Defence Force crying out for morale boost

The Government’s mishandling of Defence Force restructuring has resulted in troop morale hitting an all-time low, Labour’s Defence Spokesperson Iain Lees-Galloway says

According to the latest NZDF On-going Attitude Survey, morale is worse now than at any time since the survey began eight years ago.

“Defence Force personnel understand that change has to occur, but they feel let down by a Government that is undermining the mana of our armed forces,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“It’s no wonder our troops don’t feel appreciated by the Government when we have a Defence Minister, Jonathon Coleman, suggesting that it’s time they get over a supposed ‘job for life culture’.

“Perhaps he forgets he is talking about people who serve our country in extreme and dangerous conditions, people who put their lives on the line on our behalf.

“A particular concern is the number of staff who say they intend to leave the Defence Force because they have had enough of being taken for granted,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.

“High attrition means the NZDF is losing experience that cannot be easily replaced. If morale continues to drop and more deployable staff are lost, the NZDF will really struggle to meet operational expectations.

“The Minister needs to take a step back and consider how he can reverse the year-long trend in declining morale.

“If he doesn’t, our Defence Force will continue to lose many more of its most valuable employees,” Iain Lees-Galloway said.