Home from Iraq: A job well done

While we were all living in Level 4 lockdown to protect our people and our way of life from Covid-19 in recent weeks, the last rotation of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel deployed on our joint training mission with Australia to the Taji Military Complex in Iraq returned home, to serve their time in quarantine and finally be reunited with their families.

In Iraq they were also on a mission to protect our people and our communities and our way of life, in this case from the violent extremist group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which has committed horrific atrocities and human rights abuses in the Middle East.

As on so many Defence Force missions, unlike the support provided at times of domestic and Pacific disasters, this one has taken place far from home and for the most part well out of the public eye – to some extent necessarily so, for the protection of our service people and their families.

It is important to acknowledge what the NZDF has achieved over the five years and 10 rotations - and to remember why we do what we do on such overseas missions, often under difficult and uncertain conditions.

Nowhere are those conditions more complex and challenging than in the Middle East – and in the 21st century there is no more important theatre for Defence. Events there affect the safety and security of New Zealanders both here and abroad as well as our economic prosperity.

Side by side with our partners, New Zealand has worked hard for many years to help create and maintain stability in the Middle East by peacekeeping and by joining the fight against piracy, terrorism and transnational crime.

I saw this first as a young Army officer in 1982, when I was deployed to the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) in Sinai Peninsula. My service there opened my eyes to the bigger picture. I saw the value of our commitment and contribution to the rules-based order at first hand - how we deliver “above and beyond” and how much we are valued. Being part of that made me very proud to be a Kiwi soldier.

In other long-standing deployments in the region, to Afghanistan, the Combined Maritime Forces in Bahrain and United Nations missions in South Sudan and the Golan Heights/ Lebanon, we have earned the confidence and respect of our partners.

In February 2015, we stepped up to serve as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (D-ISIS) through the deployment of NZDF personnel to a joint Australia-New Zealand Building Partner Capacity (BPC) mission training the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) in Taji.

The trans-Tasman collaboration on this mission is a tangible demonstration of our countries’ shared security interests, close co-ordination and interoperability.

More than 47,000 ISF personnel, including Federal Police, have now been trained through the BPC mission. This wide-ranging training in a variety of military subjects and instruction in fundamental aspects of international human rights law and the Law of Armed Conflict has been delivered over the years by a total of 992 NZDF personnel working alongside their Australian colleagues.

When I visited Taji in 2018, I saw first-hand the difference that our men and women make on the ground. They served with dedication, professionalism, and heart. It was a great privilege to meet them, talk with them and hear their stories. They have all done us proud.

As well as visiting our contingent in Taji on that trip, I had meetings with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Defence Minister and US Major General Pat White (then the D-ISIS Coalition Land Component Commander and now Commanding General in Iraq) and other senior officers, and heard nothing but the highest praise for our people. That pride I first felt in the Sinai over 40 years ago was more than renewed.

Our people from Taji are now home safe and in their turn can be proud of a job well done, of making a difference to the people of Iraq through their contribution to the professionalism of the ISF. But the fight, like that against COVID-19, isn’t over.

Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and I announced New Zealand’s continued commitment to combatting ISIS and the proliferation of violent extremism by extending the mandate for four NZDF personnel to the D-ISIS headquarters in Iraq and Kuwait, and five operational support roles based in Qatar until June 2022. These roles include training planning, support to logistics, and the provision of legal advice.

Military efforts alone are not enough to help stabilise the region. We also provide stabilisation funding and development assistance to help demine and rebuild areas liberated from ISIS, and ensure Iraq’s citizens can return to their homes and their lives.

The deployment to Iraq is just one example of how the NZDF is helping to improve peace and security around the world. Our willingness and ability to provide credible contributions in support of the rules-based order is essential to maintaining an international reputation of which New Zealand can be proud, and reflects our commitment to equality and fairness.

Despite the current uncertain security environment, we can be confident that the NZDF’s contributions to global stability and the international rules-based order help to promote a safer New Zealand community, nation and world.