INTRODUCTION

The period in which we as South Africans find ourselves can best be described as revolutionary and, as such, thoughts and strategies must be adapted to the challenges posed by this period. The future of the SA Army is integrally related to the future of both the transition process in general and the defence establishments in particular. It is therefore important to stimulate thought and debate to ensure that the military is positioned correctly to deal with all the challenges by which it can be confronted.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES

Development within the defence community is inseparably related to development in the international arena. The end of the Cold War is an obvious example of the extent to which a realignment of military thinking has taken place in international quarters. More recently three international developments have implications for the redefinition of the roles and mission of the armed forces and their restructuring in general:

Firstly, it is imperative to recognise that the root causes of insecurity encompass a range of non-military factors. Poverty, lack of develop-ment and facilities provide the environment within which conflict can thrive. The successful resolution of insecurity, therefore, involves a range of measures, amongst them those of a political, economic, diplomatic and military nature. Although the military component is important in this equation, it cannot, in itself, resolve insecurity. The successful resolution of insecurity in our country, therefore, is interwoven with the success of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP).

Secondly, the importance of regional security measures in resolving regional security questions needs to be recognised. The spectre of the arms race and military build-up can, and has, caused considerable insecurity and conflict in regions throughout the world. Avoiding this type of conflict involves a commitment to regional development priorities, the creation of regional security alliances, joint commitment to disarmament and the initiation of measures to build confidence and security.

The last development is the pivotal role of peace operations in the new world order. Collective responsibility for the maintenance of peace has emerged as a key activity in international co-operation. As a leader in both the region and on the continent, South Africa can be expected to become involved in supporting peace operations. Such participation, however, should always be on a multilateral basis and should take cognisance of the costs and consequences of such operations.

The South African defence community and the SA Army should also take advantage of the wide range of international contacts that are being established and re-established at present. Joint manoeuvres and training, training exchanges and international visits are obviously positive opportunities. South Africa can learn much from the international community, particularly in such areas as peace operations, equal opportunities, civil-military relations and defence management within a democratic dispensation. These comparative experiences should be internalised to our advantage in the future.

CHALLENGES ON THE DOMESTIC FRONT

The future of the SA Army will, to no small extent, be determined by a range of dynamic challenges occurring on the domestic front. These are, amongst others, the creation of a Ministry of Defence, the integration process and the role of the SA Army in guarantee-ing the success of the present transition process.

The success of any democratic transition is largely determined by the stability of civil-military relations. It is necessary, therefore, to

ensure effective political control over the armed forces via a Ministry of Defence;



ensure that defence manage-ment uses the combination of civilian and military skills at its disposal; and



provide for the development of the armed forces in accordance with their professional brief.

To this end it has been proposed that a Ministry of Defence be established according to the following criteria:

The creation of a portfolio for a Secretary of Defence responsible for the formulation of defence policy and the administration of the Department of Defence. The Secretary will be the Minister’s primary civilian advisor on defence matters. The Secretary will have equal status to the Chief of the National Defence Force.



The maintenance of the present position of Chief of the National Defence Force. The Chief of the National Defence Force will remain the commander of the SANDF and will be responsible for its maintenance and deployment. He /she will be the Minister’s primary military advisor.



The provision of a guarantee that the Ministry is vested with supervisory and guiding powers with regard to the defence community.

The success of the creation of a Ministry of Defence will be determined by the following variables:

The accurate and effective allocation of responsibilities to both the Secretary and the Chief of the National Defence Force. Military strategy and doctrine, for instance, remain the prerogative of the Defence Force. Financial accountability and defence policy remain the responsibility of the Secretary.



Ensuring continued co-operation and co-ordination between the military and the civilian components of the Department of Defence.



The ensurance that activities of both the military and the civilian components of the Department of Defence remain subordinate to and guided by the political guidelines of the Ministry.



The ensurance that the Ministry is always subordinate and accountable to Parliament. Civilian control is vested not in the Department of Defence, but in Parliament.

DEFENCE FORCE INTEGRATION

The success of the integration process remains the major challenge facing the SA Army in the next three years. The integration process is primarily a phenomenon within the ground forces and the extent to which this process is successfully managed by the Army will determine the success of the integration process in general. It is necessary for the integration process to succeed since

Failure to integrate the different armed forces will result in the creation of a Defence Force and an army characterised by mistrust, disloyalty, politicisation, and an "us and them" scenario.



Failure to integrate the armed forces successfully, will result in the creation of a Defence Force and an army characterised by inadequate levels of discipline and morale. This will severely affect the combat readiness of the armed forces, an irreplaceable component of military professionalism.



Failure by the Army to complete the integration process will result in a situation where the Army will be unable to accomplish its primary and secondary missions. This will lead to a considerable loss of legitimacy in the eyes of the general public.

RATIONALISATION

Despite the importance of a successful integration process, it is imperative, within the next three to five years, to create a Defence Force and Army wherein the force levels are appropriate to the roles and mission of the armed forces. Rationalisation will be necessary, therefore, to achieve a balanced Defence Force and will have to encompass the following:

as far as possible, rationalisation should not affect the operational and professional capabilities of the Defence Force;



rationalisation should be perceived to be a fair process in the eyes of the personnel affected;



provision should be made for rationalised personnel, either in the form of demobilisation packages or skills-training via the Service Corps;



rationalisation should be handled with compassion and humanity; and



an attempt should be made to retain the skills and leadership qualities of rationalised personnel within the part-time forces.

TRANSITION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA

The sub-continent as a whole is, at present, in a process of transition. This fluidity is a product of the region’s history and the levels of social, political and economic dislocation that have been experienced. In demographic terms it manifests itself in the high incidence of refugee dislocation and illegal immigration into South Africa. A consequence of this southwards migration is the range of problems experienced with arms and drugs smuggling and related criminal activities.

The SA Army, at present, has the exclusive responsibility for landward border protection. Whilst the Ministry of Defence acknowledges that the successful resolution of regional problems lies primarily in the political, diplomatic and economic spheres, it is still responsible for the monitoring and protection of the country’s borders. The consequences of an unchecked migration into South Africa could be disastrous. These include:

an additional burden on both the job market and the State’s social service system;



competition over scarce resources in those areas immediately affected by the influx, particularly Northern and Eastern Transvaal; and



an increase in the incidence of arms smuggling and related activities with grievous consequences for social and political stability within South Africa.

CO-OPERATION BETWEEN SECURITY SERVICES

President Mandela has, on numerous occasions, expressed his appreciation for the role played by the SA Army in both the pre- and post-election period, especially in assisting the South African Police Services in maintaining internal stability. This is a critical arena within which the Army is presently active, although there are reservations about the extent to which it should involve itself in this arena. This is mainly the result of the extensive but unavoidable budget cuts required from the SA Army.

THE SANDF AND THE RDP

Undoubtedly the SANDF and the SA Army can play a valuable role in the RDP. The utilisation of the State’s resources to render support to the RDP is essential in this regard. Yet, a distinction must be drawn between the inherent collateral utility of the armed forces and its potential collateral utility. The inherent collateral utility of the SANDF, and any modern defence force, lies in:

he skills it provides in a wide range of areas, for instance mechanical, technical and artisan skills;



the leadership qualities it develops amongst its members; and



the sense of discipline it instills in its members.

The potential skills relevant to the RDP may include the following:

The use of the SANDF’s skills in socio-economic upgrading, amongst others, medical, engineering and construction skills.



The use of the Service Corps to train personnel in a wide range of skills prior to their reintroduction to the economy.

CONCLUSION

The SA Army finds itself between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, it has a moral and political responsibility as dictated by the Interim Constitution to provide for the defence of the country. This responsibility cannot be evaded. On the other hand, it also has an ongoing responsibility for internal stability and border protection. To shirk this would be catastrophic. South Africa will be called upon to play a role in peace operations. To do this it requires appropriate armed forces that are modern and technologically sophisticated. It will also be called upon to participate actively in the RDP.

These arenas outlined above require funds in order to be executed. Budget cuts not only affect the long term capabilities of the Defence Force, but also the short term capacity of the SANDF to accomplish its functions. The value of the armed forces in a developing democracy needs to be appreciated fully. To ensure that decisions are balanced with regard to the future of the armed forces, as many stakeholders as possible should be involved in a comprehensive defence review - the Defence Force, Parliament, the parliamentary defence committees, the public and the arms industry.

Keynote address, conference on The SA Army - Futures and Forecasts, jointly presented by the Institute for Defence Policy, the Hanns Seidel Foundation and the Department of Political Sciences, UNISA in co-operation with the South African Army on Tuesday, 8 November 1994, at the Senate Hall, Theo Van Wijk Building, UNISA, Pretoria.