FPV Drones, Targeting Authority, and the Doctrinal Gap

Posted on 8 June 2026 by SJPONeill

The Cove is one of the best things that the Australian Army ever did – following in the footsteps of the Marines to provide a platform for anyone to state their case or offer a view contrary to official positons and doctrine. The New Zealand Army, about the time that Chris Parsons was DCA, tried to follow suite but it seemed into the too-hard bin after he moved on.

Even though that was a while back, I still subscribed to The Cove and occassionally an item of interest pops up in the email sumamry of new material. That was the story today when I stumbled across Michael York’s Doctrine VS Reality – FPV Drones, Targeting Authority, and the Doctrinal Gap.

Not only is it a good read in its own right – well-structured, logical and well-presented – it is a very good analysis of some of the broader implications of Ukraine-style drone wars once they start to spread. Which they inevitabley will – we have already seen the US and its Middle East get a caning from Houthi and Iranian drones in the last two years – and that, team is probably only the beginning…

It’s pretty clear that some of the posters criticing this piece aren’t really that up to speed on the reality of drone warfare, not just FPV, in Ukraine. It’s a natural response to want to and try to squeeze something new and radical and threatening into a nice conventional box: kind of like weeing in an ambush: feels good for little while…

These conflicts and threats are coming to us even if we opt out of going to them. And they aren’t just the domain of conventional military forces of structures: drones empower irregular agencies orders of magnitude more than the IEDs of the 2000s. As much as we continue to prepare for the war we want – something like the Fulda Gap or what grandad did in the desert – we actually need to be actually adapting to what is far more likely to be coming.
Russia could probably offer some good insights into “war we wanted” versus “war we got“

And (yes, I know, dear edjos – don’t start a sentence with ‘and’) these conflicts are engage the full span of national power, those boring acronyms like DIME and JIMP (no references to Pulp Fiction, please) and we cannot count on all operators being fine upstanding members of the conventional traditional (possibly a little boring) military. If the skill is to be able to pilot (sorry RAAFies) a drone remotely, an operator might not even need to be IN the military let alone do 2.4km in <10 minutes or even know what a BMI is. Your best drone operators may be from the gaming community, they may have long hair and sleep in until 1000. They may not have the same ethical foundation as the Defence force or even being employed in an organisation with enforced ethical structures – but they may be the very best at this newest form of war…

When we consider Manned Unmanned Teaming (MUMT), this is what we’re talking about: not just CCA flying along side F35 or launching Air-Launched Effects (ALE) – an euphemism for air-launched drones – from attack helicopters. Teaming can also involve teams created across the spectrum of society – not just from the military – to design, build, prepare and operate what are essentially mass-market military drones. This further expans the concerns raised in the Cove article: how do we embed targeting and ethical cultures into the irregular parts of out teams…?

IMHO, the OP has written a timely and relevant warning to the ADF – and those nearby who might follow it – that emerging technologies may be the least part of the new/latest contemporary operating environment…

Those who do learn remains as true as it ever did…

On truthiness

Posted on 28 March 2026 by SJPONeill

Paula Penfold pens a great take on Truthiness in her Not the News Substack, essentially on how people opt to believe things that just feel right…

“…when information is fast, contradictory, or emotionally loaded…“…yeah, perhaps but I think if we drill a bit deeper, that’s a bit of an easy out for people who are too vain to admit they might have it wrong. It’s more important for them to be right and be seen/perceived (yes, not quite the same things) as being right.

Many people work in environments where information is fast, contradictory and/or emotionally loaded but don’t have the luxury of just acceptiong it coz in feels right…doctors, pilots, military commanders (Trump regime and Putinista excepted), firefighters etc etc etc people whose lives or who have the lives of others in their hands, can’t do this.

I think it’s just personal, in the case of our cooked communities, and institutional, the case of those agencies that stray from the path of truth and light in favour of clicks and likes, laziness that enables this…too lazy to do the little bit of legwork that enables a change of mind…

I was thinking on this just yesterday in response to Shona Tinkler’s LinkedIn post that touches upon this. I think that the underlying point of her post is that time spent in developing critical thinking skills is never wasted; and when those skills are properly developed, even in the most chaotic circumstances, truthiness has less opportunity to take root…

Shona’s post touched a real chord as so many of us have to, every day, rapidly sift complex and often contradictory information in often chaotic envrionments to develop and implement a course of action, to coordinate a scene, to get the job done…

A long time ago, probably not long after we moved on from horses, I had a CO – not sure which as we had so many good ones – who was in the CP one day when something or another went down.

Everyone was running around, talking over each other on the radio, emotions were high as they say…he was sitting in his chair with a cuppa and I said to him “Sir, shouldn’t we be doing something?” with a strong unspoken implication of “NOW!!!”. The response was that this thing would still be going on when he finished his coffee and by then, everyone should have settled down and be able to give him the info he needed…

I always remembered that and put it into effect when I was posted to an operational headquarters; that five or so minutes it takes to brew a cup of tea – coffee is too instant and defeats the purpose – was enough to get over the initial surge of adrenaline and give everyone a chance to settle down and get their heads in the game.

As Shona says, it’s not about having the training – we had that and much as we may not have appreciated our time at Army Schools, it was pretty good training…although this is someone we might not have really appreciated until out in a world where perhaps training was not quite what we were used – it’s about being about to manage (using this much-maligned word in its most positive sense) any given environment and situation and get on with doing what we’re there to do…

And even now, where there’s not really the time or means to do it for real, I still pause for a metaphorical cuppa, size up what’s happening around us, who’s who in the zoo, suppress any internal wibbling (coz that’s a real thing) and THEN get on with what we’re there to do…

Stop, think, act…

Truthiness is the conceptual equivalnet of just leaping straight to ‘act’…and contrary to popular truisms, firefighters DO NOT just run into burning houses…

Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce

Posted on 21 September 2025 by SJPONeill

It’s been around a year since we started with Wonky Box for our main fruit and vege supplies. It’s been around SIX years since I wrote anything even remotely foodie – just with stuff going on…so…onwards and upwards…

We started with the small weekly Wonky Box but were paying proportionately more in postage so switched to a medium mixed box every fortnight. Wonky Box doesn’t deliver rurally – not to us anyways – so we get it delivered to a local office in town where we (usually) remember to pick it up.

Wonky Box distributes fruit and vegetables that for some reason don’t make the grade for commerical use, e.g. too small, too big, funny shape, etc. It might be, might be, cheaper to buy the same items from the supermarket but, to be honest, half of it is stuff that I would never think of buying even if if it was on rural Aotearoa supermarket shelves.

So anyway, the arrival of each box every two weeks is like the start of a two week kitchen challenge where everything from the previous box has to be consumed – or turned into something edible in the freezer – before the next box arrives.

I’m kinda lagging a bit this period as I have been working out of town and gotten a bit lazy and tempted by the big city (well, Rotorua, anyway) lights and fast food attractions. There was still two cauliflowers and a broccoli in the fridge on Friday along with half a bag of brussel sprouts.

A quick google got me here, to a fast and simple recipe cauliflower and cheese recipe from food.com….

The Makings:

One head of cauliflower (toss in some broccoli or sprouts as well if you want)
Two tablespoons of butter or oil
Two tablespoons of flour
a cup of milk
salt and black pepper to season
A pinch of nutmeg

The Making

Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, rinse it well and then cut out the core. Cut the rest into bite-size chunks and steam on the range or in the microwave. Drain the cauliflower and place into a deepish baking dish.

Meanwhile, melt the butter or oil in a saucepan, over low heat; and add the flour a bit at a time to prevent lumps and stir with a wooden spoon (note to self: get a wooden spoon) to make a smooth paste.

Cook the mixture gently for a minute, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the milk, a little at a time.

Return the pan to the heat and stir most of the grated cheese into the saucepan to melt. Season it with pinches of the salt, pepper and nutmeg and let it cook on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the sauce has melted, pour over the cauliflower and sprinkle the reserved cheese on top. Place under the grill for a few minutes and until the top starts to bubble and brown.

It’s zero waste as Mr V and Star get the cauli core and leaves. I dice the cauli into smaller chunks than the recipe says and steam it while I am preparing the sauce. Prep and cooking time is around 20 minutes so long as the element is hot enough to faciltiate the cheese combining into the sauce. I found a can of plant sausages in a cupboard and that formed the accompaniment to sauce and cauli.

Lessons:

Hotter element combines the cheese better.
Deeper dish mean better sauce coverage.
A pinch of nutmeg is all you need.
Plant sausages are bland but nice and filling.

People keep asking “Is Wonky Box worth it?” We think so, it certainly works for us…that might be different for other households…if in doubt, maybe just give it a try…? And use this code 6YCXST for 25% off your first order…

Dinner @ The Station

Posted on 12 September 2025 by SJPONeill

I’ve been there for lunch and it’s my go-to for coffee when I’m heading south or east but last night was my first dinner at The Station in Waimarino (formerly National Park) Village…

The Station has been an icon in the village longer than I’ve lived here. It wobbled then closed during Covid but it is great to see it up and running again under its two lovely new owners, Lily and Sam.

At the end of this local government triennium* (the three year period between local government elections), we members of the Owhango National Park Community Board decided to meet for dinner to talk about how we thought we’d done as a board. We were lucky enough to have the Clive, the council CE, attend as well for high-level council perspectivies.

If you are Ruapehu local and have not yet dined at The Station – why not?? The food is beautiful with a selection that should have something for everyone, filling serving sizes, fast and friendly service and a table right by the fire…cold and wet outside, crispy and warm on the inside.

I can vouch for the crispy chicken starter, susages and mash main and bread and butter pudding…I wish I could have just ordered ‘one of everything’…

The Station is closed Monday/Tuesday, open for breakfast and lunch Wednesday-Sunday and dinner Thursday-Friday. For years, the village has been missing a location where residents and visitors can conspire with a coffee and a snack before midday. We have that back now…

Something I learned from last night is that there are free EV chargers in the council park and ride by The Station. They are not the fastest but you can plug in before you dine and squeeze in a few more ergs for your journey…

Don’t be strangers, drop in and say hi….

#RuapehuNZ #WaimarinoVillage #TheStationWaimarino #CruisingSH4

Triennium is a funny word that no doubt dates back to the early days of British style governance. I always wish we had someone in council who drives a Falcon so Ruapehu could have its own Triennium Falcon….

Running for Office 2025

Posted on 11 September 2025 by SJPONeill

I wasn’t even intending to run for the community board again. Nine years of dealing with Ruapehu District Council is like running an ultra-marathon through treacle.

A couple of days before registrations closed, there were only two candidates in our ward so I decided to run and reduce the risk that the council might have to appoint whoever raised their hand to fill the gaps after the election. There were actually three but one had been temporarily removed because one of his nominators had mysteriously fallen off the electoral roll.

I’ve lived in Ruapehu since 2004 and worked here since 2014. Prior to 2014 I was in the Army and then the RNZAF and spent most of my time working out of the district, often out of the country. Most of you will probably know me from my time in the Visitor Centre in Whakapapa Village and working at Schnapps.

Whakapapa Village was my introduction to the wonderful eclectic colourful communities we have throughout the district. Every day, we were working with visitors, tourism operators and supporting businesses. The more I engaged, the more I wanted to do more and Mayor Don Cameron sugegsted I run for the Community Board in 2016.

Ruapehu offers so much regardless of which aspect e.g. tourism, farming, traditional business, conservation, etc you look at and has massive potential for growth. Growth, NOT exploitation.

The more I became engaged with Ruapehu District Council specifically the senior management, the more I felt that the council is actually one of our biggest obstacles to growth. Pretty much every request feels difficult, and too-hard like some of the bigegst earners in our district don’t feel they have to do the mahi for our communities.

Just to be 100% clear, I have always found the actual staff within council to be super friendly, helpful and prepared to go the extra mile (or two).

My number one priority for the next three years is to work with other elected members in our community boards, within the Council and our new Mayor, to introduce what I think is long-overdue and much-needed transparency and accountability into the senior echelons of council management.

Solar hiccups

Posted on 16 August 2025 by SJPONeill

So our solar is running…kind of…

I noticed the other day that – despite the brilliant late morning winter sun – it was barely producing a kwh…

Endless Energy responded quickly: apparently there is ‘something’ that needs to be done to the meter “…It may just be a setting as the meter change has not been done yet….” I’m not sure what changes need to be made to the meter as this is news to me but it is totally frustrating to have sun and know that it is not either feeding the house or going back into the grid…

The hot water diverter is a great idea – especially if you don’t have a wetback – as ALL my showers since the inspector flicked the switch to ‘ON” have been free courtesy of the big fusion reactor in the sky…

Hoping for an update early in the new week and full production soon after…

Solar running

Posted on 8 August 2025 by SJPONeill

In our last episode, the panels and all the supporting electrical bits had been fitted but couldn’t be switched on til it was inspected. That didn’t happen for ten days. The hot water had already been connected to the solar diverter but the only way it would work was to push the “Boost” which manually engages the heater for an hour – then switches off. So if you get home late and need hot water for an early start shower, it’s going to be warm at best unless you have someone to keep pushing the button every hour.

Sub-optimal.

Fortunately I had the opportunity to shower at work and part of the delay was that I’m not around during my four day working week but I think the inspection needs to be booked in for the day installation is completed. Something to be aware of.

But…

Wow…!!!

When the system was first switched on, around 11AM on a brutally cold but crystal-clear alpine day, even heating the hot water cylinder from cold, and with the TV and PC on, it was still feeding over 1Kwh back into the grid…For full disclosure, I had been running the heat pump for a couple of hours before the inspector arrived – everybody seems to have to come from afar: we need more local installers and inspectors – so the rooms were already warmed enough for the sun to maintain a comfortable working temperature.

I’m still waiting for Endless Energy to send me the information on how to connect my phone to the solar set-up so I can monitor and manage it when not at home – there seems to be a little confusion over whether they do this or the installers should have. Once that final stage is complete, I’ll be one of those nerds who checks the solar set-up every thre eor four seconds whether it needs it or not…

Overall, the process has been pretty painless – some minor inconveniences but nothing tragic. The bank was awesome in processing the loan really quickly and I’m more than happy to endorse Endless Energy as a supplier…I’m pleased I took the recommendation to install as many panel as the inverter could handle and the next stage bof this project will be either upgrading the inverter and adding more panels; or buying a long-range (I have a loooong daily commute) EV to double as a house battery; or both…

Our installation is very visible from the main road and we have had lots of inquiries. I’m really hoping this will lead to a big leap in the number of solar installations in the village and broader area. Not only is that good from a green POV, it also adds to our resilience should we lose our grid power…

Solar Part 4

Posted on 26 July 2025 by SJPONeill

Our solar installation was completed yesterday.

Can’t offer any initial insights on performance as the installers departed without leaving any access/login info…

I was (very) late home last night so didn’t see them before they left. The big lesson from yesterday was that administrative moves don’t always stay that way and pressure bandages work…!

Is the day for solar though…

Crazy not to do this – and vote for solar-supporting govt – while product and finance are so cheap…

Solar day tomorrow

Posted on 23 July 2025 by SJPONeill

As you might deduce from the pic, it was sunny today but very cold…this pic was taken about 4pm so you get an idea how much ambient heat is floating around in the shade.

I did some study this morning and once i gauged it to be the warmest part of the day, hopped up on the roof for a couple of hours to dab this on the nails and minor rusty bits (fortunately did not seem to be any major rusty bits) to add some extra protection once the panels are laid over the top and access for maintenance is a little more difficult.

The installation crew is coming down from Hamilton – about two and bit hours away – so should arrive once the day starts to warm up.

So excited that by tomorrow afternoon we will be running on fusion power (during the day) and this surface will be a mass of shiny new solar panels…

My Solar Journey mini-update

Posted on 15 July 2025 by SJPONeill

Was chatting online to someone who is already well down the solar/EV pathway; suggested I ensure the inverter I am getting installed will allow me to add extra capacity later if I need it…

Had a quick chat to Endless Energy. It would, as you might expect, be cheaper and easier to add extra panels during the initial install, than add them later. As a result I have added another four more panels to our install, an increase of 33%. Yes, perhaps things I should have asked about earlier but it’s a learning journey.

As a part of trying to make an informed decision as possible, I found this really good article – from a Kiwi POV – that explains why having a generating capacity larger than your inverter rating is not a bad idea…

Weather permitting, we might get our install next week. Still waiting on the rain to stop so I can clean the roof. Even though it’s only a low pitch, I don’t want to be up there in the rain coz it’ll be cold and the ‘kids’ can’t do CPR…