Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Ropitini, DSD, for services to the New Zealand Defence Force
Lieutenant Colonel Vanessa Ropitini joined the New Zealand Army in 1991 and became Lieutenant with the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment in 2005, where she has served in command roles and on operations. Lieutenant Colonel Ropitini was appointed as the Staff Officer Logistic Plans with Headquarters Joint Forces New Zealand, supporting the New Zealand Government’s contribution to the international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She deployed to Germany as the Logistic Task Group Commander with the International Donor Coordination Centre (IDCC) to support the Ukraine capability development and integration programme. During the early stages of the IDCC, she assisted in assessing and prioritising the Government of Ukraine’s equipment and capability demand against the offers of donated capability and support by many nations. She addressed shortcomings within the Defence Lines of Development, ensuring donations could be transferred to the Ukraine Armed Forces as a complete capability, such as matching donations of equipment with training expertise in that equipment offered by different countries. Her diplomatic skills in capturing and channelling the international response was key in advancing the IDCC from a bilateral organisation to a cohesive international team from 26 nations. Lieutenant Colonel Ropitini was a key member of the small command team who designed the future structures of the Headquarters.