WELLINGTON - Military chiefs of the United States and New Zealand have renewed for an indefinite period a logistics cooperation agreement that allows the two forces to work more closely together, the head of the New Zealand Defence Force announced Wednesday.

The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, said he signed the treaty-level Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) with US Pacific Commander, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, in Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday.

The ACSA would serve to further the interoperability, readiness, and effectiveness of New Zealand and US military forces through increased logistic cooperation, Jones said in a statement.

The agreement was designed to facilitate reciprocal logistic support to be used primarily during combined exercises, training, deployments, port calls, operations or other cooperative efforts.

The agreement, which entered into force Wednesday, would provide New Zealand with support for both routine activities such as exercises or while on operations such as in Afghanistan, and reduce costs and increase efficiencies. ?

It replaced the previous ACSA, which had been in force since Nov 2, 2000, with the difference that the new agreement had no expiration date.

"The ACSA is an important strand to New Zealand's defense relationship with the US providing for wide ranging mutual logistics support, provision of supplies, and the provision of services between the New Zealand Defence Force and the US military at a strategic level," said Jones.

"For example, it is important for our operations in Afghanistan and has benefited us considerably during the recent RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) exercise. The agreement provides the umbrella for a raft of implementing arrangements."

Locklear said the new agreement was important for the bilateral partnership, especially in the Pacific region.

"This agreement, at an important time in our relationship, will increase capability and interoperability and help us provide more affordable support for humanitarian relief, disaster assistance, counter-terrorism, capacity building and collective defence throughout the Pacific region," Locklear said in the statement.