Chief of Army statement in response to Court Martial for attempted espionage

The following statement can be attributed to Chief of Army, Major General Rose King:

This has been a significant Court Martial, the first of its kind.

Earlier this year, the offender indicated his intent to plead guilty to three charges against the Armed Forces Discipline Act, those being Attempted Espionage, Accessing a Computer System for a Dishonest Purpose and Possessing Objectionable Material.

The offender was convicted on those charges at this week’s Court Martial at Linton Military Camp, where he has been sentenced to two years’ detention at the Services Corrective Establishment (SCE) in Burnham Military Camp, and dismissal from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

This is the first time attempted espionage has been prosecuted in New Zealand – either in a civilian or military jurisdiction.

The offending strikes at the core of the oath of allegiance all members of the NZDF take when joining the Armed Forces, which commits our personnel to faithfully and loyally serve in the defence of New Zealand.

Civilian staff are similarly expected to uphold the NZDF’s values and abide by the code of conduct.

In this case, the offender sought to disclose official - including classified - information to a foreign entity.

The prejudice to New Zealand’s national security was assessed by an independent expert to be significant.  

The actions of this individual were deplorable.   

They were incredibly poorly judged and brought risk to all of those he served alongside, as well as the wider New Zealand public, and struck to the very core of what we as a Defence Force have a sworn duty to protect.

Through incredible efforts and work across our security agencies, including the New Zealand Police and intelligence community, the true cost of these crimes was not realised, and I am both grateful and incredibly proud of the authorities’ work to ensure that was the case.

I want to assure the public that we let this serve as a reminder to anyone who does not subscribe to the ethos and values of the Defence Force – there is no place for individuals like them in our organisation.

Courage, Commitment, Comradeship, and Integrity are not just words or lip service – they are the foundation on which we serve. We don’t just say or read these words, we live and honour them.

The prosecution of this case is a clear signal to not only anyone considering similar actions, but also to the New Zealand public whose trust in us is vital: there will be zero tolerance of these behaviours and actions.

This was an important sentencing decision and therefore the Director of Military Prosecutions will review the decision and the Court’s reasoning for the sentence imposed.

Finally, I have used this opportunity to empower all of our staff and personnel to engage their moral courage to speak up if they believe someone’s behaviours are not aligned with our commitment to the security and defence of our country.

Our Defence Force relies on the strength of our combined allegiance and purpose.

For that, we need to have full confidence and trust that the person on either side of us will conduct themselves in a way that is appropriate and representative of our values.