The Ministry’s Long-term Insights Briefing (LTIB) addresses the topic: How technology innovations are likely to influence New Zealand’s defence capabilities beyond 2035.
This LTIB examines technology innovations most relevant to defence forces in the future, highlighting the potential impact on capabilities and illustrating possible application scenarios. It maps global trends in defence technologies relevant to New Zealand.
The draft findings have been organised around four major technology themes:
- The power of data
- Human-machine teaming
- Next-generation effectors
- Expeditionary sustainment
The briefing also identifies three major shifts which carry significant operational, policy, and system level implications for Defence to consider:
- From human accountability by default, to human accountability by design
- From software supporting hardware, to hardware supporting software
- From public engagement, to public inclusion
This LTIB has been informed by two rounds of public consultation and support from NZDF's Defence Science and Technology (DST) unit. It also builds upon engagements and research previously conducted, such as those the Defence Policy Review, and a previous LTIB conducted in collaboration with the wider National Security Sector.