New Zealand’s Defence Is Playing Catch Up

Not Before Time: The New Zealand Defence Force will begin to be equipped with a cyber warfare capability.

Several months behind schedule, the New Zealand Defence White Paper has been released . It has earmarked funding of around NZ$20 billion (US$14 billion) over 15 years for defense, which will be used, among other things, to replace frigates and aircraft and to provide the New Zealand Defence Force with a cyber warfare capability.

This investment is the equivalent of one percent of New Zealand’s GDP, or around half the proportion of GDP spent by Australia and the United Kingdom on defense, and as such is small by international standards. Nevertheless, it adds an extra NZ$1.3 billion per year to the budget of the country’s defense forces.

The increase is seen by many as conservative in light of modest military spending by the New Zealand Government in recent decades. According to Waikato University law professor Alexander Gillespie, “We’re keeping pace with what we’ve got, we’re not expanding the base. We haven’t got a military strike wing, like the Australians have and haven’t got submarines like the Australians have, so we’re still keeping up but we’re not expanding.”

According to the opposition Labour Party’s defense spokesperson, Phil Goff, “much of what the Government is intending to spend is simply catch up.” His comments focus on personnel numbers, which at 11,440 (regular forces) he says are down eight percent on 2009. “The Auditor-General has reported that it will take the Army 11 years and the Navy 16 years to recover the capabilities they had in 2008/09,” he stated in a media release.

While this measured increase is perhaps in line with the White Paper’s assessment that there is presently no direct military threat to New Zealand, Prime Minister John Key commented that factors such as the growth in military spending by Southeast Asian nations makes defense more important and complex than ever. “The emergence of ISIL, heightened tensions in the east and south China seas, and the rapid evolution and spread of cyber threats are just a few examples. New Zealand’s geological no longer provides the protection it once did,” he said at the White Paper’s launch.

Widely seen as a big change in this White Paper from the previous paper published in 2010 is its focus on cybersecurity in terms of both national resilience and the protection of defense systems. Noting the threat posed by increasing reliance on networked technology, it stated that New Zealand has an interest in “contributing to international cyberspace and space efforts to protect this infrastructure from being exploited or disrupted.”

While not providing specifics in relation to what a cyber warfare capability may look like, Defense Minister Gerry Brownlee stated that “it will be a significant number of people who are deployed into the armed forces or from the armed forces who will specialize, to a greater extent, in this sort of deterrent.” In a television interview subsequent to the White Paper release, Brownlee indicated that this would include a capability to defend and to offensively retaliate against cyber-attacks.

However, enhanced cyber capability – like much of what is listed in the White Paper – is also widely seen as merely a “catch up” measure. Cybersecurity, in general, is an area in which New Zealand has been seen as complacent at a national, government, and enterprise level.

It was only last month that Communications Minister Amy Adams announced the government would invest NZ$20 million over four years on a new national Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to combat cyber-attacks and cybercrime. Over 100 countries already have CERTs, and Australia’s – just next door – has been operating for more than two decades. With NZ$257 million lost to cyber-attacks last year, the move has been criticized by some cyber security experts in New Zealand as a case of too little too late.

With the White Paper now committing billions to the process of “catching up,” time will now tell whether it can ultimately deliver adequate and timely outcomes.

Ein News: 

« Cyber Insurance Is Changing How We Look At Risk
A Nano Generator To Power New Smart Cities »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

NordLayer

NordLayer

NordLayer is an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses — from the world’s most trusted cybersecurity brand, Nord Security. 

ZenGRC

ZenGRC

ZenGRC - the first, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade information security solution for compliance and risk management - offers businesses efficient control tracking, testing, and enforcement.

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Cyber Security Supplier Directory

Our Supplier Directory lists 6,000+ specialist cyber security service providers in 128 countries worldwide. IS YOUR ORGANISATION LISTED?

FT Cyber Resilience Summit: Europe

FT Cyber Resilience Summit: Europe

27 November 2024 | In-Person & Digital | 22 Bishopsgate, London. Business leaders, Innovators & Experts address evolving cybersecurity risks.

MIRACL

MIRACL

MIRACL provides the world’s only single step Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) which can replace passwords on 100% of mobiles, desktops or even Smart TVs.

Cyber Security Associates (CSA)

Cyber Security Associates (CSA)

Cyber Security Associates provides cyber consultancy and cyber managed services which help to detect, protect and educate against the ever-changing cyber threat.

Virtual Security

Virtual Security

Virtual Security provides solutions in the field of managed security services, network security, secure remote work, responsible internet, application security, encryption, BYOD and compliance.

CertiKit

CertiKit

CertiKit produce toolkit products that accelerate the adoption of ISO/IEC standards, including ISO 27001, helping organizations all over the world to realize the benefits as soon as possible.

International Security Management Association (ISMA)

International Security Management Association (ISMA)

ISMA is an international security association of senior security executives from major business organizations located worldwide.

Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber)

Australian Cyber Security Growth Network (AustCyber)

AustCyber brings together businesses and researchers to develop the next generation of cyber security products and services.

OneVisage

OneVisage

Our award-winning 3DAuth digital identity platform turns any consumer mobile device into a real-time 3D facial scanner that securely authenticates the user in seconds.

Trusted Knight

Trusted Knight

Trusted Knight is a leading provider of security software solutions focused on defeating newly developed malware and crimeware trojans.

VIRTIS

VIRTIS

VIRTIS' mission is to provide today's leading organizations peace of mind that their entire digital network perimeter is safe from hackers and data breach.

Aristi Technologies

Aristi Technologies

Aristi provides cybersecurity risk and compliance services to help manage your unique cyber risks, safeguarding your systems and data and complying with government and industry standards.

CyNam

CyNam

CyNam is a platform for enabling the growth and development of people and organisations within Cheltenham’s flourishing cyber technology ecosystem.

Randaemon

Randaemon

RANDAEMON’s mission is to create True Random Number Generators (TRNG) that are hardware-based and integrated into System-on-Chip.

Rhymetec

Rhymetec

Rhymetec are an industry leader in cloud security, providing innovative cybersecurity and data privacy services to the modern-day SaaS business.

Interactive

Interactive

Interactive are a leading Australian IT service provider with services in Cloud, Cyber Security, Data Centres, Business Continuity, Hardware Maintenance, Digital Workplace, and Networks.

Unit 42

Unit 42

Unit 42 brings together world-renowned threat researchers, incident responders and security consultants to create an intelligence-driven, response-ready organization.

SentryMark

SentryMark

Stay a Step Ahead of Emerging Threats. Deviate from the traditional siloed defenses and get the proactive and responsive cybersecurity solutions and services you deserve with SentryMark today.

GIS Consulting (GISPL)

GIS Consulting (GISPL)

From General Data Protection Regulations to advanced Network Infrastructure Audits, GIS Consulting has established a reputation as one the leading cyber security companies in the industry.