Aardvark Daily

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Our ailing defence forces - problem or opportunity

5 September 2008

In yesterday's front-page column I reflected on the news that our defence forces are in a sorry state of neglect and poor repair.

It seems we have an annoying knack of spending money on the wrong things at the wrong time, and even then, not getting stuff that actually works properly.

And our single most valuable and practical defensive asset (the decommissioned Skyhawk and Aeromachi jet fighters) continue to depreciate on a daily basis, with prospective purchasers coming and going, scuttled by a poorly conceived deal with the US that gives them veto rights on their sale.

As I said yesterday, we really don't have much chance of defending ourselves against an attack of angry school-kids, let alone a foreign aggressor with real guns - so are we totally stuffed?

It might appear that we are, but perhaps we can turn this situation to our advantage.

Take a look at another geographically small nation half a world away.

Surrounded by hostile neighbours, this country has successfully become a minor military superpower in its own right, having proven that it has what it takes to protect its borders and the best interests of its people against armed aggression.

I'm talking about Israel.

Okay, so they have compulsory military conscription (not something I'm in favour of) and I don't agree with much of their politics but the fact remains that for a tiny country, they box well above their weight when it comes to the issue of mounting a credible military defence.

What's more, they've turned the need to protect themselves into a massive export-earning industry.

The Israeli arms industry is one of the most innovative and productive in the world and by exporting 75% of its output, it earns a very income for the country.

They are world famous for things like the Uzzi submachine gun and Galil assault rifle, both weapons that are immediately recognisable and highly respected for their design and performance.

But they've gone beyond just making guns. The Israelis are now world leaders in a number of hi-tech areas of military hardware, including such "must haves" as UAVs, electronic countermeasures and fighter aircraft.

Now I'm thinking - if the Israelis can do this while stuck in the desert with few natural resources, why on earth are we pissing around with a bunch of aging C130 Hercules, decommissioned Skyhawks, unseaworthy Navy ships and problematic LAVs?

I know (from direct contact with such folk) that there are plenty of people right here in New Zealand who would do a very credible job of designing and implementing our own military technology to supplement what we have and rival the best the Israelis can offer.

So how big is the market for military wares?

Well the USA is expected to sell $50b worth of international sales for military equipment this year. Wouldn't just a percent or two of that market be a wonderful addition to our export earnings?

Let's not forget the low-cost cruise missile (LCCM) for instance :-) In mass-production and with a healthy profit margin, we could be manufacturing these for around US$20K each. If we were to forego just one of the planned eight NH90 helicopters already budgeted for the Air Force, we could build an arsenal of more than 3,000 LCCMs built and ready to deploy against any attacking forces.

Okay, so these would be very low-tech missiles, easily shot down by air-to-air or surface-to-air missiles carried by any attacking force - but that always assumes that they have 3,000 defensive missiles on-hand and ready to fire. I would wager that the prospect of facing such a massive wave of defensive missile fire would cause anyone short of a super-power to think twice about their planned aggression.

Or what about coastal surveillance, search and rescue, or for monitoring our fisheries and borders?

Well I know that for the price of a single Orion (or even the cost or running an Orion for a year), we could manufacture ourselves enough UAVs to provide four times the coverage and four times the redundancy.

And think of the export markets.

Just as catering for its own defence has created a stunningly successful array of export-earning industries in Israel, why can't it happen here?

Well I'll tell you why.

Because the present government doesn't want a bean of it.

The current government appears to think that our military should be solely focused on peacekeeping and humanitarian work.

If they had their way we wouldn't even have an Army, Navy or Air Force - but a peace-keeping force and bunch of civil defence workers.

What ever happened to a government's obligation to keep its people safe from armed aggression?

And, even if you are a peacenik, what's wrong with building defensive might?

Or do they think we should never put up a struggle but simply capitulate and surrender, for fear someone will beak a fingernail or get a graze?

Let's not also forget that those of us who would like to develop technology that could represent not only a valuable military asset but also the cornerstone of an export-earning industry must now be very careful we don't end up in jail.

Why's that?

Because, thanks to our anti-terror laws (which allow the PM herself to declare anyone a "terrorist" without right of appeal), those who develop military technology run the risk of being carried off to prison.

Now I'm no war-monger, but I do believe that the best way to avoid being attacked is to cultivate good friendships, forge strong alliances and to have enough defensive capability that any prospective aggressor will think twice about giving it a go.

Instead, we seem to be naively thinking that nobody would ever attack good old GodZone -- despite the fact that they tell us the next war will be fought over food and clean water. Doesn't that make is a very real target?

What do readers think?

Instead of squashing innovative defence-related industries that could kill two birds with one stone, should government instead be doing everything it can to foster such things?

If I (or anyone else) were able to deliver 3,000 full-operational cruise missiles to our defence forces for the price of one helicopter, don't you think that would perhaps be something worth considering?

And instead of spending inordinate amounts of money keeping our aging Orions flying, why don't we invest in state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicles that can do more work in less time at a lower cost?

Perhaps something to ask your MP in an election year.

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