNF）的后续协议，这项新协议旨在成为一份战略指导文件，规范两国海军之间的关系。
发言人告诉《防务新闻》：“它建立了战略对话架构，明确了加强组织和运营一体化的总体目标，并概述了合作的功能领域。”
发言人表示，其中一项新举措是由两位海军副司令领导的年度海军间战略对话，并设有专门负责各项合作任务的工作组。
新条约体现了两国致力于加强防务关系的承诺，以及为确保印太地区安全而日益一体化的海军合作的共同愿景。
澳大利亚皇家海军（RAN）成立于1901年，拥有16000名水兵——大约是新西兰皇家海军（RNZN）的八倍——并设有八个基地。新西兰皇家海军只有一个基地，位于奥克兰的德文波特。两国海军中，女性人员约占25%。
澳大利亚拥有七艘安扎克级387英尺护卫舰，新西兰拥有两艘。这些护卫舰与新西兰皇家海军的大部分舰艇一样，将于2030年代中期退役。
2026年4月，澳大利亚皇家海军签署了11艘最上级护卫舰的建造合同。新西兰尚未决定是选择日本的设计还是英国的31型护卫舰，后者是印度尼西亚和波兰共同订购的。
2025 年 8 月，新西兰皇家海军订购了五架 MH-60R 海鹰直升机，以取代其现有的卡曼海精灵直升机，后者自 2001 年以来一直在服役。
新西兰也在加强其区域防务联系。
2025年12月，新西兰与日本签署了防务协议。去年，两艘日本军舰访问了新西兰，今年5月，一艘最上级护卫舰停靠在惠灵顿。
两个月后，印度和新西兰签署了防务合作协议，并在提升外交关系后承诺加强海上安全合作。
Nick Lee-Frampton 是《国防新闻》驻新西兰记者。