DAVID DICKENS - THE NEW COUNCIL REPORTER

Photograph by

Pepptalk.net

David Dickens

1 May

2007

The new Dominion Post council reporter David Dickens is the former head of New Zealand's only defence think tank - the Centre for Strategic Studies. Dickens spent six years at the centre specialising in defence equipment issues like the future of air force fighters and strategic issues like nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan. His work was published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University as well as by think tanks in Japan, India, China, Singapore and Malaysia. While part of his job was to give ''independent'' comment on defence and strategic issues he ran afoul of the Prime Minister over the air force's Skyhawks and was shot down - even though his post was supposed to be free from political interference -- along with the air force.

Cheers

Pepp
David.Dickens@dompost.co.nz