South African National Defense Force

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Flag of south africaFlag of south africa South African National Defense Force
Flag of the SANDF
guide
Commander in Chief : President of the Republic of South Africa
Defense Minister: Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula
Military Commander: General Solly Zacharia Shoke
Military strength
Active soldiers: 60,000
Reservists: approx. 90,000
Conscription:
Resilient population: approx. 14.09 million (men and women, ages 16–49; 2010)
Eligibility for military service: Age 18 and over
household
Military budget: 4,040,000,000 USD (2007)
Share of gross domestic product : 1.16%
history
Founding: May 10, 1994

The South African National Defense Force , abbreviated to SANDF ( German roughly: " South African National Defense Force ") are the armed forces of the Republic of South Africa . In its current form, it was founded on May 10, 1994 after the end of apartheid , on the basis of new elections and a new constitution.

With 3.5 billion US dollars (2006), South Africa has the highest annual arms expenditure in Africa . Due to the international sanctions during apartheid, South Africa has built up its own powerful and versatile arms industry with research facilities. South Africa owned weapons of mass destruction until 1994 , including nuclear weapons , but these were destroyed under UN supervision at the behest of the old rulers before power was handed over to the new government. There is no intention to produce new nuclear weapons. When the SANDF was founded in 1994, conscription was abolished in South Africa ; the SANDF is a purely professional army .

history

Structure of the SADF 1993

  • Army: 47,000 soldiers, including 18,000 active soldiers. In addition, around 29,000 vigilantes (reservists).
  • Air Force: 10,000 soldiers, including 3,000 conscripts
  • Navy: 4,500 soldiers, including 900 conscripts

SANDF is the successor to SADF

The SANDF replaced the South African Defense Force (SADF; afrikaans Suid-Afrikanse Weermag ) in 1994 and included parts of the troops and equipment of the old army as well as troops from guerrilla groups of the former opposition parties such as the Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) of the African National Congress ( ANC) and the "Self-Protection Unit" (SPU) of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) as well as troops from several homelands . General George Meiring, who was appointed by Prime Minister Frederik Willem de Klerk in October 1993 and was confirmed as Commander in Chief by the cabinet after the new elections , became the first commander in chief of the SANDF . The former long-time commander of Umkhonto we Sizwe, Joe Modise , became the first defense minister in the government of national unity . Solly Shoke was named by the ANC as an expert on personnel issues and had been involved in the transformation of the armed forces since 1994.

The main problem of the SANDF was initially the integration of 26,500 members of the Umkhonto we Sizwe and 6,880 fighters of the APLA ( Azanian People's Liberation Army ) of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). An integration and training program lasting up to three years was carried out from June 1994 in various former SADF bases. The program was supported and controlled by a British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) led by Brigadier Richard William "Dick" Trigger .

International assignments

The SANDF has participated in various African international missions, including an invasion of Lesotho to restore the democratically elected government there after a coup , and UN missions to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi . South African troops also take part in the UN mission in Sudan .

Current developments

The SANDF's conventional armament is currently undergoing modernization. New warships and submarines were bought in Germany and fighter jets in Sweden and Great Britain . These purchases are extremely controversial because of their cost and corruption in the procurement process.

SANDF's problems include a lack of trained pilots and naval officers as many of the SADF's white officers have been replaced by members of the liberation movements. The loss of qualified personnel, the decommissioning of equipment due to lack of money, a high AIDS infection rate of the troops and the fact that the SANDF infantry soldiers are among the oldest in the world make the SANDF's readiness for the military appear doubtful at the moment. However, active efforts are being made to improve conditions through recruitment and training programs.

Participation in the annual game count.

In 2012, the German Navy promoted the South African Navy in terms of boarding in piracy missions.

assignment

The SANDF are tasked with protecting South Africa and participating in multinational peace missions . The focus is on stabilization missions in Africa.

Organization and staff

The president is in command of the armed forces. The Minister of Defense and Military Veterans is responsible for the day-to-day arrangements .

The SANDF commander is selected by the South African President from one of the branches of service and reports to the Minister of Defense. He is the chairman of the Defense Command Council (DCC, German: Defense Command Council ), which includes the heads of the four army groups, the Inspector General and others. General Solly Shoke currently holds the post. He succeeds Godfrey Ngwenya , who was appointed South African ambassador to Angola. Temporarily took over Lieutenant General Themba Matanzima provisionally this command post.

As Director for Strategic Planning at Defense, General Ansuyah Fakir promotes the professional development of women within the South African armed forces. In 2005, 13 women served in the military general rank, which at that time served a total of 134 people. The South African Ministry of Defense aims to train women as future leaders at all levels. There is also an informal cooperation with the South African Police Service .

Armed forces

army

Heavy reconnaissance tank of the Rooikat type from the country's own production

The South African Army ( SAA; German: "South African Army") has a staff of 40,121 men and is thus the largest branch of the South African armed forces. In 2014, the SAA was heavily refitted, with armored personnel carriers and artillery being replaced in particular . The SAMIL military trucks are also of great importance . The South African Army particularly relies on equipment from local, technologically high-quality denel production.

marine

SAS Spioenkop (F147) in Rota

The South African Navy ( SAN; German: "South African Navy") is one of the largest navies in Africa and has a staff of around 5000 men and a number of ships or boats of 45 units. These include four frigates of the Valor class and three submarines of the Heroine class (class 209/1400) as main combat units . In terms of aircraft, there are four AgustaWestland Super Lynx 300 and eight Atlas Oryx helicopters in stock.

air force

Gripen the SAAF in Cape Town

The South African Air Force ( SAAF; German: "South African Air Force") has a staff of 9,250 men and is equipped with 117 aircraft and 92 helicopters. With 26 Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter aircraft , 24 BAE Hawk trainer aircraft and the large number of helicopters, more than half of which are from South African production, the SAAF is one of the best-equipped air forces south of the Sahara. The Denel AH-2 Rooivalk combat helicopter was specially developed to meet the special requirements for the use of machines on the African continent.

Military Health Service

The South African Military Health Service ( SAMHS; German: " South African Military Health Service ") is the department of the South African National Defense Force that is responsible for the medical facilities and the training and deployment of all medical personnel in the armed forces. Although most national armed forces typically integrate their medical structures into their existing branches of service, the SANDF regards this structure as the most efficient way of supplying and supporting the SANDF personnel.

Web links

Commons : South African National Defense Force  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CIA - The World Factbook
  2. ^ Frauke Wolfsturm (Marine Press and Information Center): GOOD HOPE V - Lübeck meets South Africa. Bundeswehr, March 16, 2012, accessed on February 28, 2014 .
  3. ↑ Article on defenceweb.co.za from December 14, 2010 (English), accessed on December 28, 2015
  4. ↑ Kgabo Mashamaite: DOD International Women's Day Leadership Seminar , In: South African Soldier, South African Department of Defense, Vol. 19, No. 4 2012, pp. 22-23 ISSN  1609-5014 (English; PDF; 7.0 MB )
  5. ↑ Lethube Phasha: networking Women . In: South African Soldier, South African Department of Defense, Vol. 12, No. 10 2005, p. 34 ISSN  1609-5014 (PDF; 1.6 MB, English)