A warning the Government's $12 billion defence plan won't work without an overhaul of the defence service. 

New research by the New Zealand Initiative business think tank has found equipment purchases currently still move through a long approval processes. 

It's found digital systems, intelligence tools, and skilled workforce are being treated as secondary. 

Massey University Centre for Defence and Security Studies’ John Battersby told Ryan Bridge the world is changing, so we need to question whether were set up to make the best of limited funding. 

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