New Zealand Defence Force Contributes to International Efforts Against North Korean Sanctions Violations
Above the waters of Northeast Asia, a small team in a P-8A Poseidon conducts surveillance, capturing evidence of potential violations of United Nations sanctions against North Korea. The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) crew watches for signs of illegal ship-to-ship resource transfers that violate U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The operation also is beset with risks from vessels below, with the constant threat of lasers being pointed at the Poseidon, endangering the No. 5 Squadron crew. “There is a really robust risk management plan that goes into this activity,” said RNZAF Flight Lt. Hemi Frires, an air warfare officer. “Fishing boats with visible lasers are mostly a threat at night because they can dazzle pilots better than during the day.”
The crew’s monthlong deployment in mid-2025, conducted as part of the multinational Enforcement Coordination Cell (ECC), sought evidence of illicit shipments of coal, oil and other resources used to fuel or fund Pyongyang’s banned nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
History of Sanctions Against North Korea
In 2006, soon after North Korea conducted its first nuclear weapon test, the U.N. Security Council adopted the first of its major resolutions sanctioning the authoritarian regime over its nuclear and missile activities. Among other measures, the resolutions ban weapons and military equipment trade, limit oil imports, restrict scientific cooperation, and freeze the assets of people involved in the North Korean nuclear program.
Concerns over sanctions violations have heightened since 2023, when North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un began sending weapons and thousands of troops to aid Russia’s war against Ukraine. In return, Moscow is believed to have provided Pyongyang with money, oil and technological assistance for its weapons of mass destruction program.
Indo-Pacific Command’s Enforcement Coordination Cell
The ECC, which is based at Yokosuka, Japan, under the command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, is a component of the Pacific Security Maritime Exchange. The U.S.-led coalition formed in 2018 to monitor compliance with U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea.
About a dozen nations from Europe and the Indo-Pacific, including Australia, France, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom, deploy aircraft, ships and personnel to identify smuggling and disrupt black market networks in the East China Sea, Sea of Japan and Yellow Sea.
New Zealand’s Commitment to Regional Peace and Security
“New Zealand is committed to maintaining regional peace and security by upholding the rules-based international system, and the … sanctions are the international community’s best way of encouraging North Korea to denuclearize and return to diplomacy,” said New Zealand Defence Force Maj. Gen. Rob Krushka, joint forces commander.
Eye in the Sky
Over international waters, the crew of the RNZAF Poseidon monitored the location and activity of vessels of interest, with the information contributing to the broader intelligence picture, Frires said. “That can be seeing a laden oil tanker full of oil and sitting low in the water and then seeing it again a week later and finding out that it is no longer laden,” he said.
“If it hasn’t conducted a port visit, the implication is maybe it has done a ship-to-ship transfer and offloaded oil to other vessels while at sea.” The aircraft’s powerful camera captures vessel details and the Poseidon flies low enough for crew members to spot illicit activity aboard the boats. “If we see a ship-to-ship transfer, we take a photo of it and send it off … to be reported,” Frires said.
“In a couple of hours, it has allowed the ECC to turn that around and drive the next day’s tasking and flying in a meaningful way.” It’s a testing but rewarding mission, he added.
Original Article: Dynamic Mission – Indo-Pacific Defense FORUM — Ipdefenseforum