Building strong relationships

General Schneider’s visit to New Zealand included a trip to Antarctica, as well as sitting down with senior Defence Force leaders in Wellington and fitting in a visit to Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) Base Ohakea.

“It’s to gain a better and deeper understanding of what the Royal New Zealand Air Force has in terms of their capabilities and ways we can partner together to continue to grow closer. There are no shortages of challenges in the Pacific and there is certainly a tremendous amount of capability and expertise that Digby and his team bring.”

Air Vice-Marshal Webb said it was important to for the pair to have an ongoing dialogue and also to demonstrate the Air Force’s best assets, “our people and culture”.

“I think I'm right in saying that General Schneider is responsible for essentially half of the globe and that it's a large expanse. We have a small number of tools and resources to take care of that to understand and to respond to whatever might crop up on a daily or hourly basis,” he said.

“We have this word called interoperability and that is essentially about understanding how we get each other's works, and then being able to leverage off those skills together as much as much as we possibly can.

“That relies on trust, it relies on confidence, it relies on connections, all those things that bring like-minded partners together and we’ve been doing this for over 80 years. It goes back to before World War II.”

There are enormous benefits for the two countries exercising and training together, building relationships among all the levels, Air Vice-Marshal Webb said.

“When you come back from a two-week exercise, you'll be wearing somebody else's patch, you'll have somebody else's coin, you'll have some shared memories and experiences. That's the foundation stone for doing things together when times are tougher.

“There are a huge amount of exercises that we do together. The United States has a heavy responsibility to play a role to bring all nations together and they do that with New Zealand and a range of others.”

General Schneider agreed and said after a 10-year friendship with Air Vice-Marshal Webb, he didn’t need to build a relationship from scratch.

“It allows us to start from a much higher level and to really get to the substance of the problem solving right away.

“One of our big exercises that we have this summer in 2025 is REFORPAC, the Resolute Force Pacific. It's a combination of a very large mobility exercise, as well as tactical fighter movements in and around the theatre, both with our US Joint Force but also with allies and partners. It is an opportunity for us to work together to build inoperability and interchangeability.”

The two nations also work closely on one of the largest Defence Force operations that takes place annually, supporting scientific research in Antarctica – something General Schneider was able to see first-hand.

“It was a fascinating experience for me and I was grateful to get the chance to see that. I was also really impressed with the maintenance capability that's provided in Christchurch for the LC-130 fleet and what New Zealand depot is able to do. The LC-130 is a unique version of the C-130 that has skis on it that allows it to operate on the South Pole.”

Air Vice-Marshal Webb said Antarctica was a special place for New Zealand as a gateway nation to the continent and have been flying there for the past 60 years.

“I’ve had the privilege doing that myself over a few years and we couldn't do it without support that comes from the United States Air Force.

“It’s complex with some of the most challenging mission work that we do because of the environment that presents itself as well as the distances involved. We undertake a lot of safety measures before we undertake that mission, but with the folks on the ground at McMurdo and the Scott Base nearby, it's another joined up activity that the US and New Zealand teams bring together in support of science research on the ice.”

Having militaries working in Antarctica was vital in terms of the resources they can bring and the skills defence personnel can bring, they both said.

The two leaders emphasised the importance of taking opportunities for the two countries to work together in the future.

“There's no shortage of challenges out there and we know that one of the things that comes with air power is responsiveness and we both have teams that need to be ready 24/7, it doesn't matter what the mission might be, we can work together to get it done,” Air Vice-Marshal Webb said.

General Schneider said the depth, strength and warmth of the relationship was not unique to people at the top of the organisation.

“My desire is we can continue to do this between RNZAF and USAF at all levels that these relationships are manifested and carried through, all the way down to our youngest airmen.”

They also shared memories of their decade-long friendship, with Air Vice-Marshal Webb saying he would always remember their time in Alaska.

“As much as we're proud of our location, with Alaska there are the mountains, the sea, the people, the environment are all pretty special. I don't think I could beat that with Wellington.”

General Schneider recalled the visit and that they were able to get out to do some fishing.

“I do remember the fishing expedition where the fish were pretty much jumping into the boat that day - I ended up with a cooler full of fish.”

“I don’t think I caught anything,” Air Vice-Marshal Webb laughed, “just a cold.”