IRIA News

The New Zealand government released a series of documents unveiling its new national defense strategy and security policy. The documents focus on highlighting Wellington’s efforts to enhance its role in the regional security environment and become a strong regional power.

New Zealand’s first-ever National Security Strategy (NSS) document was released on August 4, 2023, along with two other documents, the Defense Policy Strategic Statement (DPSS) and the Future Force Design Principles (FFDP).

The NSS highlights New Zealand’s approach toward security policy and national defense-related policy guidance while the other two documents are focused on the country’s military policy and combat readiness efforts.

The documents highlight the regional and global security threats that New Zealand faces while justifying the country’s military efforts to negate these threats and challenges. New Zealand’s new security policy was unveiled by the country’s Defense Minister Andrew Little.

“A year ago we commissioned the Defense Policy Review, to provide a roadmap for the future of Defense as part of the national security of New Zealand, and to do so in the context of the rapidly changing conditions we see around us,” Little said as he unveiled the new national security strategy.

“In 2023 we do not live in a benign strategic environment,” Little said. “New Zealand is facing more geostrategic challenges than we have had in decades, climate change, terrorism, cyberattacks, transnational crime, mis and disinformation, and competition in our region which, up until recently, we thought was protected by its remoteness,” he added.

The New Zealand defense minister said that his government had been working on developing a comprehensive policy that is designed “for a relatively benign strategic environment, and not the challenges of increased strategic competition and the adverse effects of climate change that the Defense Policy and Strategy Statement 2023 identifies. As a result, it is not in a fit state to respond to future challenges.”

New Zealand’s latest defense strategy is built upon its Pacific Reset policy that was announced in 2018 and emphasizes the increasing strategic competition in the region and its impact on the climate change and security environment.

Ties with Australia

Australia is Wellington’s most important security ally and the military relation between the two countries is set to become stronger in the face of increasing strategic competition in the region. “Australia is New Zealand’s most critical defense and security partner and our only formal ally,” New Zealand’s Defense Policy Strategic Statement said. The document called Australia to be “Indispensable to New Zealand’s national security.”

New Zealand’s defense strategy outlines three themes for forging military relations with its allied neighbors. These themes are, Understand, Partner, and Act. Wellington is set to abide by the same principles in expanding its military ties with Australia.

New Zealand, along with Canada, already expressed its willingness to be a part of the AUKUS Pillar 2, which focuses on space research and technological integration in dealing with security issues. The Australian Army and New Zealand Army also signed a Bilateral Security Cooperation Agreement (BSCA) in April 2023.

Threats and strategies

Overall, the documents highlight eight areas of importance that require further attention for the development of security policy. These areas of attention shall be addressed through principles that have also been highlighted in the document.

• Combat capability: The defense ministry assess that the country’s combat capability requires medium-scale attention to reach the desired outcomes. It highlights that the New Zealand Defense Force has sufficient capability to be deployed in a warzone and they can recover.
• Concurrency: The documents highlight that New Zealand’s military forces need to enhance their capability to carry out simultaneous operations in multiple locations. The Defense Ministry has allocated medium-to-high-scale of attention to concurrency capabilities.
• Resilience:  Falling between medium to high scale of attention, the documents evaluated whether the defense force is prepared for shocks, including disruption of supply chains and digital networks. It highlights the importance of policy development to address resilience capability.
• Flexibility: It highlights the ability of the New Zealand Defense Forces to operate in different circumstances. The documents show a satisfactory evaluation of the forces’ flexibility.
• Scalability: Requiring a medium-scale of attention, the scalability of the country’s defense forces represents its ability to either “rapidly expand or reduce its capabilities, and structures, allowing it to adapt to future changes in the strategic environment.”
• Partnerships: This principle evaluates the military’s capability to operate independently and in cooperation with allies. The documents highlight the need for medium-range attention to the partnering capabilities of the New Zealand Defense Forces.
• Technological Approach: Falling between medium to high, the forces’ technological approach represents its ability to incorporate leading-edge technologies into its operations and capabilities.
• System Complexity: The final principle notes the military’s capability to integrate the latest technologies into its current working environment and its ability “to seek lower system complexity, including acquiring off-the-shelf instead of bespoke military capabilities where possible. Some systems will be proprietary, but generally simpler systems will be sought.” The documents suggest medium to a high level of attention is required for this principle.

Future force

New Zealand’s National Security Strategy covers the country’s plans for five-year future military development up to 2028. It mentions a dozen of core issues that shall be addressed over the course of the next five years. The document also vows to enhance military structure and arrangements to ensure the implementation of the five-year roadmap.

While unveiling the country’s defense strategy, the defense minister said that he does not expect defense spending to see a sharp increase in a short period. However, in the next two to three years, New Zealand’s defense spending would reach 2% of its GDP. He said that his government is focusing on spending more on the Royal New Zealand Navy, by developing new frigates and warships. New Zealand currently spends 1.8% of its GDP on defense.

U.S. welcomes New Zealand’s defense policy

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomed New Zealand’s defense strategy. He said that the longstanding partnership between the United States and New Zealand is focused on ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, sustaining a region where all can pursue their interests free from coercion. 

Austin also highlighted the common themes between New Zealand’s strategic documents and the U.S. National Defense Strategy and said that “we appreciate New Zealand’s steadfast leadership in support of security and prosperity in the Pacific Islands region and beyond.” He added that “the DPSS and FFDP demonstrate New Zealand’s fundamental commitment to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”