Australia's and New Zealand's armies have committed to upgrading their historic trans-Tasman military partnership ahead of Anzac Day.
A new "Plan Anzac" cooperation agreement will allow the two armies to share operational intelligence and technology as well as ramping-up their relationship.
Speaking exclusively to the ABC's Afternoon Briefing's Greg Jennett, Australian Army chief Lieutenant General Simon Stuart said that, while it was "business as usual" for the century-old Anzac relationship, the latest pact would strengthen the bond between the two countries even further.
"Plan Anzac builds on our very significant Anzac history, and really seeks to ensure that we can cooperate, we can integrate and work together, bilaterally, and with our partners in the region in a way that is best placed for today's circumstances," he said.
The announcement comes ahead of New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins's second trip to Australia as leader.
Mr Hipkins will meet with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this weekend.
In a clear attempt to counter China's expanding interests and growing ambition in the region, the revamped agreement has the Pacific at the centre of its aspirations.
"It shouldn't be any surprise to anyone that we're now looking to our region and looking at how we can partner with the region in a way that is mutually beneficial for all parties," New Zealand Army Chief Major General John Boswell said.
To underscore the emphasis on the Pacific, the two army chiefs have planned to embark on a trip together to Fiji and Vanuatu, offering the combined weight of their military experience to the smaller neighbours.
NZ Army facing recruitment struggles
The new agreement to do more with Australian forces has come at a difficult time for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
Lured by strong demand for skilled workers in civilian life, the NZDF has been hit by a wave of resignations by service personnel.
To stem the losses, the NZ government put up an extra $NZ10 million ($9.22 million) in funding earlier this year, offering $NZ10,000 ($9,219.40) "retention" payments to entice personnel to stay in uniform.
Major General Boswell acknowledged the strain, but said he expected operations with Australia would still be possible, despite staffing shortfalls.
"We're working very, very hard to ensure that we regrow our capability and then can guarantee that those force elements are available for deployment," he said.
"Plan Anzac ensures that we can work effectively alongside our Australian friends."
Even so, New Zealand has remained by far the junior partner in the trans-Tasman relationship, with a combined full-time and reservist army of around 7,000 troops, compared to the Australian Army's 31,000 full-time personnel.
After years of joint operations in Iraq and simultaneous contributions in Afghanistan, the Anzac partners are working together in the UK as part of Operation Kudu, training young Ukrainian recruits to defend against Russia.
Australian and New Zealand bond forged by sovereignty
Forged in bloody combat in Gallipoli, all Anzac operations since have been guided by an insistence that Australian and New Zealand forces deployed in battle should be under their own nation's direct military lines of command.
However, Plan Anzac envisages peaceful endeavours. The two Army chiefs behind it have been coy about who will be in command when their troops undertake more tasks together.
"Who's in command of a particular mission is all about who's best positioned to do that," Lieutenant General Stuart said.
"So that might be a Kiwi or it might be an Aussie. Frankly, that doesn't really matter."
The two army chiefs will now travel to Fiji and Vanuatu, explaining their initiative and inviting smaller pacific nations to work with them.
