The primary reasons for maintaining a defence force remain securing New Zealand against external threats, protecting our sovereign interests, and being able to take action to meet likely contingencies in our strategic area of interest. This Statement of Intent outlines the activities the NZDF is prioritising towards keeping New Zealand secure.
Our Military Capability
Related to the NZDF’s military capability, I see three major priorities for the coming year: Delivering on Operations, being ready for the Defence White Paper, and Concluding Major Capability Acquisitions.
Delivering on Operations
Operations represent a continuum of activities that include preparedness, training, deployments, and regeneration. At home, the Defence Force will continue to be focused on New Zealand’s essential interests: protecting our substantial marine resources, providing a wide range of surveillance and civil tasks, including fisheries protection, regular patrol of our exclusive economic zone, and operating with Police, Customs, Civil Defence and the Department of Conservation. We will also assist in such activities as search and rescue, disaster relief, deterring unwelcome intrusions within the region, and protecting our trade routes. By turning the NZDF’s sophisticated military technology and know-how on these activities, the Defence Force delivers New Zealand a robust and effective response to these challenges.
Further afield, the NZDF has a vital role ensuring peace and security, especially in the South Pacific. The geographical and political features of our region demand that our forces are agile, can be deployed at short notice, and at long range. Defence tasks – whether combat (peacemaking) or peacekeeping - can only be performed by well-trained and equipped military personnel. New Zealand’s defence forces will continue to be trained and equipped for action in the most demanding environments, to deliver the level of security our country needs. Recently, the Government put in place a road map for reorienting and gradually drawing down our military commitment in Afghanistan over the next three years. The size and shape of some of our other significant ongoing commitments – Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste – are also being considered by the Government. Meanwhile, the NZDF will continue to maintain our ability to react to short-warning contingencies. As last year’s Pacific tsunami highlighted, we must be ready and available if called upon to make significant contributions to events that may come with very little warning.
Defence White Paper
The Defence White Paper will set the tone for the NZDF for the next quarter of a century by presenting the capabilities that the NZDF needs to develop. The NZDF response to the White Paper will require a significant amount of work as we implement the direction set by government. I will be holding a special seminar later in 2010 to look specifically at how best the NZDF might exploit the platforms that will be acquired over the next two decades.
Concluding Major Capability Acquisitions
Over 2010/2011 the NZDF will be concluding major capability projects. There are five outstanding large projects at various stages of completion: the upgrades to the C-130 Hercules and P3 Orion aircraft, the procurement of the new A-109 and NH-90 helicopters, and the ANZAC frigate platform systems upgrade. In addition to these, mid-2010 will mark the completion of Project Protector for the Navy.
Our Organisational Capacity
Three other priorities for 2010/11 relating to the Organisational Capacity of the NZDF are Reviewing Our Strategic Plan, advancing the Defence Transformation Programme and Delivering Value for Money.
Reviewing Our Strategic Plan
The Defence White Paper will also outline the organisational arrangements required of the Defence Force in the coming years. Flowing from this will be a requirement for us to review the NZDF Strategic Plan; to consider our doctrine, processes and priorities as they relate to the delivery of high-performing organisational systems.
The Defence Transformation Programme
After two years of putting sound foundations in place for the Defence Transformation Programme (DTP) we have arrived at the ‘action’ phase of the DTP. Through the DTP we will be implementing significant improvements to the way we deliver our support services across the three streams of Human Resources Management (HRM), Logistics, and in the Headquarters, as covered in this Statement of Intent. In brief, the payroll administration project within the HRM stream represents a seismic shift in the way we do our business, and other HRM processes will be streamlined to become simpler, more effective and more efficient. Under the Logistics stream a Commander Logistics has been appointed and inventory reduction and strategic sourcing / procurement projects have started. Under the Headquarters stream, the structures within several branches within HQ NZDF are changing to improve integration and enhance cross-functional alignment.
Delivering Value for Money
The NZDF is actively contributing to the Government’s plan for improving state sector performance and delivering value for money. The NZDF is looking at its day-to-day operations around procurement, as well as embarking on an Enterprise Cost Reduction programme, which is an external review focusing on all NZDF costs that are not already part of the DTP.
Other Activities
The NZDF is proud of its involvement in assisting other agencies with the Government’s initiatives on youth development; namely the enhanced Limited Service Volunteer Scheme, Service Academies in high schools, and Military-style Activity Camps for the most serious and persistent young offenders. The NZDF has great trainers and many excellent skills, values and attitudes that can be put to good use in assisting to develop youth in such things as self-discipline and motivation.
Overall, I am confident in our response to the various challenges we face in keeping New Zealand secure because the NZDF is a ‘can-do’ organisation with a history of delivering for New Zealand. We get things done, and have never been afraid to find ways of doing things better. That is part of our character, based on our ethos of service to our country; and the values that reflect the qualities we expect of each other – courage, comradeship, commitment and integrity.
J. Mateparae
Lieutenant General
Chief of Defence Force
New Zealand Defence Force
27 April 2010
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