Elevator Pitch

The whole argument in a nutshell

NZ spends huge amounts on defence (the same amount as on roading and public transport) but doesn't get the same value it should from it. Our military seem to be a relic of a bygone age focused on WW2 heritage because it has not undergone any serious structural reform in decades. A modern military should be structured and equipped for modern military (war in peace) operations like peacekeeping, special forces, counter insurgency, disaster relief, exclusive economic zone patrol, and policing of unstable environments.

At core the value of the military comes down to the intelligence and flexibility of troops on the ground who are face to face with complex and delicate situations involving civilians, hostiles, international media, and other militaries. This means the most important asset is our people and we should pay international market rates for their skills, and value them accordingly. We should focus first on the man or woman on the ground and work up to the facilities we need to support them.

However the military needs to be far better integrated into the civilian world of which it is a part. The development and training of staff should be built around exchange with the civilian world. There are many tasks which the military still does which civilian agencies today do better, cheaper and more flexibly. For example Helicopters New Zealand has operated more helicopters in war zones than the Royal New Zealand Air Force in and in a much more cost-effective way. There are New Zealand catering companies that have supported UN operations in war zones where our military have never been.

Unlike most militaries the New Zealand military does not help foster New Zealand engineering and technology. New Zealand has firms able to create solutions able to meet operational requirements but the New Zealand military does very little research and development and prefers to buy gold-plated solutions from foreign manufacturers. This ultimately makes New Zealand less secure.

The military needs to focus on the one thing it does which no civilian agency can ever do: employ force. That force has to be appropriate and legal, precise and effective. The people using it must be experts, professionals and completely understand the political, cultural and historical environment they are operating in.

By doing this New Zealanders will leverage more value from having a military and the military will add more value to the country it serves.