Latest news with #JudithCollins
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
New threats in cyber, space and sea require fresh rules and greater cooperation, say New Zealand, France and Finland
(From left) New Zealand Minister for Defence Judith Collins, International Institute for Strategic Studies director-general and chief executive Bastian Giegerich, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH Shangri-La Dialogue 2025 New threats in cyber, space and sea require fresh rules and greater cooperation, say New Zealand, France and Finland SINGAPORE – The evolving nature of warfare, including challenges in cyberspace, outer space and to undersea infrastructure, demands that countries work together to set new rules and coordinate their responses, said defence ministers from New Zealand, France and Finland at the Shangri-La Dialogue on May 31. Speaking during a plenary session on these frontier domains, the ministers said these areas are increasingly contested and blurred between military and civilian uses, making them vulnerable to misuse. They emphasised how closer cooperation and updated rules are more crucial than ever, to ensure that those who do not respect international norms cannot destabilise regional and global security. New Zealand Minister of Defence Judith Collins noted that cyber intrusions are now 'an ever present threat', and that like many other countries its growing connectivity in devices and networks and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has made defence of its cyberspace more complex. The response to increasing contestation in the space, cyberspace and undersea domains has to be centred on an effective and robust system of international agreements, rules and norms of behaviour, she said. On its own, New Zealand has made it a point to identify perpetrators behind the major attacks on its cyberspace wherever possible, so that there is greater transparency and accountability on who is behind such attacks, said Ms Collins. French Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, who spoke at the same session, echoed the importance of pinpointing and attributing the origin of cyberattacks. He noted that while domains such as cyberspace are today key to economic development and sovereignty, international law governing them are either ineffective or still nascent. 'If I had to summarise our dilemma today, you can be defeated without being invaded, and you can lose the war without ever having been at war,' he said. 'So that's really a brutal, new strategic deal compared with the situation we used to know.' He said that 'pioneer countries' must lead efforts to create clearer rules, even if some major powers are reluctant to participate. 'We should not give up the ambition to regulate,' he said, stressing that nations working together can overcome gaps in international law and deter provocations. Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen said during the discussion that the defence challenges in domains like cyber and undersea infrastructure are examples of the interconnected nature of today's world, and how threats have become more diverse. But Finland's example shows that such threats can be successfully countered, he said. For instance, Finland taps on the resources of the state, but also private industry and its research community to ensure a whole-of-nation approach to cybersecurity. Sensors and other new technologies have also made it easier to detect bad actors who may attempt to sabotage undersea cables or breach computer networks, added Mr Häkkänen, who said countries should not only identify attackers, but should put in place 'clear deterrence lines' to dissuade attacks. Establishing clear thresholds - that if breached could lead to retaliation - would benefit all parties, including potential adversaries, by discouraging cyber operations, he said. Their remarks built on discussions in an earlier plenary session on managing proliferation risks in the Asia-Pacific, where Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans warned that technology is evolving faster than rules and ethics can keep up. He cited the risk of AI battlefield algorithms misreading intent, and military command systems being hacked or deceived. Countries can choose to let technological progress outpace responsibility, or rise to the challenge to innovate, regulate, and safeguard them, added Mr Brekelmans. The Netherlands chose the latter option, which was why in 2023 it organised the first global summit on Responsible Artificial Intelligence in the Military Domain that took place at The Hague, he noted. 'I would encourage as many countries as possible to also participate in this, and to make sure that we make further progress on these international norms in these new domains that are evolving so quickly,' he said. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
12 hours ago
- General
- CNA
Ministers reaffirm commitment to five-country defence pact
SINGAPORE: Ministers from five countries have reaffirmed their nations' commitment to a defence agreement that has been in place for more than 50 years. The Five Power Defence Arrangements (FDPA) was formed in 1971 against the backdrop of armed conflict across Southeast Asia, and comprises Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Singapore's Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing hosted breakfast on Saturday (May 31) for Australia's Minister for Defence Richard Marles, the UK's Minister of State Lord Vernon Coaker, New Zealand's Minister of Defence Judith Collins and Malaysia's Minister of Defence Mohamed Khaled Nordin on the sidelines of the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue. During the breakfast, the ministers reaffirmed their nations' commitment to the FPDA , and the importance of keeping the FPDA and its exercises relevant to "address contemporary security challenges", said Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). They also commended the pact's progress in implementing the guidance from the 12th FPDA Defence Ministers' Meeting (FDMM) last year, particularly in raising exercise complexity. The 2024 edition of Exercise Bersama Lima (XBL24) was marked by the inaugural participation of fifth-generation fighter aircraft such as F-35 fighter jets from Australia and a P-8 maritime patrol aircraft from New Zealand. "Looking ahead, the ministers look forward to the United Kingdom's Carrier Strike Group's participation in XBL25, which would be a milestone achievement for the FPDA, and reaffirm the importance of committing high-end assets to FPDA exercises to enhance their professional value," said MINDEF. "The ministers also affirmed the continued strategic relevance of the FPDA as a constructive, transparent and peaceful defence arrangement which plays an important role in the regional security architecture."
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
New Zealand defense minister pledges more deployments, co-operation
SINGAPORE: New Zealand is seeking to expand Asia-Pacific military deployments in its quest to show it was now 'pulling our weight' with increased spending on its armed forces, the South Pacific nation's defense minister said in Singapore on Friday. Defense minister Judith Collins raised the prospect of welcoming increased warship visits to the country, deepening joint training and other cooperative efforts with its traditional defense partners including ally Australia, the United States, Singapore, Japan, Britain and the Philippines. 'So we're open for business, we're back in the world and we're pulling our weight,' Collins said on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting in Singapore. The New Zealand government announced in April that it would boost defense spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, with the aim of nearly doubling spending to 2 percent as a share of gross domestic product in the next eight years amid growing international tensions. The new spending is a significant boost to the defense budget of just under NZ$5 billion in 2024/25, and follows its first national security review in 2023. The review called for more military spending and stronger ties with Indo-Pacific nations to tackle issues of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and Russia. The USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the US Pacific Fleet, visited Wellington earlier this month and further visits from partners could be expected, Collins said. The ship was just the third US warship to visit in 40 years. When asked about Chinese concerns at New Zealand's more assertive military posture, she said Beijing realized Wellington had 'actually got a spine,' but 'I don't think China stays awake at night worrying about us.' 'I don't think we're any threat to China, or anyone else really,' Collins said, describing relations with China, an important trading partner, as 'very mature.' Regional military attaches and analysts say that after years of relative neglect, New Zealand still had to improve its ability to sustainably project power given its small, aging navy and air force but supporting its traditional relationships were key. Nuclear-free since the 1980s, New Zealand maintains an independent foreign policy but remains part of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network with the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada. Deployments of its four new Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are being closely watched, given how they can help other countries plug gaps in the hunt for Chinese submarines, analysts say. Collins said New Zealand and Australian pilots now had the ability to fly each other's P-8 and transport planes — a sign of growing 'interoperability' in action. Collins said the P-8s had already flown up toward Canada and she expected further patrols in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. 'I think you'll see quite a lot of that,' she said. 'We go everywhere. Everywhere where we're wanted we go, if we can.'
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
NZ defence minister pledges more deployments, co-operation
SINGAPORE, May 30 (Reuters) - New Zealand is seeking to expand Asia-Pacific military deployments in its quest to show it was now "pulling our weight" with increased spending on its armed forces, the South Pacific nation's defence minister said in Singapore on Friday. Defence minister Judith Collins raised the prospect of welcoming increased warship visits to the country, deepening joint training and other cooperative efforts with its traditional defence partners including ally Australia, the United States, Singapore, Japan, Britain and the Philippines. "So we're open for business, we're back in the world and we're pulling our weight," Collins told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defence meeting in Singapore. The New Zealand government announced in April that it would boost defence spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, with the aim of nearly doubling spending to 2% as a share of gross domestic product in the next eight years amid growing international tensions. The new spending is a significant boost to the defence budget of just under NZ$5 billion in 2024/25, and follows its first national security review in 2023. The review called for more military spending and stronger ties with Indo-Pacific nations to tackle issues of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and Russia. The USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited Wellington earlier this month and further visits from partners could be expected, Collins said. The ship was just the third U.S. warship to visit in 40 years. When asked about Chinese concerns at New Zealand's more assertive military posture, she said Beijing realised Wellington had "actually got a spine", but "I don't think China stays awake at night worrying about us." "I don't think we're any threat to China, or anyone else really," Collins said, describing relations with China, an important trading partner, as "very mature". Regional military attaches and analysts say that after years of relative neglect, New Zealand still had to improve its ability to sustainably project power given its small, ageing navy and air force but supporting its traditional relationships were key. Nuclear-free since the 1980s, New Zealand maintains an independent foreign policy but remains part of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network with the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada. Deployments of its four new Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are being closely watched, given how they can help other countries plug gaps in the hunt for Chinese submarines, analysts say. Collins said New Zealand and Australian pilots now had the ability to fly each other's P-8 and transport planes - a sign of growing "interoperability" in action. Collins said the P-8s had already flown up towards Canada and she expected further patrols in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. "I think you'll see quite a lot of that," she said. "We go everywhere. Everywhere where we're wanted we go, if we can."
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
NZ defense minister pledges more deployments, co-operation
SINGAPORE: New Zealand is seeking to expand Asia-Pacific military deployments in its quest to show it was now 'pulling our weight' with increased spending on its armed forces, the South Pacific nation's defense minister said in Singapore on minister Judith Collins raised the prospect of welcoming increased warship visits to the country, deepening joint training and other cooperative efforts with its traditional defense partners including ally Australia, the United States, Singapore, Japan, Britain and the Philippines.'So we're open for business, we're back in the world and we're pulling our weight,' Collins told Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue defense meeting in New Zealand government announced in April that it would boost defense spending by NZ$9 billion ($5 billion) over the next four years, with the aim of nearly doubling spending to 2 percent as a share of gross domestic product in the next eight years amid growing international new spending is a significant boost to the defense budget of just under NZ$5 billion in 2024/25, and follows its first national security review in review called for more military spending and stronger ties with Indo-Pacific nations to tackle issues of climate change and strategic competition between the West, and China and USS Blue Ridge, the command ship of the US Pacific Fleet, visited Wellington earlier this month and further visits from partners could be expected, Collins said. The ship was just the third US warship to visit in 40 asked about Chinese concerns at New Zealand's more assertive military posture, she said Beijing realized Wellington had 'actually got a spine,' but 'I don't think China stays awake at night worrying about us.''I don't think we're any threat to China, or anyone else really,' Collins said, describing relations with China, an important trading partner, as 'very mature.'Regional military attaches and analysts say that after years of relative neglect, New Zealand still had to improve its ability to sustainably project power given its small, aging navy and air force but supporting its traditional relationships were since the 1980s, New Zealand maintains an independent foreign policy but remains part of the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network with the United States, Britain, Australia and of its four new Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft are being closely watched, given how they can help other countries plug gaps in the hunt for Chinese submarines, analysts said New Zealand and Australian pilots now had the ability to fly each other's P-8 and transport planes — a sign of growing 'interoperability' in said the P-8s had already flown up toward Canada and she expected further patrols in the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. 'I think you'll see quite a lot of that,' she said. 'We go everywhere. Everywhere where we're wanted we go, if we can.'
