ABSTRACT
For the entirety of the Korean War, the Royal New Zealand Navy kept two frigates on station in the waters around the Peninsula on a rotational basis. This was a substantial and sustained commitment of resources for a small navy. This chapter examines the political and strategic logic behind the provision of naval forces to the United Nations (UN) operation. It highlights the diplomatic potential of naval deployments and argues that the provision of even small numbers of naval forces can deliver an outsized impact in terms of strategic outcomes. The commitment to the Korean War was, ultimately, a discrete but significant waymarker in the future development of the Royal New Zealand Navy.
