Tactics, Tempo and Troops: The New Commander, Joint Forces NZ
13 November 2007
There were few things Rhys Jones (pictured) enjoyed more as a youngster than a good scrap.
Purely in the literary sense, of course. And not for him the Boy’s Own excitement of battles swiftly, noisily and unrealistically fought.
His interest lay then, as it does now, in the tactics, the psychology, the strategies of skirmishes and wars adroitly waged throughout the centuries.
The headpiece of a suit of armour sits on one end of his desk, and two paintings reflect significant sieges of long ago. This is the office of a man with a long and abiding interest in military matters.
His quiet approach however belies someone whose fellow officers and soldiers say is warm, unflappable and compassionate.
A military career through family links wasn’t a given for MAJ GEN Jones.
The son of a Methodist minister, as a teenager he lived in various parts of New Zealand. The passion for reading military history and books on military matters was significant however, and it spurred him to join the New Zealand Army.
The late 70s saw him enlist in New Zealand, and attend the Royal Military College in Duntroon, Australia. He graduated into the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps in December 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. A stint at Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, USA, followed as did one at the Australian Defence College. Enrolling at La Trobe University in Melbourne he attained a Master of Arts in Strategic Studies as well as a Diploma in Qualitative Futures. He has seen operational duty in the Middle East with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation.
MAJ GEN Jones has held a variety of training posts. In the late 1980s he instructed officer cadets at the Australian Defence Force Academy. In the 1990s he was instructor at New Zealand’s Tactical School, and he has also instructed at the Australian Defence College.
While the overseas experience was enjoyable, it has, he says, been the command posts - QAMR and 3 LFG -that have been highlights of his career so far.
“I joined the Army to be in command roles. I enjoy decision making, problem solving, and monitoring situations to decide the best way to deal with them.”
He is especially looking forward to his new role, one that is often seen as the "sharp end" of defence.
A period as Assistant Chief of Development (ACDEV), and then as Land Component Commander, was, he says, helpful preparation.
The ACDEV role gave him an in-depth understanding of the issues facing all three Services, the Ministry of Defence, and other key government departments.
“That was a complex, diverse role, and you are forever in the headlights of high-governance groups, but it was enjoyable in that the people I worked with were determined to try to make improvements in the way defence did things. Working in development is a job that challenges you, makes you think hard, and makes you determined to be sure and honest about how you approach issues. It all revolves around negotiation, patience and inter-personal skills.”
While his training roles in both Australia and New Zealand stood him in good stead for a joint environment, his tenure as Land Component Commander was his first at HQ, Joint Forces.
“Before the establishment of HQ Joint Forces the three Services seldom rubbed shoulders. Now, we realise that the advantages of working together like this are huge. This headquarters pieces the diverse bits of the NZDF together to make a truly joint force when on operations. It is similar to building a house in that tradesmen of all types contribute to the process but the end result is one integrated building.”
He recognises managing the defence force’s operational tempo to the satisfaction of both the government and the NZDF will be one of his first challenges.
“We will have to start looking at options of how we transition out of some of our mission areas. We have put a lot of effort into places like Afghanistan, Timor Leste, Solomon Islands and we are likely to remain in those areas for some time into the future. However, as a defence force we eventually want to see a good transition from a military focused organisation to civil control, so that those countries or areas are comfortable with the change and things run smoothly after we go. That takes time to plan and prepare for, as rushed departures rarely occur without there being some problems left behind. We need to give the Government options that they can consider and enact in a measured and timely manner.”
Risk is always going to be part of military life, and service personnel realise this, he says.
“With our military’s training, skills and inherent nature we are seen by our allies as a very worthwhile and effective partner. As commanders we are always aware of risk when we plan operations, and mitigating risk is factored in.
“There is a big difference between leadership in defence and leadership in the corporate world. For the CEO of a commercial corporation the bottom line is usually ‘how much money can I make for the shareholders?’ If everything goes wrong you lose money and that’s about it – you can often recoup your losses in following years.
“If we make a mistake in the military people can die, and no matter how successful we are in the following year, people remain dead. It’s a sobering thought, and hangs over everything we do here. We are always trying to make our planning robust, mitigate risk and get things right.”
Brigadier Jones is married to Debbie, and they have three teenage children.
In his spare time he reads extensively – books on military tactics remain a favourite.
"Tactics throughout the ages have always interested me - battlefield tactics, strategies and the psychology of war. Warfare, be it in ancient Roman time or now is often a battle of minds among commanders. It’s all about how you convince your opponent they are defeated or convince them to think in a certain way so as to give you the advantage or even avoid fighting in the first place.”
Along with a group of like-minded friends, he is a war-gamer.
War-gaming is a like a complex version of chess, and can be played electronically. MAJGEN Jones however prefers the aesthetics of real models, and enjoys painting the often elaborate but tiny military figures and land features. He is fastidious about the minutest detail.
“Focusing on a tiny detail is very relaxing, and very different from what my military role entails. It’s a great pastime.”
Ends
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