The Vice Chief of Defence Force (VCDF) is the Chief of Staff and principal staff coordinator and adviser to CDF on matters affecting HQ NZDF corporate activities, strategic relationships and commitments. VCDF is responsible for:
- supporting CDF in the discharge of CDF’s responsibilities to the Minister of Defence and Parliament
- strategic operations, planning, intelligence and security policy, including the chairing of the Defence Coordinating Committee, and its Doctrine sub-committee, the Armed Forces Canteen Council Board of Management, and the Audit and Risk Committee
- consistent corporate planning and reporting, and the management of NZDF performance measurement systems
- consistent responses to Ministerial enquiries and Parliamentary Questions, enquiries under the Official Information Act and other requests for information from the public
- oversight of change management initiatives in the policies, systems, structures and processes of the NZDF
- oversight of the activities of the Office of CDF.
- the Directorate of Defence Health, which is responsible for health service governance covering health policy development, clinical oversight, training standard management and legislative compliance of health service delivery in the NZDF.
- the Directorate of Reserve Forces and Youth Development, which provides policy guidance for all Reserve Force (ResF) and Youth Development matters and ensures that all ResF, NZ Cadet Force and Youth Development Units and their personnel receive the support and resources to enable them to meet their objectives.
VCDF is also responsible, together with Dep Sec P&P, for coordinating NZDF and MoD staff work concerned with joint policy development and planning.