The Defence Portfolio
Briefing to the Incoming Government 2002
Policy
The Government's Defence Policy Framework
The DPF identifies the goals and priorities for Defence. The DPF was substantially guided by, and builds on, the Defence Beyond 2000 Report, released in 1999 by Parliament's Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. Two supporting official papers were issued alongside the DPF: Strategic Assessment 2000 (External Assessments Bureau) and New Zealand's Foreign and Security Policy Challenges (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade).
The key elements of the policy are:
- New Zealand's defence and security policies will be based on its own assessment of the security environment and the actions it considers to be in New Zealand's best interests.
- Defence is one aspect of New Zealand's foreign and security policy. A comprehensive approach to security is the best way to protect New Zealand's interests and to promote regional stability and global peace.
- The primary reason for maintaining a defence force is to secure New Zealand against external threats, to protect our sovereign interests, and to be able to take action to meet likely contingencies in our strategic area of interest.
- New Zealand will work collaboratively with like-minded partners. In this context, there is no strategic partnership closer than that with Australia. New Zealand will continue to meet its obligations as a member of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA).
- New Zealand has special obligations to Pacific neighbours to assist in maintaining peace, preserving the environment, promoting good governance and helping achieve economic well being.
- Peace support operations are important for maintaining security and stability. New Zealand will make as full a contribution to such actions as is reasonably possible. New Zealand's global engagement will be based on active support for, and participation in, United Nations (UN) and appropriate multinational peace support operations.
- The government will continue to maintain a nuclear free New Zealand and protect the integrity of its nuclear free policy. It will also promote a nuclear free South Pacific.
- Except as part of peace support operations, New Zealand will not engage in military cooperation or exercises with the armed forces of states which sanction the use of their armed forces to suppress human rights.
- Effective contributions will be made by the NZDF through the three single services working together (jointness).
- Defence funding will be carefully targeted according to clear priorities.
The DPF sets out the five key defence policy objectives in support of this overall approach. These are to:
- Defend New Zealand and to protect its people, land, territorial waters, EEZ, natural resources and critical infrastructure;
- Meet our alliance commitments to Australia by maintaining a close defence partnership in pursuit of common security interests;
- Assist in the maintenance of security in the South Pacific and to provide assistance to our Pacific neighbours;
- Play an appropriate role in the maintenance of security in the Asia-Pacific region, including meeting our obligations as a member of the FPDA; and
- Contribute to global security and peacekeeping through participation in the full range of UN and other appropriate multilateral peace support and humanitarian operations.
A Secure New Zealand
A key policy objective is a secure New Zealand including its people, land, territorial waters, EEZ, natural resources and critical infrastructure. National sovereignty requires that New Zealand assume the prime responsibility for direct national tasks such as the protection of our territory and citizens, the capability to monitor and protect resources in areas that are under New Zealand jurisdiction, the countering of any threat posed by terrorism or acts of sabotage, the welfare of our people, and our economic livelihood. In so doing, Defence provides support to the civil power, especially in relation to resource protection, counter-terrorism and emergency relief.
Defence has an important role to play in national security assessment, policy and planning. The Secretary of Defence and Chief of Defence Force (CDF) participate in the Officials Domestic and External Security Committee, which is chaired by the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and comprises the Chief Executives of security agencies. Defence also participates in a range of subsidiary groups, including interagency crisis watch-groups.
Defence is developing strategic policy to better inform international policy and capability planning. Policy development and interagency consultation was initiated following the 11 September terrorist attacks and the subsequent campaign against terrorism. This process confirmed an increase in non-traditional security challenges, with an associated requirement for new approaches and heightened interagency cooperation. Defence is also undertaking policy development on information operations measures taken to affect information and information systems. The NZDF participated in interagency agency policy development associated with seaborne illegal migrants.
The NZDF provides major contributions to sovereign protection, deterrence, incident or crisis response (including counter-terrorism) and civil defence and other emergencies. The NZDF provides a deterrent effect by demonstrating its ability to operate and respond to issues of sovereignty throughout New Zealand, its offshore islands, its EEZ and the Southern Ocean and Ross Dependency. The NZDF monitors and provides warning of developments and maintains levels of preparedness to meet likely contingencies in this area. The NZDF also has the deterrent effect of providing a framework for expansion should there be a serious security challenge. This includes the maintenance of capabilities sufficient to demonstrate to others a commitment to national defence and to secure the support of others.
A Strong Strategic Relationship with Australia
A strong strategic relationship with Australia in support of common interests for a secure and peaceful region is a key objective of the DPF. Australia is New Zealand's closest and most important defence partner. There is a commonality of interest between New Zealand and Australia and a serious threat to the security of one would be considered a threat to the other. Moreover, the two countries acting together are better able to influence events in areas of mutual strategic interest, particularly in the South Pacific.
The relationship is formalised through Closer Defence Relations (CDR). CDR is underpinned by contact at a number of levels. Defence Ministers meet annually. The Secretaries of Defence and Chiefs of Defence Force meet at the Australia New Zealand Consultative Committee (ANZCC), held immediately prior to the annual Defence Ministers' meeting. Senior officials also meet annually at the Australia New Zealand Defence Coordination Group (ANZDCG) meeting. The day-to-day management of the relationship takes place through frequent working-level meetings, regular joint exercises and training, and personnel exchanges.
Although the relationship is very close, this does not mean that Australia and New Zealand do not, at times, differ in views and approaches to issues. The Australians have a stronger sense of potential threat and attach greater priority to defence. Australia spends a significantly greater proportion of its Federal budget on defence. Their defence policy is influenced by their role as a middle' power and their alliance with the United States. They place a high priority on protection of Australia from direct maritime approaches by hostile forces and the territorial integrity of the Southeast Asian/Western Pacific Island region. The last Australian Defence White Paper was published in December 2000 and a strategic update of this document is underway. Border protection and the campaign against terrorism are clearly identified as the major priorities in their May 2002 Budget.
New Zealand shares a common commitment with Australia to regional security, as reflected in our combined efforts in East Timor, Bougainville and Solomon Islands. The East Timor mission, in particular, underlines our ability to work together effectively in an operational environment and has demonstrated that we have a high degree of interoperability. As Australia's strategic attention is increasingly focused on developments beyond the Pacific Islands and its participation in the campaign against terrorism, there may be a requirement for New Zealand to make a greater contribution to security and defence in the Pacific Islands region.
The achievement of the highest possible levels of interoperability between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the NZDF remains a fundamental objective of CDR. In light of defence policy developments on both sides of the Tasman, Ministers at their meeting in July 2001 directed officials to produce a special interoperability report. In our assessment, levels of interoperability are good. Recent positive developments include the establishment of Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, which has greatly enhanced ADF-NZDF relations at the operational level, and the release of the LTDP, which will address many of the capability-based interoperability gaps that currently exist between Australia and New Zealand. A major impediment to interoperability lies in United States imposed restrictions. This has led to the exclusion of NZDF personnel from certain exchange appointments in the ADF and hampered operational planning in some instances.
Responsibilities and Risks in the Pacific Islands
The DPF clearly identifies the Pacific Islands region as the second international defence relations priority for New Zealand after Australia. New Zealand has special obligations to its Pacific neighbours. These include assisting in maintaining peace, preserving the environment, promoting good governance and helping achieve economic well-being: we want a secure neighbourhood and we must work towards that. Circumstances in Solomon Islands and Bougainville have demonstrated that New Zealand has a role to play in helping keep the peace in our region. Current policy is that this role extends beyond provision of military support. It also includes assisting peace processes through diplomacy and mediation. There is an international community expectation that New Zealand will play a constructive role in security in the Pacific Islands region.
New Zealand's responsibilities to the region reflect the depth of New Zealand's historical, constitutional, political, cultural and family links with the Pacific Islands. Constitutional obligations for the defence of the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau entail an obligation to cooperate with, and assist, these countries with their national defence and security. New Zealand has also agreed to consult regularly with them on defence and security issues and provide advice on apparent security risks. New Zealand's Treaty of Friendship with Samoa brings with it an obligation to consider sympathetically requests for defence assistance. New Zealand has additional international obligations including coordination of search and rescue and undertaking hydrography tasks, in areas which include some Pacific Island EEZs.
New Zealand's membership of the Pacific Islands Forum brings with it regional responsibilities for security and defence, including support for the Biketawa, Honiara and Aitutaki Declarations. As a member of the Forum Fisheries Agency, New Zealand has a responsibility to provide maritime surveillance and assistance with fisheries protection of Pacific Island EEZs. New Zealand is also a member of the Convention on Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Central and Western Pacific (2000) which might lead to a responsibility to provide additional fisheries protection capability. New Zealand has assumed a responsibility for providing support for emergency and disaster relief, which is reflected in the FRANZ agreement between Australia, France and New Zealand.
Since the release of the DPF, there has been an appreciable increase in non-traditional, security challenges, which pose potential risks to New Zealand interests. Civil instability creates risk to the safety of the large number of New Zealand citizens travelling or residing in the region. The rise in international criminal activity, including illegal fishing, illegal immigration, drug smuggling and financial crime, can directly undermine New Zealand security. There is likely to be an increasing requirement to provide military capabilities in the region for maritime patrol, disaster relief, peace support and reconstruction, especially with Australia broadening its focus to other areas of the world. Other policy risks include: erosion of our international reputation, collapse of important regional political initiatives, increasing demand for development assistance, and loss of New Zealand trade revenue.
Defence participates in the annual Forum Regional Security Committee meeting. The NZDF contributes to meeting New Zealand's defence policy objectives in the Pacific Islands in various ways. Nineteen NZDF personnel are currently deployed to the Australian-led Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville. The NZDF provides assistance to regional police and defence forces through the Mutual Assistance Programme, including towards reconstruction efforts in Solomon Islands. RNZAF P-3 Orions provide maritime surveillance assistance throughout the region and an emergency capability for the Nadi search and rescue area. The NZDF conducts exercises in the region.
Following the coups in Fiji and Solomon Islands in 2000, the Prime Minister directed officials to review New Zealand's relations with the Pacific Islands. This included a review undertaken by MFAT and several specific reviews, including one on New Zealand's defence relationship with the Pacific Islands region. Defence has recently completed its review, New Zealand and the Pacific: Security Through Partnership, which awaits consideration by the new government. The review identified responsibilities and risks associated with the Pacific Islands region and makes recommendations focused on strategic policy, NZDF capabilities, engagement with disciplined forces, and maritime surveillance.
An Appropriate Role in the Asian Security Dialogue
The DPF directs Defence towards an appropriate role in the regional dialogue of Southeast and Northeast Asia consistent with New Zealand's interests and capabilities. New Zealand's economic well-being is tied to the stability of Asia. Inter-state conflict in the region, or intra-state political and economic instability, can affect important New Zealand interests. Bilateral and multilateral defence relations underpin political and economic ties and the security of the region as a whole. New Zealand has a part to play in regional confidence-building through maintaining a network of military links, crisis management, and active participation in regional security fora.
The DPF acknowledges our longstanding, traditional links with Southeast Asia. The most significant demonstrations of our commitment to the region are New Zealand's battalion-group commitment to East Timor (see Section 3 for a summary of the operational commitment), and our participation in the FPDA.
New Zealand's two major bilateral relationships in the region are with Singapore and Malaysia. These relationships are enhanced by mutual FPDA membership which provides the basis for continuing defence cooperation between Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Our defence relationship with Singapore - the second most active after Australia - is increasingly strong and balanced. A significant recent development was Singapore's decision to send combat troops overseas for the first time as part of the New Zealand battalion-group in East Timor. There has also been renewed engagement in the defence relationship with Malaysia. With Singapore and Malaysia, New Zealand conducts annual policy and operational meetings; there are well-developed Mutual Assistance Programmes, and we conduct an extensive range of Navy, Army, and Air Force training, exercises and exchanges.
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) was set up to provide a forum for working on problems that could threaten regional stability. New Zealand is an active member and is represented by Foreign Affairs and Defence officials at regular meetings. We support greater ARF involvement in the management of regional conflict, but acknowledge that this must proceed at a pace with which other ARF members are comfortable. There is now a welcome understanding of the concepts and principles of preventive diplomacy, and a growing programme of practical confidence building measures. A proposal for regular dialogue between defence officials within the ARF process will be considered by the ARF Ministers' meeting in Brunei at the end of July. New Zealand will co-host the next ARF inter-sessional group meeting on confidence building measures in Wellington in November.
Since the release of the DPF, our global focus has been on the consequences of international terrorism for the Southeast Asia and Pacific regions. The discovery of terrorist cells with regional links and a purported connection to al Qaeda in Singapore was significant. Southeast Asian countries condemned the 11 September terrorist attacks, but there remain differences of emphasis in their responses.
New Zealand's defence engagement with Northeast Asia has grown considerably in line with the expansion of other areas of our relationships with the region. Defence contacts with China constitute one element of a wide-ranging and increasingly important relationship (China is now our fourth largest trading partner). Modest bilateral defence links have developed quickly over the past five years, reflected in the exchange of visits by respective Defence Ministers, high-level officials and senior military officers, the reciprocal hosting of bilateral security discussions and visits by, and attendance at, military educational institutions. New Zealand has a good, albeit modest, defence relationship with Korea including several ministerial and senior officials' visits, and political-military talks. The contribution of an 11-strong contingent to the UN Command Honour Guard in Seoul for six months in 2001 added a significant new dimension to our relationship. Defence links with Japan are expanding through ministerial and senior officials' visits, and the attendance of NZDF personnel at a number of regional conferences hosted by Japan. With all three countries there is a growing defence association through the ARF process.
A Global Approach
The DPF specifies that Defence should contribute to global security and support New Zealand's place in an international community committed to the maintenance of human rights and the collective security responsibilities enshrined in the UN Charter. The benefits of globalisation can be best secured by New Zealand through an environment of peace, stability and shared prosperity. Constructive involvement in global security also contributes to New Zealand's international image and standing in the world community. This allows New Zealand to have a voice in those processes that shape international economic, diplomatic and security developments.
Global engagement is based on active participation in UN and other appropriate multi-national peace support operations. New Zealand has participated in more operational commitments in the last five years than in the previous twenty, consistently demonstrating that we are prepared to use our capabilities to defend democratic values, human rights and the principles and obligations enshrined in the UN Charter. Despite the heavy concentration of NZDF personnel and assets in East Timor, New Zealand continues to meet obligations and interests in other parts of the world. NZDF personnel are currently employed in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Afghanistan, as well as Southeast Asia, East Timor and Bougainville.
The 11 September terrorist attacks on the United States highlighted the increasing significance of non-traditional security challenges, especially international terrorism. The effects of these challenges are being felt both globally and locally. There has been recognition that the international community must devote increased effort to bring peace and stability to regions of the world where political, economic, social, religious and ethnic issues provide a fertile ground for terrorism to develop. The Balkans and the Middle East are two such regions where the NZDF has made meaningful and longstanding contributions. In Afghanistan, our commitment complements a broader military effort to bring peace and security to the Afghan people and to ensure that the country does not again become a haven for terrorists.
The threat of conventional military conflict not only remains; in the context of Kashmir and the Middle East it has intensified since 11 September. This means that the NZDF must be capable of responding to a broad spectrum of operations from combat through to peacekeeping, maritime surveillance and border protection and that the demands on our resources will intensify.
The United States remains unrivalled in its global reach and the extent and range of its military capabilities. New Zealand interests are best pursued through a forward-looking and positive relationship with the United States. The United States is appreciative of New Zealand's wide-ranging contributions to international peace support operations including our support for the campaign against terrorism. Establishing common cause with the United States on terrorism is possible notwithstanding differences about nuclear policy. The visit by the Prime Minister to Washington in March confirmed that differences remain, but should not predominate. There will continue to be limited scope for defence cooperation with the United States, particularly in exercising, except when such activities contribute to our participating in an operation in which the United States is either a participant (Afghanistan) or a supporter (East Timor).
The long-standing defence relationship with the United Kingdom continues to be of significant political and professional benefit. It is manifested through a wide range of exchange and training programmes, through our mutual participation in FPDA, and our attachment to the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia.
