Rising to the Challenge

22 May 2007

Phil Gibbons once pondered a career as a valuer.

It would, he reasoned, combine a good mix of indoor and outdoor work, the latter being particularly important to the sports-mad Blenheim teenager.

But things, as they do, turned out differently. The rangy, no-nonsense brigadier with the distinctive moustache and penchant for a challenge chose the Army instead.

“I have never regretted it. My father was a valuer, a profession he transitioned to from his trade as a qualified carpenter. It (being a valuer) always appealed to me, but then I spoke with a friend of my brother who had just graduated as an Army officer. I decided to try that out instead.”

Brigadier Gibbons, recently appointed Deputy Chief of Army, began his Army career as a private soldier. He did apply for officer training but was deemed too young, so embarked on his basic course instead. Eighteen months later he attended what was then known as a Regular Officer Selection Board.

On graduation from Portsea the immediate corps choice for Second Lieutenant Gibbons was infantry. He has always been a keen sportsman with a love of the outdoors and a challenge, something which, he says, is probably due to the influence of his mother, Mary, who represented her province in five different codes as a young woman.

“The infantry combined everything I wanted, especially the opportunity to lead in a demanding environment. I decided there was no other viable option to meet my career needs.”

Some time after Portsea came a deployment to Singapore, and his years as an officer were punctuated by stints at Staff College in Malaysia, Joint Services Staff College in Australia and at the Royal Defence College in London. He commanded a New Zealand Army contingent to Bosnia in 1995, and went on to later become New Zealand’s Senior National Officer, and the United Nation’s Chief of Operations, in East Timor in 2000.

His leadership experience in New Zealand was based on his experience as a company commander in 2/1 Battalion, Chief Instructor at the School of Infantry, Commanding Officer 1 RNZIR and Commander 2nd Land Force Group. With that sort of experience he embraced his next role – Land Component Commander – with relish.

“With the support of formation commanders and the staff at HQ Joint Force New Zealand (HQJFNZ) I was able to work on improving the Army’s preparedness and attempt to control our operational tempo. At HQJFNZ you gain the opportunity to enhance training synchronisation and constantly look for ways to improve how we do what we do.”

He is known for not standing back, and likes to be involved in decision making.

Army training, he says, must constantly relate to contemporary war fighting, and training scenarios must reflect this and be relevant to the objectives set.

“I believe the biggest shift in mindset we need in training in the New Zealand Army today is for everyone to understand and adapt to the contemporary war fighting environment. I did my initial training in the Cold War era. That era has changed significantly and has evolved into what is best described by what’s happening today in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today the warfighting environment is characterised by a complex environment where the three-block war concept is extremely relevant. While I am DCA I want to ensure our individuals continue to be as well prepared as they can be, be it through how we select our people, how we train and educate them, how we equip them, and how we lead them to win in the contemporary environment.”

“The quality of leadership inside our units at the small team level is superb. I am very confident our people currently serve us, and New Zealand, well. No matter where I go, here or overseas, I hear people talk about the quality of our people. Our people are world class. And that is because we are New Zealanders who are part of a world class Army.

“One of the main strengths that contribute to this is how we train our people and provide them with professional development – it’s second to none. People bring their own natural attributes to the table; we give them some of the best training and education in the world, and then we provide them with sound leadership.”

The Army as an organisation has changed considerably over the years, but for the better, he says.

“While we retain our traditions and they are important as we are but the current custodians, we also embrace the opportunities and need for change. This is a shift away from how things were when I was first commissioned where the need for change was less evident. We must continue to create an environment where we challenge and grow our young people. Those of us in the senior leadership positions need to be able to engage with and grow the young soldiers and officers who will eventually lead this organisation. Above all else I believe in the vision for the NZ Army and I will do everything possible to guide us along the path to realise it.”

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