SA's military expected to do more than ever on tighter budget

The South African National Defense Force was established on 27 April 1994 and this year marks its 30th anniversary. It is as old as this country's constitutional democracy and is the result of the negotiated political settlement that ended apartheid. The Armed Forces consist of the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Military Health Service.

It combines the former apartheid-era South African Defense Force, the formerly nominally independent armies of Bophuthatswana, Transkei, Ciskei and Venda, and the former Liberation Armies of the African National Congress and the Pan-Africanist Congress of Azania. It currently ranks third in Africa after Egypt and Algeria.

What is the state of the National Defense Force 30 years later? How do we fulfill our mission to protect our nation from foreign aggression, promote internal and external security, and assist our people and government in times of need?

The Armed Forces are expected to respond to political imperatives to protect the country from external threats, while at the same time supporting peace and security operations in other African countries. It is also called upon to assist the South African Police Force in cracking down on crime-ridden societies.

There is a mismatch between what is expected of the military and its budget and capabilities. Over the past decade, its budget has declined to about 1% of gross domestic product (GDP). This is far too low compared to the world average military expenditure of 2.2% of GDP.

As a researcher who has studied the National Defense Force as a foreign policy instrument for nearly 30 years, I am not surprised that it is often described as “systemically overreaching.'' For some time, especially since his year 2000, the trend has been sluggish as budget allocations from the national treasury have shrunk.

Understand its main role

Government policy after 1994 focused the defense forces primarily on protecting the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The purchase of new military equipment was based on the 1998 South African Defense Review. This review detailed the 1996 Defense White Paper on such issues as posture, doctrine, force design, force levels, logistics, military armaments, equipment, and human resources. And funding.

The white paper stipulates that the force design should be a high-tech core force, peacetime-sized but scalable to deal with new threats. To this end, a cabinet decision was made in November 1998 to purchase new military equipment. This was a notorious arms deal rife with corruption. This equipment included nine Gripen fighter jets, 12 Hawks, 30 light utility helicopters, four patrol corvettes, and three submarines.

Critics felt that corvettes, submarines, and Gripen fighters could be considered attack weapons. It will not concern South Africa's foreign policy, particularly its participation in international peace missions with a focus on cooperative defense and regional peacekeeping.

Ultimately, it was decided that the defense force should be designed primarily to protect the country from external enemies. As a secondary function, it will promote peace and security in Africa.

Things don't work that way. Since 1998, the Defense Force has featured prominently as an instrument of South Africa's foreign policy. That so-called secondary function has become a primary function. However, no additional armor or personnel were provided for this additional role.

The post-1994 government sought to rid the country of its apartheid-era image of being an outcast and a source of instability in neighboring countries. Instead, it was to be equated with the promotion of human rights, peace and development in Africa.

The force became the fifth-largest troop contributor to the United Nations peacekeeping operation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It also plays a vital role in the Southern African Development Community mission in northern Mozambique, where conflict continues.

It has been present in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1999.
The UN mission will end after more than 24 years and will be replaced by troops from the Southern African Development Community, led by the South African Defense Force.

However, soldiers in the field do not always have sufficient logistical support, especially in Mozambique. In addition, insufficient coordination with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation sometimes caused the country to be in trouble.

Among other peacekeeping missions, since 1994 Defense Forces have also been deployed to:

• Lesotho, 1998: restores democracy and political stability with support from Botswana military
• Burundi, 2003: Peacekeeping mission with Mozambique and Ethiopia as part of the African Union Mission in Burundi.
• Sudan, 2005: As part of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur.

constraints

Budget constraints pose increasing challenges. From 1995 to 1998, the defense budget was cut by 11.1%.

In 2015, the Defense Force was 24% underfunded in terms of size and form. Defense spending for fiscal year 2022/23 was down 8.4% compared to 2021 and 21% compared to 2013.

The country's economic stagnation and low growth are putting serious pressure on government finances.

Budget constraints made it impossible to maintain the maintainability and functionality of high-tech equipment, especially Gripens, frigates, and submarines.

The hollowing out of the national military was exposed in 2023. Defense Minister Thandi Modise has revealed that an astonishing 85% of the Air Force's aircraft are out of action, leaving the country vulnerable to external security threats.

By 2013, only 2 of 26 Gripen fighters and 3 of 24 Hawk fighters were operational.

The funding crisis is so severe that some defense analysts are now proposing reducing the Air Force to a mere Wehrmacht Air Wing with fewer than 75 aircraft.

The Navy is in no better position. All frigates, the Navy's capital battleships and patrol vessels, are in urgent need of repair. The three submarines that were part of the 1999 arms deal also came with a limited number of spare parts, as did the frigates. In some cases, any submarine may be rendered unusable.

domestic problems

Border security and support for police operations are now part of the force's main activities. These include internal or domestic operations such as combating gang warfare, combating illegal mining syndicates, preventing commercial truck arson, securing power plants, and assisting police in combating cash-in-transit heists. Masu. These responsibilities are now even considered one of the military's primary functions.

Two issues increase its role in internal security. One is the decline in police capacity. Second, politicians see the military as an instrument for police roles and other functions, all of which contribute to the decline in South Africa's national defense capabilities.

Theo Neethling is Professor of Political Science in the School of Political Studies and Governance at the University of the Free State.

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