NZDF

Output Expense 7

Land Combat Forces

Description

Provision of the capabilities of the Land Combat Forces (command, control, intelligence and manoeuvre force elements) prepared to conduct land operations and to contribute support services to the community, in accordance with NZDF Output Plan specifications.

Outputs in Output Expense 7

Output 7.1 - Command, Control and Intelligence

The provision of a deployable headquarters prepared to provide operational command, control and intelligence for deployed land forces. It also includes the requirement to provide elements to the framework of a brigade group for simulation and Command Post Exercise-based combined-arms training. This output also provides command of contributions, as required, to a range of services provided to the Government and the community.

Output 7.2 - Manoeuvre Elements

The provision of manoeuvre elements [infantry (motorised, non-motorised or composite) and reconnaissance] prepared for the conduct of land operations. It includes the provision of these elements for a force of up to battalion group size. It also includes the requirement to provide infantry and reconnaissance elements to the framework of a brigade group for simulation and Command Post Exercise-based combined arms training, and the provision of some community support services.

Overview

The requirement to provide a company group response for ECs 1 and 2 was fully met, however, the requirement to provide up to a battalion group response for a surge capacity would have required redeployment of resources from force elements in Timor-Leste and Afghanistan.

Apart from higher-threat scenarios, which would have required longer response times to deploy, preparedness targets were met.

During the reporting year, the LAV capability within the NZ Army was greatly enhanced.

Effective interoperability with friendly forces was achieved with a number of exercises as shown below - in particular Exercise Cooperative Spirit held in Germany, which successfully demonstrated competency in a contemporary war-fighting environment.

Munitions, stores and equipment standards were met for all current operations. In addition, a range of protective equipment, tentage, radios and night vision equipment is currently being introduced into service to meet preparedness requirements for other events.

Personnel were available for reinforcement and rotation of the deployed forces during the reporting year, which amounted to almost three company groups. Due to these current operational commitments, personnel were not available for reinforcement and rotation of an infantry battalion group.

Highlights

The Land Combat Forces maintained their support to current operational commitments as well as conducting a number of DLOC and OLOC generating activities, including:

  • Exercise Suman Warrior, a FPDA command post exercise which focused on Brigade multi- national planning.
  • Exercise Cooperative Spirit, a contemporary training activity in Germany focused on higher threat capability for a non motorised company group.
  • Exercise Taiaha Tombuk, a non motorised company activity conducted in Malaysia.
  • Exercise Complex Wolf, a motorised company activity focusing on contemporary operations.
  • Exercise Ardennes Advance, a non motorised company group activity to develop a reconnaissance platoon operational capability.
  • Exercise Eisenfaust, developed the direct fire support weapon ability to operate mounted and dismounted in close and open country.
  • Exercise Defektenhubschrauber, developed improvement in support weapons capability for non motorised company outputs.
  • Exercise Skill Gap Training, an activity to transform a NZLAV based company to a DLOC Liaison Patrol structured force.
  • Exercise Spy Catcher, an activity to practise motorised rendezvous procedures.
  • Exercise Lion Walk, a company level bilateral exercise between the Singaporean Armed Forces and NZDF conducted in New Zealand.
  • Exercise Santici, a motorised company combined arms activity.
  • Exercise Phantom Major and Exercise Takrouna, low level collective motorised skills exercises.
  • Simulation Exercise, a simulation training exercise, the completion of which raised low level collective motorised skills in QAMR.

Contribution to Outcomes

Output Expense 7 contributes to Intermediate Outcomes 1 and 2 (Secure New Zealand and Reduced Risks to New Zealand from regional and global insecurity).

Performance

Performance measurement for this output expense is in accordance with the standard measures for operational force outputs shown at the beginning of this section and those measures listed in the table below. For additional important information on this Output Expense, see the notes at the end of this table.

Performance Standards and Measures Performance Achieved

Standards

Army, drawing on Headquarters 2 Land Force Group (HQ 2 LFG), HQ 3 LFG, 1 RNZIR, 2/1 RNZIR, QAMR and 1 NZ Military Intelligence Company, and with supplementation from the Territorial Force, as required, will provide the initial and rotation land combat force elements to constitute:

 

 

  • A Company Group (motorised, non-motorised or composite) for tasks under ECs 1 and 2.

Current Operations: The requirement to provide a company group under EC 2 continues to be achieved at a delivery in excess of the output requirements through the company group land deployment to Timor-Leste and the enhanced platoon group deployed to Solomon Islands.

Preparedness for Other Events: An Infantry Company Group was fully prepared for tasks under EC 1, while providing concurrent support to the United Nations and other coalition operations in the South Pacific region and the Middle East.

In addition to the current deployed force elements, a non-motorised company (2/1 RNZIR) including combat service support (CSS) could have been deployed with an increased response time.

A motorised troop (QAMR), less the heavier CSS, could have also been deployed as a non-sustainable force element.

During the reporting year, the LAV capability within the Army was greatly enhanced. A motorised company is now available at DLOC. A second motorised company was substantially prepared and combat support (engineer and artillery) LAV elements were also available. QAMR was also able to provide motorised reconnaissance troops (mounted in LAV).

  • Up to an Infantry Battalion Group (motorised, non-motorised or composite) for tasks under ECs 2 - 5.  (During the period 2008-2011 a motorised battalion group would be for surge capacity only and would be dependant on there being no other operational deployments - see notes under Deployment Impact below).

 

Current Operations: The ongoing deployments to Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan almost equate to a non-sustainable composite infantry Battalion Group under all ECs 2-5.

Preparedness for Other Events: To produce this output, Army would have required redeployment of resources from force elements in Timor-Leste and Afghanistan. For ECs 4F, 3C and 5G, response times would have needed to be increased because of the limited collective trained state.

  • Sub-unit elements as options for independent contribution to a combined force.

 

In the last quarter of the reporting period, Army was able to provide additional Land Combat Force sub-unit elements as independent contributions to a combined force, if necessary.

  • An appropriate headquarters (including intelligence and communications support) for command and control of a deployed force.

Measures

NZDF OPRES (Operational Preparedness and Reporting System).  (See the OPRES Key Performance Indicators and OPRES Performance Rating Scale earlier in this section).

Current Operations: The requirement to provide a headquarters for a deployed force was delivered in excess of the output requirement through Army’s contribution to the National Command Element (NCE) for the groups deployed to Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan. Personnel for these posts have been drawn from staff positions across the Army, with a consequent detrimental effect on ongoing project work and routine staff functions, such as compliance monitoring.

Preparedness for Other Events: The requirement to provide a further NCE for a future deployment is now fully prepared, however, for the majority of the reporting period this was only achievable at an increased response time.

Standards

Army will also provide an appropriate Brigade-level headquarters and the framework for a Brigade Group for simulation and Command Post Exercise-based combined-arms training.  The framework for a Brigade Group requires supplementation from the Territorial Force.

Measures

NZDF OPRES.

 

 

The Land Combat Forces (inclusive of Reserves), were capable of providing the framework of an infantry brigade group for training to support simulation based command post exercises in a combined arms and coalition environment.

Standards

Contribute to a range of services in support of other government departments and the community when not committed to operations, using the capabilities developed for the operational role.  [For details see the section on Services in Support of the Government and the Community, including MAO&T.]

Measures

Satisfaction of the supported department/agency.

 

Army contributed to a range of services in support of other government departments and the community when resources were available.

Services were carried out to the satisfaction of agencies.

[For details of the support provided, see the section on Services in Support of the Government and the Community, including MAO&T.]

Standards

Standards and performance rating required under the NZDF Operational Preparedness and Reporting System (OPRES) against the four Elements of Preparedness (see the OPRES Key Performance Indicators and OPRES Performance Rating Scale earlier in this section).

Measures

While the aim, under the OPRES rating system, is an OPRES Rating of P1, for 2008/09 the following will apply:

  • For tasks under ECs 1 and 2 - a P1 OPRES rating.
  • For tasks under ECs 3 to 5 - a P2 OPRES rating.

The following performance ratings reflect what is being achieved with current operations in Timor-Leste (EC 2C), Solomon Islands (EC 2C) and Afghanistan (EC 5D), and what could have been achieved in other events, if required.

(See paragraphs below.)

EC Output 7.1 Output 7.2
1 P1 P1
2 P1 P1
3-5 P3 P4
5C P1 P1

Readiness:

Standards

Designated force elements that meet specified readiness criteria in accordance with Schedule 4 to the NZDF Output Plan as follows:

  • Directed Level of Capability (DLOC) for units contributing to Company and Battalion Groups.

 

Current Operations: Army’s requirement to provide a company group for EC 2 was achieved with the land contribution to the company group deployed to Timor-Leste and the enhanced platoon group deployed to Solomon Islands.

Army’s requirement to provide a company group for ECs 3-5 was achieved with the land contribution to the company group deployed to Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events:

Army was capable of providing a company group at DLOC for non-CBRE EC 1 tasks within response times.

Further company group deployments for any EC would have required an increased response time (dependant on what the scenario was) and would have been unsustainable.

Personnel and equipment required for a Battalion Group deployment could not have been achieved within the response time given the extent of current operational commitments.

  • Basic Level of Capability (BLOC) for Brigade Group framework units (TF Battalion Groups).

BLOC was sustained for TF units, however, elements of the TF achieved OLOC for deployment rotations to Solomon Islands.

  • Land Combat Forces carry out a range of training activities in accordance with the NZDF Exercise Activity Schedule (EAS), Army Mission Essential Task Lists (METLs), Army Annual Plan, and Formation and Unit Training Directives. This will include participation in Battalion Group exercises and Formation level Command Post Exercises.

Measures

NZDF OPRES.

The Land Combat Forces conducted a range of training activities, including sub-unit exercises and a variety of simulation Command Post Exercises. (See under highlights for OE 7 above).

Due to operational commitments, Battalion Group exercises and some other training exercises could not be held.

Combat Viability:

Standards

  • Personnel that meet the collective training standards, experience levels and qualification requirements for military tasks.

Current Operations: The trained state of Land Combat Force elements was sufficient for current operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events: The trained state of Land Combat Force elements was sufficient to meet training targets within response times for EC 1 and EC 2 low end contingencies at company group level only. Additional force contributions for ECs 3-5, over and above the company group already deployed to Afghanistan, were not attainable within response times due to current operational commitments.

Equipment performance, reliability and technology that meet required standards for commitment to military tasks.

Current Operations: Equipment was sufficient to maintain current operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events: Equipment generally met required standards, however, due to shortages, Land Combat Force elements were only partially prepared within response times for further low-level EC 1 and EC 2 conflicts over and above their current operational commitments. Army was not equipped to meet higher threat situations within response times for ECs 3-5.

  • Effective interoperability when working with friendly forces.

 

Measures

NZDF OPRES.

Effective interoperability when working with friendly forces was achieved.

Exercise Cooperative Spirit, held in Germany, demonstrated NZ Army competency in a contemporary warfighting environment when compared with our closest allies. When independently measured by other nation assessors and compared to US, UK, and Australian forces, the NZ Army infantry company performed exceptionally, demonstrating that they are more than able to integrate into a coalition environment, and perform, in most cases, better than similar forces from our allies.

Deployability:

Standards

  • Force Elements capable of generating the Operational Level of Capability (OLOC) within designated Response Times (timeliness), as specified in Schedule 4 to the NZDF Output Plan.

Current Operations: Deployability standards for force elements were met for current operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events: Force elements were capable of generating OLOC within the designated response times for a company group for non-CBRE EC 1 and EC 2 low-level operations and were able to generate OLOC for EC 2 operations for a non-sustainable battalion group.

  • Munitions, stores and equipment available for OLOC generation, as specified in unit and Army Equipment Holding Documents and Contingency Plans.

Measures

NZDF OPRES.

Current Operations: Munitions, stores and equipment standards were met for current operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events: Ongoing equipment refurbishment and replacement requirements, together with shortages in a range of protective equipment, tentage, radios and night vision equipment would have limited the support available for OLOC generation within response times. Notwithstanding, the protective equipment, some radios, and night vision equipment are all currently being introduced into service.

Sustainability:

Standards

  • Munitions, expendable and technical stores available, as specified in Contingency Plans to maintain OLOC for the designated operational viability period (OVP).

(Availability of munitions will depend on inventory holdings to meet OLOC generation requirements and holdings of Contingency Reserve Stocks (CRS)).

Current Operations: Munitions, stores and equipment standards were available to maintain OLOC for current operations in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

Preparedness for Other Events: Munitions, expendable and technical stores were available from within total Army resources, as required.

  • Personnel available for reinforcement and rotation of deployed forces for continuous operations in accordance with Schedule 4 to the NZDF Output Plan.

 

Measures

NZDF OPRES.

Current Operations Personnel were available for reinforcement and rotation of deployed forces in Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, however, this was done by changing roles for a number of Land Combat Support forces, who then had to regenerate their primary capabilities on return to New Zealand.

Preparedness for Other Events: Personnel would have been available for reinforcement and rotation in accordance with Schedule 4 for EC 1 and EC 2 low end contingencies at company group level only. Additional force contributions for ECs 3-5, over and above the company group already deployed to Afghanistan, were not attainable within response times, due to current operational commitments.

Note 1: Land operations under ECs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. (See details on ECs at the start of this section).

Note 2: This Output Expense is designed to provide the following capabilities:

  • A deployable headquarters prepared to provide operational command, control and intelligence for deployed land forces; and to provide elements to the framework of a brigade group for simulation and Command Post Exercise-based combined-arms training.
  • Manoeuvre elements prepared for the conduct of land operations.  This includes the provision of these elements for a force of up to battalion group size.  It also includes the requirement to provide infantry and reconnaissance elements to the framework of a brigade group for simulation and Command Post Exercise-based combined arms training.

Note 3: Deployment Impact

  • As covered in several places in the NZDF 2007 Annual Report - and given the extent of current operational commitments - the deployment of a battalion to meet lower-end contingencies or a battalion group for responses under ECs 3 to 5 is unachievable until further notice.
  • The Army Intelligence capability can be stretched when it is required to support a large number of concurrent deployments.

Costs for Output Expense 7 (GST Exclusive)

Actual
2007/08
($ million)
Category Main
Estimates
($ million)
Supplementary
Estimates
($ million)
Actual
2008/09
($ million)
  Expenditure      
136.658 Personnel 148.211 161.284 161.901
88.055 Operating 95.235 87.504 89.583
0.230 Losses on Foreign Exchange - - 4.956
50.410 Depreciation 58.530 49.673 50.397
53.627 Capital Charge 52.856 58.585 58.587
328.980 Total Expenses 354.832 357.046 365.424
  Income      
323.357 Revenue Crown 353.573 354.983 354.983
0.459 Revenue Department 0.708 1.281 1.015
0.390 Revenue Other 0.551 0.782 0.423
2.962 Gains on Foreign Exchange - 5.822 6.435
327.168 Total Income 354.832 362.868 362.856
(1.812) Net Surplus (Deficit) - 5.822 (2.568)
         
  Cost by Output      
23.709 Output 7.1 28.577 29.144 30.190
305.271 Output 7.2 326.255 327.902 335.234

The NZDF is appropriated for expenditure excluding remeasurements. Remeasurements are defined under the Public Finance Act as a revision of a future obligation that changes the carrying amount of an asset or liability. The total approved appropriation in 2008/09 for this output expense was $361.046 million and the total expenditure excluding remeasurements was $360.468 million. There was no unappropriated expenditure for this output expense.

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This page was last reviewed on 1 October 2009, and is current.