David Dickens

David Dickens is a former New Zealand defence strategist. He was deputy director (1996-1999) and then director (1999-2002) of the Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand.

Background

Dickens is a former soldier with the 7th Wellington and Hawkes Bay Regiment, and 2nd/1st Battalion of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and Ministry of Defence official (1990-1996). He is a graduate of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Senior Command and Staff College Course (1993), and has BA with First Class Honours (1989) and PhD (1996) degrees from the Victoria University of Wellington. His thesis was New Zealand and the Vietnam War: Official Policy Advice to the Government 1960-1972.^[1] He visited the United States under the auspices of the United States State Department Visitor Programme in 1997 and India as a guest of the Indian Foreign Ministry in 2001.

CSCAP and Track Two Diplomacy

Dickens was deputy head and then head of New Zealand’s Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP). He represented New Zealand at CSCAP meetings and Co-Chaired the CSCAP Comprehensive Security and Cooperation Working Group with Malaysia’s Jawhar Hussein and China’s Ambassador Chi Chun Li. Dickens co-edited and edited many of the Working Group papers and conference proceedings.

Views

Dickens argued that New Zealand, with an economy 50 per cent dependent on external trade, has a permanent and serious interest in maintaining the security of markets and trade routes in concert with friends and allies. He said New Zealand should uphold global responsibilities including the promotion of human rights and peace keeping and needed to be able to protect its borders from low-level threats. Dickens argued that New Zealand should respond to the post-9/11 world in concert with friends and allies and that New Zealand needed to rethink its defence against possible terrorist threats within its borders.

Promotes alliances

As Director of the CSS, Dickens argued that after 9/11 New Zealand should invest increase its defence capabilities to usefully complement the capabilities of friends and allies. He argued Wellington should make a greater contribution to regional security. Dickens also argued that New Zealand’s security relationship with the United States could be deepened and strengthened in ways that would promote both nations interests. He also claimed that New Zealand’s failure to negotiate a free trade agreement with the United States was a direct consequence of Wellington’s inability to negotiate a new security relationship with Washington.

Research

Dickens' research was published by thinks tanks including the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre of the Australian National University, the Washington based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, New Delhi. Dickens researched a range of Asia-Pacific security issues including the implications of defence technology and the revolution in military affairs, India and Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programmes, the influence of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Five Power Defence Arrangements, the impact of the United States military presence in the Asia-Pacific, as well as the implications of global terrorism for New Zealand’s security and interests and detailed work on capability and force structure options for New Zealand.

Promoted home grown debate

As Director of CSS, Dickens hosted regular seminars and conferences attended by experts, officials, government ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs) from across the political spectrum, journalists, NGOs, and political advocates including left wing critics including Chris Trotter, and peace advocates including Kevin Hackwell and Green Party MPs. He offered advice to politicians from across the politician spectrum as well as to government officials, diplomats, and the media. Dickens maintained close relations with a wide range of politicians, officials, serving military, analysts and commentators across the Asia-Pacific, South Asia, the United States and Europe.

Controversy and departure

In 1999, Dickens replaced former diplomat Terence O'Brien as Director of CSS in controversial circumstances. O'Brien had been very critical of the National Government's decision to lease and potentially purchase 28 United States F16 fighter planes for a cost of up to NZ$640 million dollars. Dickens, O'Brien's Deputy, publicly supported the move. The circumstances in which Dickens replaced O'Brien were the subject of a formal Parliamentary enquiry.

Dickens was accused in parliament of leaking a letter by an Army officer in 2001, the letter advocating lobbying for greater Army funding at the expense of other services.^[2] Dickens denied leaking the letter, and the accusation was later proven false by a Defence Force investigation.^[3] At the same time, funding for the CSS was cut by three government departments, leading to Dickens' departure from the centre in May 2002. He worked for two weeks as an advisor to the opposition National Party, and Peter Cozens became the next director.

Since then, Dickens has been an urban issues reporter for the Dominion Post.

References

1. ^ "Student Publications - PhD Thesis (by Author)". Victoria University of Wellington. http://www.victoria.ac.nz/pols/research/student-research/student-publications-phd-theses.aspx. Retrieved 23 February 2010. 
2. ^ "Irate MPs finger think-tank chief as defence letter leak". The New Zealand Herald. 30 August 2001. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=212736. Retrieved 23 February 2010. 
3. ^ Mold, Francesca (21 May 2002). "Defence strategist joins National staff". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1993085&pnum=0. Retrieved 23 February 2010. 

External links

• Centre for Strategic Studies: New Zealand
• ABC - Dickens on the F-16 purchase decision

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Name	Dickens, David
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