Q+A: Defence Force Chief Air Marshal Kevin Short interview

Defence Force Chief Air Marshal Kevin Short told Q+A that technology is set to change the size of our armed forces and how they will operate in future.

‘I think we’ll always have a defence force. The role of the defence force and the numbers that you need to win, because it is about winning, will change. Technology allows you to fight a conflict differently, whether it’s with a very complex RPAS – remotely piloted air systems.’

CORIN But is that on your shopping list, drones? Would they be up there?

KEVIN Well, RPAS. I’ll call it RPAS.

CORIN RPAS or whatever you want to call them.

KEVIN Absolutely. Yep. Absolutely. It’s something that was on the previous capability plan for mid-2020s. And we’re still looking at that technology. We’ll never be what I call the leading edge. We’re more of a technology follower. We’ve got to look at the size and cost of our defence force, and we’ve got to look at how we can inter-operate with our friends and allies. So it’s always going to be a balance.

Please find the full transcript attached and you can watch the interview here.

Q+A, 9:30pm Sundays on TVNZ 1 and one hour later on TVNZ 1 + 1.

Streamed live at www.tvnz.co.nz

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