Lessons for NZ from war in Ukraine

New Zealand’s involvement in the Ukraine war has mostly answered the rhetorical question, “How can we be most useful?”

Defence personnel have been sent to Britain to help train Ukrainians and others in Europe on logistics and liaison work. A C-130 Hercules workhorse flew in military supplies. Alongside humanitarian aid, useful battlefield equipment was sent, including medical kits, body armour, helmets and communications gear.

Although the overriding impulse has been to support Ukraine, the way the war has unfolded has been an eye-opener to military strategists and countries deciding how to spend defence budgets.

There are lessons for countries to take from it, including New Zealand.

The biggest would be for countries to prepare for a wide range of war scenarios and equipment, including the use of surprising and brutal tactics, and a mix of old and new battlefield technology.

How would New Zealand fare if an invading country attacked our energy grid, motorway system and airports, on top of targeting central government? How long would our military supplies last, and how easily would we be resupplied?

A feature of the Ukraine war is how expensive the early phase of it was for troops and equipment.

Old tech, in the form of artillery and armoured vehicles, played a heavy part on both sides. Some experts believe Russia’s key military failure was one of insufficient preparation and logistics, combined with an expectation Kyiv could be quickly subdued.

The wide use of light, mobile weapons, air defence missiles, air and boat drones, anti-drone guns, anti-tank Javelins, and information software in this conflict also makes it a testing ground. Russia has used drones to attack Ukrainian cities. Mobile Ukrainian teams use small drones to provide surveillance on a target and then fire at it. The Ukrainians have a reputation for being innovative in comparison with the top-down Russian military.

Clever, low-cost ways of improving defence through tech advances seem a good investment for New Zealand.

The overall idea of us being a target may seem far-fetched. But Asia generally and Oceania more recently have been attracting more geopolitical interest. We are part of the Western democratic system yet maintain international independence.

In a warming future where global supplies of food and water are less reliable — and this country as a stable food producer with a reasonably temperate climate — being a target might be more likely.