Money problems hit understaffed armed forces

Despite continued staffing shortages the Defence Force may have to slow down its recruitment drive as it does not have enough money.

The Navy has 25.7 per cent unfilled positions, 18.7 of those were regular force, the Army has 37.3 per cent, 22.1 per cent regular posts, and the Air Force 24.9 per cent, 7.7 per cent regular posts, the foreign affairs, defence and trade select committee heard yesterday.

Recent recruitment campaigns and changes to the remuneration system had attracted new and returning staff and addressed retention, Defence Force chief Lieutenant General Jerry Mateparae told the committee.

The new remuneration system was expected to be completed by July but was already "substantially implemented" and "anecdotally there has been an impact on retention" already.

General Mateparae said he was confident vacant positions could be reduced and there was a "greater level of interest in young people" in joining the forces.

However, limited funding meant the Defence Force was "fast approaching" the number of recruits it could afford to train and pay - despite having further vacancies.

The Air Force would have to delay a recruitment course into the next year to manage funding.

The forces would have to review training budgets if there were a sudden influx in new recruits, General Mateparae said.

Some career development activities would probably have to be reviewed also.

"It will have an effect on how we can manage but in terms of professional development and training, because they all go together, there will probably be some activities that we would stop doing or need to be a little more effective in doing over the next few years."

General Mateparae also said the Defence Force owned more light armoured vehicles than it could use. It had 105 LAVs - of those 70 were in use - but just 45 crews trained to operate the vehicles.

The Canadian-built vehicles were bought in 2005 for $700 million. They have never been deployed overseas except to a training exercise in northern Australia.

General Mateparae said the LAVs were very useful vehicles.

"Specifically, they would be quite useful in a peace deployment operation.

"We have looked at how they might be used in East Timor and we've also looked at how they might be used in Afghanistan."

The same model was used by Canada in Afghanistan and similar ones by the US in Iraq.

"They provide a tremendous protective ability asset for soldiers, they can be used in most places," he said.

Labour leader Phil Goff said any decision to sell LAVs would be a judgment call for the Defence Force chief.

"The LAVs were a purchase that was made on the recommendation of the Defence Force.

"They have not had to be used in a conflict situation, I guess we should welcome that. The prospects are, however, that sometime in the future that may happen."

He said they were very serviceable vehicles and could be used for the next 30 to 35 years.

- NZPA