Employment Contexts (ECs)

Strategic guidance provides information on the circumstances in which the Government may choose to use military forces. The NZDF uses this guidance to develop geographically grouped Employment Contexts. Employment Contexts are descriptions of representative and illustrative security events for which there is a likelihood that a New Zealand Government would expect to make a military response should they occur. They also provide a vehicle against which to develop our military capabilities and to assess and measure our preparedness for such events. Employment Contexts are selected through assessment of New Zealand’s geo-strategic situation and international security trends. The Employment Contexts are chosen on the basis of their likelihood of occurrence in the near and longer terms and the consequences for New Zealand’s Defence Outcomes if the NZDF was unable to provide an appropriate response. Employment Contexts include high level Operational Concepts which, in turn, drive Services’ and joint Mission Essential Tasks (METs), that is, those tasks that the deployed forces must be able to perform. The METs drive the priorities for the Services’ and joint annual training activities and which determine the output parameters that need to be delivered in order to meet the Government’s requirements. The Employment Contexts also designate the anticipated time (known as the Response Time) available for the final preparation of force elements for their operational deployment; this affects the level of capability that must be maintained on an annual basis. Concepts for operations and Contingency Plans (CONPLANs) can then be developed for relevant Employment Contexts. Current Employment Context Operational Concepts list the most likely force elements that would be involved in each security event. These force element lists are a guide only and are not exhaustive; each security event may require the addition or deletion of some force elements. Employment Contexts provide the detail that ensures the NZDF output quality dimension is consistent with defence policy. The Employment Contexts (ECs), which were revised in 2007 and which are covered in more detail in the NZDF Output Plan, are as follows:

EC 1 - Security Challenges and Defence Tasks in New Zealand and its environs:

EC 1A - Illegal exploitation of marine resources within the New Zealand EEZ, and other low-level threats to New Zealand territorial sovereignty¹.

EC 1B - Natural and manmade disasters.

EC 1C - Support to the delivery and maintenance of essential services in exceptional circumstances, including the hosting of major events.

EC 1D - Terrorist and Asymmetric Threats¹.

EC 1E - Support for Antarctic presence.

EC 2 - Security Challenges to New Zealand’s Interests in the South Pacific:

EC 2A - Illegal exploitation of marine resources within South Pacific EEZs, and other low-level threats to South Pacific nations’ territorial sovereignty.

EC 2B - Natural and manmade disasters¹.

EC 2C - State failure or fragility leading to internal conflict and/or humanitarian crisis¹.

EC 2D - Terrorist Threats.

EC 2E - Challenges to legitimate governments, including civil war and secessionist conflict¹.

EC 3 - Challenges to New Zealand and Australia Common Security Interests:

EC 3A - Illegal exploitation of marine resources within Australia’s EEZ, and other low-level threats to Australia’s territorial sovereignty.

EC 3B - Natural or manmade disasters.

EC 3C - External aggression against Australia.

EC 3D - Terrorist or Asymmetric Threats.

EC 4 - Security Challenges to New Zealand’s Interests in the Asia-Pacific Region:

EC 4A - Aggression to alter maritime boundaries or seize resources, or threats to freedom of navigation¹.

EC 4B - Natural or manmade disasters.

EC 4C - State failure or fragility leading to internal conflict and/or humanitarian crisis.

EC 4D - Terrorist Threats.

EC 4E - Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) proliferation.

EC 4F - Inter-State conflict¹.

EC 4G - Acts of piracy and people smuggling.

EC 5 - Security Challenges to New Zealand’s Interests in Global Peace and Security:

EC 5A - Aggression to alter maritime boundaries or seize resources, or threats to freedom of navigation.

EC 5B - Unresolved conflict or conflict resolution process where protagonists have sought third party resolution assistance.

EC 5C - State failure or fragility leading to internal conflict and/or humanitarian crisis.

EC 5D - Terrorist Threats (The War against Terrorism)¹.

EC 5E - WMD proliferation.

EC 5F - Contravention of international norms that triggers a multi-national response.

EC 5G - Major breakdown in international security leading to wide-scale war.

Note

¹The ECs that are highlighted are those that have been fully developed and against which all NZDF Force Elements are assessed for operational preparedness.

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