South African National Defence Force Research Articles

Management and Change in the South African National Defence Force

The military in South Africa has gone through major changes as part of the wider society’s transition from apartheid to democracy necessitating the integration of a multicultural force. This article develops a theoretical framework for understanding these cross-cultural dynamics. It reports an empirical management study investigating the perceptions of the different cultural groups to better understand the process of cross-cultural integration in an institution whose stability and success has major implications for Southern African society. It finds significant differences in attitudes among cultural groups. This has implications for understanding multicultural change processes in similar institutions in transition around the world.

The predictive validity of the selection battery used for junior leader training within the South African national defence force

The principal objective of the study was to determine the predictive validity of the test battery used for the selection of junior leaders in the South African National Defence Force. A sample of 96 respondents completed certain indices of the SPEEX-Battery as well as the Advanced Ravens Progressive Matrices test. The test results were compared with the course results. Using canonical correlation analysis, a highly significant relationship was found between the independent variables and the dependent variables (r = 0,787; p is less than 0,00005). The predictors with the highest loadings were cognitive ability, conceptualisation, reading comprehension, listening potential, physical stress, and mental stress. Opsomming Die hoofdoelwit van die studie was om die voorspellingsgeldigheid van die toetsbattery vir keuring van junior leiers in die Suid Afrikaanse Nasionale Weermag te evalueer. ’n Steekproef van 96 respondente het sekere indekse van die SPEEX-Battery asook die Advanced Ravens Progressive Matrices toets voltooi. Die toetsresultate is vervolgens vergelyk met die kursusuitslae. Die veranderlikes is aan kanoniese korrelasie-ontleding onderwerp wat ’n betekenisvolle verwantskap opgelewer het tussen die onafhanklike veranderlikes en die afhanklike veranderlikes (r = 0,787; p is kleiner as 0,00005). Die voorspellers met die hoogste ladings was kognitiewe vermoë, konseptualisering, leesbegrip, luisterpotensiaal, fisieke stres en psigiese stres.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Operational Members of the South African National Defence Force

The prevalence of traumatic event exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were surveyed in a cohort of 198 full-time operational members of the South African National Defence Force stationed in their "home" unit between deployments. Approximately 90% of members reported having experienced or witnessed trauma in their lifetime (mean number of traumatic events = 4.3 +/- 3.2), whereas 51% reported having inflicted trauma. Twenty-six percent met diagnostic criteria for PTSD on self-report with approximately 29% with PTSD also meeting diagnostic criteria for depression. Few members, however, sought help. PTSD symptom severity was best predicted by trauma type (exposure to physical assault and infliction of life-threatening injury). These findings highlight the high rates of exposure to multiple, noncombat-related trauma in military personnel, the potentially high rates of PTSD, and the role of inflicted trauma as an additional risk factor for PTSD.

Facing a Merciless Enemy: 1W/AIDS and the South African Armed Forces

The impact of HIV/AIDS on health, development, and security is nowhere more daunting than in southern Africa, where many claim that it has the potential to destabilize the entire region. In this article, the impact of HIV/AIDS on southern Africa, the factors contributing to the rapid spread of the disease, and how it is affecting the armed forces are highlighted. As an important regional economic and military power, how South Africa and more specifically, the South African armed forces manage the impact of the disease is of national and regional, if not global, concern. The various policy, human rights, human resources, health, and educational challenges facing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are discussed with specific reference to its impact on operational capacity and capability. Should the SANDF be unable to manage the disease efficiently, there may be a profound effect on peace and stability in the entire region.

THE ARMS DEAL CONTROVERSY

Defence Package (SDP), has been mired in controversy virtually since its inception. More than three years after signature of the contracts in December 1999, there are still aftershocks caused by various parties hoping to either stop the process or at least inflict serious political damage. This seems to stem from being aggrieved at being excluded from the deals, because they have never subscribed to the need for such expensive equipment for the SANDF or are concerned that a fair process was not followed. The bundle of projects that was handled as a single package to obtain maximum commercial and political leverage constitutes the largest armaments deal ever concluded in South Africa. It consists of 28 Gripen Advanced Light Fighter Aircraft and 24 Hawk Lead In Fighter Trainers from BAE/SAAB, 4 corvettes from a German Frigate Consortium, 3 submarines from a German Submarine Consortium, and 30 Agusta 109 helicopters from Italy. The total contract value at date of signature was approximately R24.9 billion (US$3.98 billion) at the rate of exchange prevailing at that time (R6.25 to the US dollar and R6.4 to the euro). The bulk of the equipment is to be imported and the value of the contracts fluctuates as the rand fluctuates against the other currencies. Reaction against the deal stems from five separate concerns that tend to get intertwined: • Does South Africa need such a large and well-equipped defence force? • Can the country afford the costs of the project? • Do South Africans know what the true cost of the project is (as the number seems to vary every time the government puts a value to it)? • Given that there are accusations of improper behaviour by various officials, such as Tony Yengeni, was the deal compromised, or was there a fair process in place during the negotiations and signing of contracts? • Was there corruption and is it being dealt with, or is there a cover up? Let us consider these issues in some detail. After 1994, the newly elected democratic government set about revisiting all aspects of national life with a view to transformation appropriate to the new open democratic order that they wished to build. Like other branches of government, the Ministry of Defence initiated an open consultative process to establish a consensus about the future nature of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). This Defence Review process is unprecedented internationally for its openness and willingness to engage with the widest possible range of opinion. All and any interested parties were invited to participate. It culminated in a Defence White Paper in 1996, the Defence Review Report in 1998, and a White THE ARMS DEAL CONTROVERSY

Prevalence and Characteristics of Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Operational Members of the South African National Defence Force

Prevalence and Characteristics of Trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Operational Members of the South African National Defence Force

The Heimler Scale of Social Functioning: A Partial Validation in South Africa

This paper offers new information on the reliability and validity of the Heimler Scale of Social Functioning (HSSF), based on a sample of 8,561 soldiers in the South African National Defence Force. The HSSF is a 55‐item questionnaire, developed in the United Kingdom, designed to measure social functioning as a whole, as well as a number of specific areas of social functioning. The HSSF shows inadequate levels of reliability (Cronbach Alpha and Standard Error of Measurement) at Subscale and Index levels, but good reliability at the whole‐scale level. The HSSF also does not demonstrate adequate item‐level construct (factorial) validity and criterion‐related (known groups) validity, although adequate construct validity at scale‐level was found. Reasons for the poor reliability and validity of the scale are explored and suggestions made for enhancing the scale's performance.

Affirming Gender Equality: The Challenges Facing the South African Armed Forces

In the wake of constitutional reforms, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been compelled to implement full gender equality as part of their affirmative action programme to correct past gender and racial imbalances within the ranks. In this article, the challenges this poses for the SANDF are discussed. A theoretical overview of the various feminist positions on women in the armed forces is provided and related to current debates and policy decisions on gender equality in South Africa. This is followed by a discussion of the various factors that have influenced the participation of women in the South African armed forces and the potential impact increasing numbers of women may have on military effectiveness. Recent empirical findings are used to demonstrate how military, societal and cultural factors impact on the attitudes of women, and towards women serving in the SANDF. In conclusion, as women soldiers prepare to make peace rather than war in Africa, some of the challenges they face in a society and on a continent where they themselves have become the subjects of violence, are deliberated.

Military Social Work in the South African National Defence Force

The transformation of the South African National Defence Force has prompted a critical reassessment of the Directorate of Social Work. As a result, the directorate realized the need for a formal business plan to align the profession strategically with the core business of the military system. After completion of the business plan, the need for a unique military social work practice model was identified. Such a model should present social workers with a strategy for the achievement of the goals and objectives of the business plan. The practice model rests on two key concepts: binocular vision and practice positions. Since the onset of the transformation process in the South African National Defence Force, these two documents have reflected the changing milieu within which social work is practiced. The main concepts of these documents are presented.

Defence and development: Some thematic issues

Armed forces are, in many developing countries, configured for very restricted and traditional roles. Often their considerable organisational capabilities and human resource expertise are not fully harnessed to the broader developmental objectives of the country concerned. The capabilities of armed forces and their considerable resources can, potentially, be utilised in a much wider arena than simply in the role of territorial defence. Numerous pros and cons can be attached to this expanded deployment of the armed forces and such deployment is critically dependent on the peculiarities of the country, as reflected in its political culture and its history. It is argued in this article that the collateral utility of the South African National Defence Force is far wider than that which present government policy permits. The effective utilisation of this capability, however, will depend on a high level of political will within government to do so, the revision of existing government policy in this regard, and the effective coordination of these expanded defence efforts within a broader human security policy.

Defence and development: some thematic issues

Armed forces are, in many developing countries, configured for very restricted and traditional roles. Often their considerable organisational capabilities and human resource expertise are not fully harnessed to the broader developmental objectives of the country concerned. The capabilities of armed forces and their considerable resources can, potentially, be utilised in a much wider arena than simply in the role of territorial defence. Numerous pros and cons can be attached to this expanded deployment of the armed forces and such deployment is critically dependent on the peculiarities of the country, as reflected in its political culture and its history. It is argued in this article that the collateral utility of the South African National Defence Force is far wider than that which present government policy permits. The effective utilisation of this capability, however, will depend on a high level of political will within government to do so, the revision of existing government policy in this regard, and the effective coordination of these expanded defence efforts within a broader human security policy.

The South African military

More than six years after South Africa's white-dominated military was integrated with the guerrilla armies it once fought, the country's armed forces are still struggling to adapt to the post-apartheid order. Racism remains all-pervasive, morale is rock bottom and the absorption of former fighters from as many as nine different forces is creating confusion and division. Few would now credit the South African National Defence Force with much fighting capability.

Industrial participation, investment and growth: The case of South Africa's defence-related industry

In November 1998 the cabinet announced the list of preferred suppliers for the South African National Defence Force’s (SANDF) R30 billion arms acquisition programme. This included Britain (maritime helicopters, jet trainers and light fighters), Sweden (light fighters), Germany (corvettes and submarines) and Italy (light utility helicopters). To spend so much money on arms procurement from abroad is a major blow to the local defence industry. In attempting to win public support for the R30 billion arms deal government has continually stressed the potential positive effects of the proposed industrial participation offers on investment, job creation and growth in the local-defence related industry and the national economy.

South Africa's unfinished business: Organisational change and continuity within the South African national defence force

This paper explores the problems and prospects of change within the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), following South Africa's transition to democracy. It commences with a short overview of the role played by the SANDF's predecessor, the South African Defence Force, in the run‐up to the transition. This is followed by a look at the homeland and liberation armies, and a more detailed assessment of the process by which the various armed groupings were integrated into a reconstituted defence force. Thereafter, a range of current issues, from internal staffing policies, to procurement, to potential external roles are explored. It is concluded that whilst the formal integration of armies has been completed, with some progress being made in terms of internal transformation and in defining a new role, much remains to be done if the SANDF is become genuinely representative of the realities and needs of the new South Africa.

The Transformation of the South African National Defence Force: A Good Beginning

The historic election of Nelson Mandela as president of a new Republic of South Africa in 1994 set in motion wholesale changes in the direction of the state. Among these fundamental changes is the effort to integrate six nonstatutory (former homeland and guerrilla) armies into the unified South African National Defence Force (SANDF). During these unprecedented times, the sheer numbers of national military personnel were significantly increased to integrate and enhance representation of majority black ethnic groups, while many senior white officers were pensioned off. Simultaneously, defense budget reductions greatly reduced monies available for demobilization and buyouts of military members and the desired purchase of modernized military equipment. The impact of these systemic changes, both within the republic and more widely in the southern African region, ignited serious questions on the destiny of the security forces and their future roles and missions. Definitive answers have yet to come. What we do know is that the Pretoria government no longer perceives an external security threat, but confronts internal strife stemming from opposing views on how to achieve racial reconciliation, rampant crime, high unemployment, diminished business confidence, and governmental inability to satisfy rising popular expectations. These factors, if unresolved, can threaten the progress achieved in security force restructuring, which has gone reasonably well.

Renal pathology in working dogs in the South African National Defence Force.

Urine analysis, serum biochemical profile and a cortical wedge biopsy for histopathological examination was performed on 42 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) dogs from around the country. The only significant finding on urine analysis and serum biochemistry was a relatively large number (16/42) of dogs with elevated serum inorganic phosphate levels. Histopathology revealed that only 9 of the animals had normal kidneys reflected in the wedge biopsy material, with over 50% of them showing signs of glomerular pathology (primarily mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis). Other conditions detected histopathologically were haemosiderosis (47% of animals), focal nephrosis (2.4%), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (2.4%), focal interstitial nephritis (4.7%) and acute tubular nephrosis (4.7%). The lesions observed were of limited distribution and extent; this histopathological finding may account for the absence of significant abnormalities on urine analysis or serum biochemistry profiles. It appears from these results that a large percentage of the SANDF population would be expected to have mild renal lesions, but that these lesions are not severe enough to lead to clinical signs. The findings of this study are similar to those of randomly selected populations of non-military dogs performed in other areas of the world, which also demonstrated an unexpectedly high incidence of histopathological renal pathology in dogs considered healthy. These lesions may well, however, play a role in later life, and it is recommended that military veterinarians maintain an index of suspicion for renal disease, particularly glomerular disease. The aetiology of the histopathological lesions is unknown.

Defining defence requirements: Force design considerations for the South African National Defence Force

Defining defence requirements: Force design considerations for the South African National Defence Force

Determining a role for a military ombudsman in the South African National Defence Force

Determining a role for a military ombudsman in the South African National Defence Force

Language attitudes in the South African National Defence Force: Views from the Sixth South African Infantry

South Africa has adopted eleven official languages and the 1996 constitution requires that all official languages must enjoy parity, especially in public administration and at the national level. Such changes in language policy have had a dramatic effect country-wide, and not least among those affected is the South African National Defence Force. This study explores the extent to which the new policy has taken root at the Sixth South African Infantry (6SAI), a military base in the Eastern Cape Province. In particular it aims to describe current language practice in the camp, and to report on the language attitudes of staff and soldiers, including attitudes to the 'unofficial' new language policy of the camp. The study used a multi-method research approach including questionnaires, in-depth interviewing on an individual and on a group basis, and observation. Findings suggest a strong shift to the use of English as lingua franca in the camp (despite very low numbers of Ll English speakers), and a concomittant pervasively positive attitude towards this practice. This trend is critically discussed in the light of current trends in language planning and policy.

Is selfless service becoming a misplaced service ethic? Attitudes of officers serving in the South African National Defence Force

This paper strives to determine the attitude of SANDF officers towards various aspects of military service, including their motivations for joining the Defence Force, the features of a preferred job, commitment to altruistic values and need for a representative association. An analyses of the responses reveal that while many officers are still committed to institutional values, there is a growing tendency towards self-interest behaviour signifying a decline in the commitment to selfless service. This shift in value orientations of officers is ascribed to the recent decline in status and relevance of the armed forces in South African society, coupled to organisational change such as the shift to a volunteer force, the changing profile of recruits, the downsizing of the armed forces and the decline in tenure and service benefits. The conclusion is reached that the commitment of officers to the normative dimensions of military professionalism is coming under considerable stress during this period of transiti...