By Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae, Chief of Defence Force
The list of members of our Defence Force family that have been killed either in training or on operations while I have been the Chief of Defence Force is a stark reminder that our profession of arms is a dangerous one. I regularly ask young New Zealanders to put themselves into harms way. Yet as sailors, soldiers and airmen and women we expect our careers will take us into dangerous situations, where we will be expected to do our duty.
We signed up in full knowledge of the commitment we were making – to the Defence Force and to New Zealand. The New Zealand Defence Force ethos is a warfighting ethos. We are bound together by the vital purpose that originates out of the unique burden of responsibility we carry, and the monopoly on the expertise we deliver in the interests of New Zealand and its people.
So we train and equip our people for combat in the most demanding environments. Training to be ready for operational duty carries dangers in its own right, as our people simulate the conditions they might face on deployment. As a Defence Force we try to minimise the risks, but risk cannot be eliminated. Military equipment is potent, with little margin for error. Battlefields, even simulated ones, are hectic and potentially confusing. That is the reality. By training hard though, we ensure the work bit is “easy”. When on operations under the stress of the real thing, reactions come spontaneously and people make the right decisions.
In recent years the Defence Force has been maintaining its highest operational tempo since the Second World War in places like Timor-Leste, the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan, Lebanon, the Sinai Peninsula, the Arabian Gulf, Sudan, Antarctica, and many others besides. Yet the tragic death of LT O’Donnell earlier this year, killed when an improvised explosive device detonated under his patrol vehicle in Afghanistan, was our first combat-related death since 2000. While even one death is too many, this low statistic is a strong indicator that our training and systems are appropriate for the high threat environments we are committed to.
In such situations we rely on each other to do our jobs, and people to do their job for their mates. Comradeship is one of our core values – it develops out of trust, learning and working together.
We also rely on our kit and that’s why it has to be suitable for the job. Long gone are the days where New Zealanders turn up to conflict zones and are forced to beg, borrow or steal from our friends and allies. For example, our soldiers deploying to Afghanistan are wearing the latest, battle-tested soldier survivability equipment. Similarly there has been a massive investment in the platforms we operate from: seven new ships in the Navy’s ‘Protector’ fleet; and all of our operational aircraft are being upgraded or replaced. The Air Force will shortly take possession of new NH90 utility helicopters, and A109 light utility and training helicopters.
Why has there been such an investment in dollars, time and even lives? Because in our line of work we are in it to win. Coming second isn’t an option. We recruit, grow and retain the right people – people who give their best and for whom giving in isn’t in their nature. That commitment by all of our people is why we need to provide the right kit, platforms, training and structures – now and into the future.
I have been kept awake at night by the thought ‘did we do everything we could to keep our people safe?,’ but never by the thought ‘is this really worth it?’