Defence Long-Term Development Plan (LTDP)
(June 2003 Update)
The Long-Term Development Plan and Defence Policy
- The LTDP sets out the defence acquisition projects that will enable the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to implement the Government’s defence policy.
- In its 8 May 2001 Defence Statement, the Government stated that it:
is building a modern, professional and well-equipped Defence Force with the necessary military capabilities across all three services to meet New Zealand's objectives… the New Zealand Defence Force is being reconfigured so that it is sustainable and affordable over the long-term. It will be able both to meet New Zealand's own defence and security needs, and to make a useful contribution when it is deployed1.
- The Government’s defence policy objectives are:
- to defend New Zealand and to protect its people, land, territorial waters, EEZ, natural resources and critical infrastructure;
- to meet our alliance commitments to Australia by maintaining a close defence partnership in pursuit of common security interests;
- to assist in the maintenance of security in the South Pacific and to provide assistance to our Pacific neighbours;
- to 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
- to contribute to global security and peacekeeping through participation in the full range of UN and other appropriate multilateral peace support and humanitarian relief operations2.
Prioritising the LTDP
- The LTDP prioritisation will be reviewed regularly to ensure continuity with defence policy and strategic circumstances. In this updated version, a number of projects in the category of ‘Necessary to Avoid the Failure of Policy’ have been approved by the Government. They have consequently shifted into the category of ‘Projects Approved in Principle by Government’. Two projects from the category ‘Projects Necessary to Provide a Well Equipped Land Force’, Direct Fire Support Weapon – Area and Medium Range Anti-Armour Weapon, have also been approved in principle by the Government. Two projects from the category ‘Projects Necessary to Avoid Significant Risks to Policy’, Whenuapai runway and hardstanding reconstruction, have been removed from the LTDP following the Government’s decision to consolidate all Air Force operations at Ohakea. The Ohakea runway project has been removed from the LTDP as this project has been approved and construction is underway. No other projects have been reprioritised.
- The first step in the reprioritisation process was a gap analysis. It identified those areas where, over
the next 10 years, a capability gap will impact on the NZDF’s ability to meet the roles and tasks set out
in the Defence Policy Framework under each policy objective. This gap analysis demonstrated that
acquisition projects to meet the capability gaps fell into three broad categories:
- Projects that are critical to avoiding failure to achieve policy objectives. The projects consist of “enabling capabilities” that are necessary to facilitate operational missions (for example, joint command and control system, airfield infrastructure maintenance), and operational capabilities that are fundamental to meet defence policy objectives.
- Projects that are necessary to avoid significant policy risks. These projects affect the degree to which policy objectives can be achieved and the manner in which they are fulfilled.
- Projects that carry a lower level of risk affecting the degree to which policy objectives are met and the manner in which they are fulfilled.
- The gap analysis considered the five defence policy objectives to be equally important. A sensitivity analysis assessed the impact of weighting the importance of each objective. It demonstrated that the projects within the top category remained constant, and confirmed their importance to avoid policy failure.
- As a further check, the list of high priority projects was compared with the priorities set out in the Defence Policy Framework, which states that:
A capital investment programme will concentrate defence resources in a range of affordable and sustainable military capabilities that contribute to meeting our objectives. Priority will be given to the acquisition and maintenance of essential equipment. Our core requirement is for well-equipped, combat trained land forces which are also able to act as effective peacekeepers, supported by the Navy and Air Force 3.
- To be consistent with this statement, higher priority was accorded to a number of projects that are necessary to provide well-equipped, combat trained land forces, which are also able to act as effective peacekeepers.
- Projects approved in principle by the Government are treated in the prioritisation as a separate category. Other considerations that affect the sequencing of high priority projects were also taken into account. These include the projected end-of-life of current equipment and the amount of pre-acquisition work that is required.
Long-Term Development Plan Priorities
The projects under each category are:
Projects Approved in Principle by Government- Light Operational Vehicle
- Multi-Role Vessel
- Patrol Vessels
- P-3 Mission Systems Upgrade
- C-130 Life Extension
- P-3 Communications and Navigation Systems Upgrades
- C-130 Communications and Navigation Systems Upgrades
- Boeing 727 Replacement
- Direct Fire Support Weapon - Area
- Medium Range Anti-Armour Weapon
- NZDF Helicopter Capability
- Special Operations Capability
- Joint Command and Control System
- Land Intelligence/Surveillance/Reconnaissance
- Army Tactical Trunk Communications
- Combat Service Support Vehicles
- Army Engineering Equipment
- Army In-Service Weapon Replacement
- Very Low Level Air Defence
- ANZAC Self-defence Upgrade
- NZDF Torpedo Replacement
- C-130/P-3 Self-protection
- Anti-ship Missiles
- Joint Communications Modernisation
- Ohakea Hardstanding Reconstruction
- High Readiness Infantry Company
- Short Range Air Patrol
- Modifications to enable MRV/OPV to operate in the Ross Sea
- Remote Mine Detection
- Army Manoeuvre Range
- Indirect Fire Support Weapon
- Infrastructure Projects
- The list does not indicate the order in which projects will be completed.
- Government Defence Statement, 8 May 2001, A Modern, Sustainable Defence Force Matched to New Zealand’s Needs, p.2.
- Defence Policy Framework, June 2000, para.19.
- Defence Policy Framework, June 2000, para. 31.
