Kia Ora and welcome to the Autumn 2021 – and 19th – issue of Line of Defence.
In this first issue of Line of Defence for 2021, we feature plenty of recent industry news and upcoming events in addition to deep diving into several key defence and national security topics.
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In Defence, former Defence Minister Wayne Mapp forecasts a decline in NZDF deployments over the next three years, and less money to spend. For the time being, he argues, deployments and spending should be targeted closer to home.
In this issue we feature Rewi Thompson, Serco Defence New Zealand’s Contract Director, who writes about Serco’s crucial role in delivering simulation-based training to young New Zealand men and women to gain their bridge warfare certificate. Matthew Medley of IFS explains what’s required to keep military equipment, personnel and commanders in sync during disconnected operations.
Line of Defence also catches up with GA-ASI’s Tommy Dunehew to learn more about their Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, including recently completed MQ-9A unmanned aircraft anti-submarine warfare (ASW) demonstrations.
During NZDIA’s IDEAS2020 Part One, Defence told industry its input was needed to deliver the Information Domain – and designing new Defence operating and business models fit for the information age. In our continuing IDEAS series, we take a look at what industry came back with in IDEAS2020 Part Two.
Sales of arms and military services by the sector’s largest 25 companies totalled US$361 billion in 2019, 8.5 per cent more than in 2018, according to data released in December by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. We take a closer look at the results.
In International Security, Aotearoa has been hailed as most improved in Brand Finance’s Global Soft Power Index, thanks to our widely lauded COVID response. We assess what this means. We also get acquainted with the new Decoding China Dictionary, which illustrates how key political words mean different things to Chinese and Western policy makers. It makes for essential foreign policy reading,
In Homeland Security, Kendra Ross has spent decades at the forefront of the New Zealand cybersecurity industry, writes Joanna Mathers. We learn more about her impact on Women in security. We also interview Massey University intelligence and counter terrorism specialist Dr John Battersby about the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch terrorist attacks.
I commend the above articles to you, along with the many other fine contributions inside.
Nicholas Dynon, Auckland
