Kia ora and welcome to the Spring 2024 edition – and 33rd issue – of Line of Defence Magazine! In this edition, we’re privileged to be joined by Defence Minister Hon Judith Collins KC and Police Minister Hon Mark Mitchell, with expert commentary and analysis from Hon Dr Wayne Mapp QSO, Associate Professors Damien Rogers and Lauren Sanders, Rob Mather, and Kyrylo Cyril Kutcher.
The appointment of five senior officers to key leadership roles and the arrival of the first C-130J-30 Hercules aircraft, writes Minister Collins, have made for a big couple of months for Defence. According to the Minister, the use, and threat of use, of military power is increasingly shaping states’ interactions, “and we face an increasing risk of conflict directly affecting our national security.”
In his article, Dr Wayne Mapp makes the point that membership of AUKUS Pillar Two is an expression of shared security interests, not an alliance. It poses no threat to New Zealand’s foreign policy independence, he writes, so why all the hesitation about it?
Read or download the 48-page Spring 2024 edition:
In Homeland Security, Police Minister Mark Mitchell writes that sweeping operational, legislative, and sentencing reforms will empower police and place victims at the heart of the justice system. More beat police, a focus on gang disruption, new restrictions around patches and gatherings, and tougher sentencing settings are intended to enable Police to target gangs despite considerable resourcing constraints.
The NZSIS has been busy publishing reports recently, including their latest Security Threat Environment Report. Short on evidence, methodology, and analysis, writes Assoc Prof Damien Rogers, it isn’t the NZSIS’ best effort. Despite this, he acknowledges Director-General Andrew Hampton’s comments that the report is “a starting point for a healthy conversation on keeping each other safe and secure” – and that’s an important outcome in itself.
In his second editorial contribution to Line of Defence, Kyrylo Cyril Kutcher delivers an extended article exploring the Soviet concept of reflexive control. It’s a concept that provides insights into Russian approaches to psychological warfare, and – importantly – for everyone else it can inform strategies to fight against misinformation.
All this, and much more in this issue of Line of Defence, including the latest Defence Industry news, research into systemic bias in policing, the arrival of the C-130Js, service chiefs and other NZDF senior appointments, and Land Forces 2024!
Get in touch if you feel you’ve got something to contribute to the conversation!
Nicholas Dynon, Auckland.
