Structure of the New Zealand Army

New Zealand Army soldiers with NZLAVs during an exercise in 2009

This article describes the current structure of the New Zealand Army. It includes the army's order of battle and the headquarters locations of major units.

From the 1880s, the structure of the army has evolved with changing defence needs and financial constraints. New Zealand deployed a division jointly with Australia at the beginning of the First World War, eventually despatching personnel to fill out a full division. Five divisions (three attenuated at home in NZ) were raised during the Second World War. A division was initially raised through Compulsory Military Training from 1949.

Damien Marc Fenton's A False Sense of Security? outlines parts of the army's structural evolution since the Second World War. The Army had had three military districts, Northern Military District at Auckland, Central Military District at Palmerston North, and Southern Military District at Christchurch in 1946.[1] The New Zealand Division was disestablished in 1961. In 1963, a Combat Brigade Group (1st Brigade), Combat Reserve Brigade Group (3rd Brigade), and Logistic Support Force (formed from the former 2nd Infantry Brigade Group) were established, each to be based on a district HQ.[2] On 1 September 1970, two formations, Home Command and Field Force Command, were established to administer the home base and deployable forces respectively.[3]

In 1978, Land Forces Command (New Zealand) emerged, replacing Home Command and Field Force Command, and the two operational brigades at the time, 1 and 3 Brigades, were disbanded and replaced by Task Force Regions, at Papakura, Palmerston North, and Christchurch.[4] Still later on after the 1983 Defence Review Land Forces Command was split into Land Force Command at Takapuna and Support Command at Palmerston North. Support Command later moved to Trentham. The two commands were joined once again at Trentham as Land Command after 1998, which in 2001 was amalgamated with the other services' operational headquarters to form Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand.

Order of battle February 2013

Structure of the New Zealand Army

According to an organisation chart and map published in the New Zealand Army's newspaper Army News and subsequent reportage, the Army's order of battle is as follows:[5][6]

Headquarters Deployable Joint Task Force-Land (HQ DJTF-L) was formed by redesignating the headquarters of the 3rd Land Force Group. It is expected that this headquarters will move to Linton Military Camp in the Manawatu after December 2012.[7] The 1st Brigade was formed on 13 December 2011 by amalgamating the units of the 2nd Land Force Group and 3rd Land Force Group.[8] It is effectively a 'shopping basket' of units which can be raised in readiness preparatory to an operational deployment, and does not appear to have any operational deployment role.

In addition, Logistics Command (Land), which is headquartered at Trentham Military Camp, reports to the Defence Logistics Command. Logistics Command (Land)'s sub units are the Wellington Regional Support Centre (located at Trentham Military Camp) and the Southern Regional Support Centre (located at Burnham Military Camp).[5]

Notes

  1. ↑ Transitioning to light infantry, with this process to be completed by July 2012.[7]
  2. ↑ The regiment's three batteries are transitioning to a structure where they are equipped with a mixture of mortars and guns. Each battery will be able to use up to six L119 Light Guns and twelve 81mm mortars.[10]
  3. ↑ Re designated from Headquarters, Land Training and Doctrine Group. It is expected that this headquarters will move to Hokowhitu after December 2012.[7]

References

Citations
  1. ↑ Fenton, 1998, 12.
  2. ↑ Fenton, 1998, 113-117.
  3. ↑ http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=BAIO, and Fenton, 1998, 154-5.
  4. ↑ Fenton, 1998, 165.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "New Zealand Army Order of Battle and New Zealand Army by Location". Army News (New Zealand Army). August 2012. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "New Zealand Army Order of Battle". Army News (New Zealand Army). February 2013. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Army 2015 - Our Future in Focus". Army News. October 2011. pp. 14–15. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  8. ↑ "Army Plan Takes Shape". Media releases. New Zealand Army. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  9. ↑ "1st New Zealand Special Air Service Regiment". New Zealand Army News (New Zealand Army). February 2013. p. 9. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  10. ↑ Lieutenant Colonel Matthewston (April 2012). "Refreshing the Regiment: 16th Field Regiment's Refocus". Army News (New Zealand Army). p. 12. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Broadley, Jon (December 2012). "Territorials Become More Joined Up". Army News. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 14 December 2012.

External links