A planned shake-up of the Defence Force could end up putting
under-equipped and under-trained personnel at risk, a defence
expert says.
The Government's new Defence Capability Plan, announced
today, involves spending $3 billion over 10 years to
transform the entire force into a Joint Amphibious Task Force
which would allow more personnel to be deployed for longer.
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp said there would be no new
capital spending and funds for the plan would be reallocated
from budgeted future depreciation payments.
The plan involves reconfiguring the Defence Force to allow
the deployment of 800 personnel for up to three years, and
upskilling an infantry unit to enable it to take part in
special operations.
It also involves new advanced training aircraft for the air
force and upgrading the Special Air Services (SAS) battle
training facility in Papakura.
But Nick Nelson, acting director of Massey University's
Centre for Defence and Security Studies, called the plan
alarming.
The plan involved no new spending and the Defence Force would
struggle to maintaining its existing equipment, he said.
"They're robbing Defence of money now to pay for future
capital equipment, which is quite alarming,'' he said.
The Government was expecting to maintain the force's level of
capability without being prepared to fund it, he said.
"I'm not sure that that's necessarily possible anymore, and
I'm not even sure it's safe. We are potentially producing a
force that is not going to be well-equipped and not
well-trained and sending it on operations, so there are some
real concerns with this,'' he said.
Mr Nelson said the plan was "purely cost-cutting''.
"At some stage, I think Defence is going to have to say 'OK,
we are cost-cutting, what capabilities or what operational
outputs would you like us to drop from this?'''
Mr Nelson said the plan also had personnel costs.
For every 800 people deployed overseas there would also need
to be support staff, as well as another 800 people preparing
for the next rotation and another 800 who had just returned
from the previous rotation.
That would require the use of some 2500 people, at the same
time as trying to meet existing requirements and without
increasing the size of the force.
"Maybe they can do that, but I'd suspect that there are a
number of people that will be deploying on two or three,
maybe even more missions to be able to do that.''
The plan could hurt morale, Mr Nelson said.
"Certainly the feeling I'm getting from talking to some of
the people within the forces is that there is a lot of
uncertainty, morale is low, and I'm not sure that this is
going to necessarily improve that.
"It's going to be very interesting to see what the impact is
on personnel within the Defence Force. Over the last few
years there's been kind of an understanding that we're going
to do more with less, but I think we're getting to the stage
now where we need to say we can only do less with less.''
Dr Mapp said the plan would guide decisions on frontline
units, equipment and capabilities and took into account
affordability, resources and defence priorities.
"The plan is not just a list of projects and equipment.
Capability for the Defence Force is about transporting and
sustaining a deployable Defence Force here and overseas.
"It is about using modern technology to give the entire
Defence Force a common operating picture. And it is about
ensuring our men and women in uniform are equipped to meet
all the challenges they face, from combat through to disaster
relief.''
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