Kia ora and welcome to the Winter 2023 issue of Line of Defence Magazine!
There’s a little something for everyone in this 28th issue of Line of Defence. It’s a magazine of many parts, but one theme that emerges from these pages is that there’s an election coming up!
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In the lead-up to this edition we contacted several political parties inviting them to articulate their defence-related policy positions to our readers. Inside, National’s Tim van de Molen highlights that with 30% of uniformed personnel leaving over the last two years the NZDF is dangerously close to being operationally ineffective, while ACT’s Dr James McDowall argues that a 2% of GDP defence spend will serve to address soaring attrition and capability gaps in the NZDF.
The recurring theme of personnel is also explored by Dr Simon Ewing-Jarvie, who raises concerns in relation to the organisational design of NZDF Headquarters, and Ross Browne, who writes that lower than ever Defence personnel numbers will provide the Defence Policy Review with some challenging calculations.
Featured contributor Dr Wayne Mapp writes that with Pillar Two of AUKUS providing plenty of opportunities for engagement on emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, hypersonics, and quantum computing, the AUKUS arrangement poses big questions for New Zealand’s approach to alliances and naval capability. Our role and contribution within AUKUS, he suggests, will be among the most important decisions to be made by our political leadership in the coming term of parliament.
In International Security, Associate Professor Jeremy Moses and Dr Sian Troath write that Andrew Little’s openness to considering AUKUS Pillar Two cooperation raises numerous questions over New Zealand’s position on autonomous weapons systems
Other big questions are being posed by the Australian Defence Strategic Review (DSR), writes maritime capability specialist Andrew Watts. An Australian force design oriented towards Distributed Maritime Operations is signalled in the Australian Defence Strategic Review (DSR), and this has potential implications for the design of NZ’s future fleet.
In Homeland Security, I explore the twin rise of violent retail crime and retail customer-initiated violence in Aotearoa. We’re shopping more violently – and we’re shoplifting more violently – in the public squares of the 21st century, and it’s happening within a leadership vacuum.
If you haven’t already, consider subscribing to our eNewsletter THE BRIEF. And lastly, a big shout out to the seven businesses and individuals who in May were recipients of 2022 Minister of Defence Awards of Excellence for Industry.
Nicholas Dynon, Auckland.
