Defence Review Consultation Summary of Submissions
Responses to Submissions Form Questions
Q1: What should the role of the Defence Force be in responding to threats to New Zealand's security?
Submitters responding to this question tended to be guided by their perception of the threat to New Zealand's security and referred to roles for the Defence Force they believed necessary in most if not all security environments. Others approached this question in terms of different security environments.
Level of threat to New Zealand's security environments
Fifteen submitters believed that New Zealand is in a benign security environment and that the likelihood of any sort of direct threat in the foreseeable future was very low. This suggested to them that the Defence Force is unnecessary, or that it could be scaled down or replaced by an organisation focussed on maritime patrols of the EEZ, civil defence, emergency and disaster relief.
However, a larger group of 27 submitters view New Zealand's security environment as becoming less benign in the future and that our relative isolation will no longer be a form of protection in itself. Threats to New Zealand appeared in two main forms. The first is as a result of political instability in parts of South East Asia and the South Pacific that may affect New Zealand's interests. Disruption of air and sea trade and travel routes, economic interests and the potential for multilateral intervention involving New Zealand were identified as consequences that must be prepared for in this context. The second area of concern for this group of submitters was related to the potential impacts driven by environmental factors. Destabilisation from large scale population movements reacting to the impacts of rising sea levels and resource depletion (water, food, energy and minerals) may lead to international and intra-national conflicts within regions close to New Zealand. Other threats identified as affecting New Zealand's security are terrorism, trans-national crime, pandemics, and natural disasters.
Defence of New Zealand and its interests
There was a very high degree of consensus amongst 296 submitters that the defence of New Zealand involves the protection of its people and its land and coastal sovereignty. Many of these added defence of New Zealand's EEZ, and its dependencies and territories including Antarctica. In the domestic context, some submissions also specified the protection of strategic infrastructure, as well as responding to armed separatists and trans-national crime.
"With little likely threat apparent, maintaining an expensive military should be questioned."
"Though direct military aggression towards new Zealand is fairly remote, it is however possible that some sort of military aggression within the Pacific ASEAN region may have significant economic and geo-political effects on new Zealand."
A few submitters took a wider view of the defence of New Zealand to extend to the protection of interests in the regional and greater international contexts. This included protecting and providing support to New Zealand citizens caught in some sort of international strife. It also included the protection of trade and travel routes. New Zealand's interests were also identified as being threatened by violations of international agreements and obligations to which New Zealand is party. Attacks on close allies would also threaten New Zealand's interests.
"The role of the New Zealand Defence Force as defined in the 1990 Defence Act as being the defence of New Zealand, her territories, her people, and her interests, remains valid."
"NZDF would play the lead role in the unlikely event of a military threat. It would play a supporting role in other threats to our sovereignty, which would involve the use of mainly air and naval platforms to assist the outcomes of other Govt departments."
Nearly 150 Defence Force submissions expected that the Defence Force should be able to respond quickly and effectively to any threat to its land or maritime environment. A number of these submissions considered that it is better to respond to a threat in the maritime environment before it reached New Zealand's shores. For this reason it was argued that air and naval strike capabilities needed to be sufficient to deter and repel any direct threat. A view expressed in some submissions was that New Zealand should have enough defence capability to be self-reliant against a direct attack and that all three Services of the Defence Force should maintain a high degree of combat readiness and capability.
A number of submitters believed that a humanitarian crisis is more likely to threaten New Zealand than a military one in the foreseeable future. Thirty submitters supported a significant civil defence role for the Defence Force. Submitters such as the United Nations Association of New Zealand and the Christian World Service that supported humanitarian roles believed that the Defence Force should focus on developing its capabilities to contribute to civil defence, search and rescue, disaster response and humanitarian relief.
"By being prepared to pull our weight and not be a drain on others. So that if the need arises, they will be more inclined to come to our aid."
"It is important to show we are capable of looking after ourselves/contributing in our own domain and the wider South Pacific areas but we still need to take part in the world's affairs. we need to ensure that what we contribute to overseas has meaning and can be sustained."
Collective security, partnerships, and alliances
Since a small country like New Zealand is unlikely to have sufficient capabilities to repel an attack from a powerful aggressor, 48 submitters believed that it is important that New Zealand use the Defence Force to contribute to international collective security arrangements and pursue and maintain active partnerships and alliances. Many of these submitters believed that it is part of being a good international citizen to make proportionate contributions to United Nations-sponsored operations and that New Zealand would benefit from similar multilateral interventions should it be attacked itself.
In 53 submissions Australia was specifically identified as New Zealand's major defence partner. A number of submissions welcomed the proposed ANZAC Task Force. The United States was the next most identified defence partner. Fourteen of these submitters supported the resumption of ANZUS, or, alternatively, the development of a replacement alliance with the United States. Other important defence partners identified included the United Kingdom, Canada and Singapore. Some submitters wanted to see a higher priority placed on defence relationships with South Pacific nations. In addition, opportunity was seen for new regionally based alliances to be developed.
The likelihood that the Defence Force will be performing its roles as part of larger coalition forces raised two related concerns in the minds of some who made submissions. The first concern was that the Defence Force must have useful and sustainable capabilities to contribute. The second concern was that these capabilities have the ability to be interoperable with those of the coalition partners. Some submitters believed that interoperability must be greater than at present and needed to be applied not just to equipment and ongoing procurement, but also to strategy and planning, combat capabilities, training, communications systems, command and control systems, and intelligence gathering.
The South Pacific and Asia-Pacific regions
Thirty six submitters commented on these regions. Many of these acknowledged the valuable contributions made by the Defence Force in many different parts of the South Pacific, particularly peacekeeping missions and disaster relief. Some suggested that providing capabilities that are more suitable for South Pacific land and sea conditions should be the priority for the Defence Force.
Submitters expected that the range and depth of roles the Defence Force would need to undertake in the South Pacific would be similar to, if not greater than, those of the last decade or so. This meant maintaining simultaneous capabilities ranging from deployments and security assistance in South Pacific states, to ongoing peacekeeping, disaster relief, and humanitarian interventions. Submitters commented that well-trained Army personnel, air and sea lift, air surveillance and the Navy's underwater capabilities are particularly valued in this context.
A number of submitters regarded the Defence Force's role in the wider Asia-Pacific region as being an extension of its role in the South Pacific, but likely to involve more partners either in the context of a security threat or disaster relief. They agreed that the Asia-Pacific region had potential risks in terms of political instability and armed threats, military or terrorist. For these reasons some submitters pointed to the importance of the Defence Force's continuing participating in the Five Power Defence Arrangements.
"We are likely to achieve more in our own region (South Pacific), than being a tiny cog in the global security and peacekeeping/monitoring environment. we have human rights and freedom issues closer to home to uphold."
"Immediate strategic environment is South Pacific and Asia-Pacific, deployments further afield are less strategic but support international relationships and must be subservient to New Zealand's closer regional concerns."
"Our role should become more strongly geared to the Asia Pacific region rather than the continued desire to affect influence in wider environments such as in the Middle East or Central Europe."
The wider world
Forty one submitters emphasized the value of playing a wider part in world affairs. Collective security, strategic partnerships and global stability are the major advantages linked to international participation, especially United Nations peacekeeping missions. The ongoing mission in Afghanistan was the international deployment most commonly mentioned and was seen as a good example of the Defence Force making a useful contribution to a coalition operation in a challenging, high profile location. A few submitters did not wish New Zealand's foreign policy to be closely aligned with the United States, or preferred to see the Defence Force limited to roles such as delivering aid, supporting human rights, civil reconstruction and conducting non-violent conflict resolution. Some of these submitters opposed the Defence Force's current role in Afghanistan.
"Deployments further afield should be on the basis of United Nations peacekeeping operations and New Zealand's contribution to being a good international citizen, or assisting security partners countering terrorism or piracy."
"Peacekeeping is a unique opportunity for NZDF to shine. New Zealanders are very good at making connections with people."
