New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins has outlined a plan to work with industry to strengthen supply chain resilience and domestic capability in uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems.
What Is the Purpose of the Strategic Industrial Base Statements?
The Ministry of Defence said Friday, under the New Zealand Defence Industry Strategy, it will establish three Strategic Industrial Base Statements designed to identify key sectors where the nation needs stronger local industry capability to support the New Zealand Defence Force, or NZDF.
What Does the First Statement Focus On?
The first statement, which identifies uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems as a focus area, aims to strengthen resilience and enable export opportunities through defense and industry collaboration. It prioritizes innovations that can be developed, produced and sustained domestically, with the goal of developing advanced drone capabilities within New Zealand businesses.
“A nation’s ability, either alone or with partners, to equip its Defence Force and stay in the fight is almost wholly dependent on its industrial base. We must build resilience in our supply chains, including by doing more at home and by growing our exports,” Collins said.
New Zealand’s 2025 Defence Capability Plan
In April 2025, Collins unveiled a $6.6 billion initiative to modernize New Zealand’s military under the 2025 Defence Capability Plan. The strategy focuses on adopting emerging technologies, strengthening strategic partnerships and enhancing lethality and deterrence. It includes planned investments of $200 million to $450 million over four years in uncrewed and counter-uncrewed systems.