The Defence Force needs closer connection to the ministry so that policy can help guide on-the-ground operations, a review has found.
Defence Minister Peeni Henare accepted nine recommendations from the review, Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Defence Minister Peeni Henare has today accepted nine recommendations from a review of the Defence Force (NZDF) led by former Auditor-General Lyn Provost.
Then-Defence Minister Ron Mark set up the expert panel in October last year to review the structure, information management, and record-keeping processes of the Defence Force.
It followed the Operation Burnham Inquiry, which concluded military officials did not plot to cover up casualties during an operation in Afghanistan in 2010, as claimed in the book Hit & Run by investigative journalists Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson.
However, it did find the Defence Force never corrected claims made to the public and ministers by its personnel that allegations of civilian casualties were "unfounded", despite knowing it was possible.
The review, released today, found policy officials were largely excluded and generally did not help advise ministers in later planning and execution of deployments, "driven by the thinking of some NZDF personnel that policy functions should not be involved in 'operational' matters".
"In our view, this is erroneous; policy needs to be grounded in reality," the review said.
It also found a lack of clear and consistent guidance on sharing information and knowledge outside the Defence Force had contributed to a culture of persistent classification.
It recommended:
- Stronger integration between the Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence
- A further review of elements of NZDF Headquarters
- Stronger integration of NZSAS (New Zealand Special Air Service) into the Defence Force and the national security sector
- Improve information management
Looking to the future, the review also noted that technology and risks like climate change, biosecurity and terrorism were changing conflict, leading to increased competition and confrontation between states and political systems and blurring the distinctions between peace and war; state and non-state; and virtual and physical.
It said information and technology were no longer just tools for military organisations, with mis- and disinformation and cybercrime making them weapons in their own right.
The reviewers believed the NZDF was well aware of the importance of information management, but the lack of a
central repository created significant barriers to information retrieval.
"Processes, policies and guidance are impenetrable and applied inconsistently across the organisation," it said.
This would include setting up a new role of Inspector-General of Defence to bolster control and oversight for the government.
Henare said the report was comprehensive and considered the changes made so far to be encouraging, but more was needed.
Three overarching themes from the review highlighted social licence, operational oversight and transparency as being key to improvements for the Defence Force and Defence Ministry.
The Ministry was already developing an implementation plan, he said, and should be fully implemented by 2025. Defence agencies have been given until the end of June 2023 to report back to the minister.
"Strong defence systems and processes, oversight and transparency are central for maintaining trust and confidence in Defence to deliver complex operations," Peeni Henare said.
"I want to ensure that the New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Defence are well positioned for the future."
Provost said military and civilian oversight were both important, but greater thinking was needed about high-level strategic ideas. Transparency was also essential for ensuring trust of the military.
"You can't be transparent if you make everything classified ... we think it's vital that the defence agencies take this very seriously.
"You have to be able to talk about some things with the public because if the public don't get that information and don't trust the information, you lose the social licence."
She also said a secretive approach to information sharing was common across government, but noted the particular circumstances of the NZDF.
"In some cases protecting information is literally a matter of life and death for Defence Force personel."
She said the changes made to date and those recommended should help reduce the chance of a repeat of the events seen in Operation Burnham and would produce better military and security outcomes for Aotearoa New Zealand.
In February, the Defence Force also brought in new rules on how it would deal with reports of civilian harm involving New Zealand soldiers, and in response to one of the recommendations of the inquiry.