Training: Beyond pen and paper: NZDF Training and Education | ADM September 2012

If you thought a credible defence force essentially involves teaching people to march, providing them with kit and, occasionally, food, you may be startled at the extent of training and education provided for the more than 8,600 strong New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

Leading the tutorial way is the NZ Defence College (NZDC) formed in October last year, following the closure of the Training and Education Directorate. The NZDC has more than 260 staff, both military and civilian and is commanded by Colonel Peter Wood. ADM asked him to explain the role and purpose of the College.

“It is to champion and lead the development and delivery of best practise and sustainable common individual training and education within the NZDF,” COL Wood said.

Executing this role involves ‘roughly 600’ courses of up to five days duration and ‘approximately 60’ courses in excess of three months. During the year to June 2012 student throughput exceeded 10,500 students and similar numbers are expected for the current year.

Where, asked ADM, are the College’ boundaries set?

“NZDC’s boundary is environmental training; that training which is deemed specific to a particular Service and must be delivered by that Service. Navy and Air Force both have strong technical strengths as they are platform based. Army has a strong, adaptive and cultural focus due to the complexity of land-based operations. However, common induction training for officers and recruits is a possible future NZDC function.”

Has it been easy, or challenging, asked ADM, to provide instruction in a joint rather than individual service fashion? “It has been challenging, at times,” admitted COL Wood. “Mostly the challenges have been to either determine a new location for common training or to provide adequate assurance to the single Services that centralized, or potentially out-sourced, training will still meet the standards they require.

‘Our intention - and we acknowledge that this may require over-training in some areas - is to ensure personnel of each Service in a common military trade are fully interchangeable with each other. We have instituted some governance mechanisms to ensure standards and syllabi continue to meet Service expectations and are not dominated by one Service at the expense of the others.”

Given the cost saving drive in the organization it is only recently that the NZDF has moved to avoid duplication of services. Very little, aside from medical, was conducted by one Service on behalf of all. In 2007 the NZDF embarked on a comprehensive transformation program. Training and education (initially under the aegis of personnel) is now undergoing the centralisation process.

“Centralisation of individual training and the reduction of duplication will occur, however, where it is operationally essential,” COL Wood explained to ADM. “Environmental-specific individual training delivery will remain under Service control.”

Structure

Three years ago ADM reported on the NZDF’s Command & Staff College (CSC) and that establishment is now integral to the NZDC. In addition to the CSC, the NZDC - itself originally a directorate of the Defence Personnel Executive, but now an organisation in its own right - also encompasses the Defence Training Institute (DTI).

The DTI runs six common schools, including catering, explosive ordnance disposal, health services, physical training, corporate training and training systems. Additional common schools may follow as the NZDF continues to rationalise its individual training, said COL Wood.

The NZDC’s newest element is the Institute for Leader Development. Its purpose, said COL Wood is ‘to champion, standardise and enhance leadership across the NZDF, from senior levels upwards.’

Moreover, there is the Defence Learning Centre, which is attached to CSC and has adult learning tutors on camps and bases to provide on-site education support for both military and civil staff. Equally widespread is Training and Education Services (TES), providing pan-NZDF support to individual training and education

“In addition to providing daily planning, scheduling, resource coordination and evaluation services to Army, Navy and Air Force individual training, the TES Strategy, Planning and Development arm conducts long term and strategic planning, facilitates external relations and qualifications, supports synchronization and evaluation, and develops training and education policy for the NZDC,” said COL Woods.

In terms of who sets the course material to be covered, it really is a team effort.

“The Chief of Defence Force and the Service Chiefs ultimately decide, but they are informed by the Training and Education Leadership Team (TELT). Chaired by the Vice Chief of Defence Force, the TELT consists of the Service and joint training authorities,” COL Wood said.

“The NZDC’s Rationalization Cell is working through a program to determine what training is common and what could, potentially, be delivered on a joint basis, or by one Service as lead agency.”

For example driver training is to be sponsored by the Army.

“A Joint Enablers program, being led by Chief of Army will seek to determine where efficiencies in training could be realized such as common trades employment across the three Services and within a joint amphibious task force.”

Like any new organisation, the NZDC has had to establish its place within the existing Service dominated training and education environment. This has required the NZDC to develop flexible solutions, often unique to camps or bases, in order to operationalise the concepts developed by the transformation program’s training and education project. The centre has an entirely normal military structure although, apparently, increasingly suffused with civilians, including academia.

“Core military training is still delivered primarily by uniformed military subject matter experts, although where appropriate there have been some civilian staff recruited into instructional roles,” COL Woods told ADM. “The ratio of educators will become weighted towards NZDF civilian staff, rather than military personnel; however many of these civil staff will [be] ex-military.”

What new courses, asked ADM, are likely because of changes in strategy and technology?

“In order to assist the NZDF to maintain the maximum number of personnel available to deploy on operations, and to sustain them, we’re developing new courses to meet the changing needs of the NZDF.”

COL Woods said the NZDC is moving away from the traditional approach of all training, and most education, being delivered inside the NZDF by military personnel. New courses and approaches will definitely involve increased focus on the maritime amphibious environment, the exploitation of technology and more use of e-learning and simulation mediums.

“We anticipate increasing engagement with other government departments (and even private organisations) to develop more efficient “NZ Inc” solutions, in keeping with the trend towards joint and interagency whole of government approaches,” COL Woods said.

There is also room to leverage off the relationship between Massey University and NZDF training and education programs.

“Massey’s Centre for Defence and Security Studies delivers a Masters of International Security program to the Joint Command and Staff Course and supports the Joint Junior Staff Course as well. Massey University and the NZDF have a research agreement.”