South African Defense Review 1998

Title: South African Defense Review 1998 - Chapter VII

1. The SANDF is designed and equipped chiefly to fulfil its primary mission of defence against aggression. Nevertheless, it has personnel, skills and resources which are utilised for various non-military tasks, normally in support of the civil authority. They are regarded as secondary functions and are not a major factor in the determination of force design and force levels.

2. The SANDF does not budget for the execution of these functions since they derive from existing defence capabilities. In some cases the Department of Defence claims from the users the cost of activities which are undertaken on a regular basis. There are exceptions where provision of a service by the SANDF is the most cost-effective option for the state. This is normally the case where an extension to existing SANDF capabilities is preferable to creating the same capabilities in another department. Examples are VIP air transport, hydrographic services and the national codification bureau.

3. Government regards inappropriate use of armed forces in non-military activities as economically inefficient and politically unwise Such activities are appropriate in extreme situations and where they derive from capabilities which are unique to the Defence Force.

4. More specifically, government is disinclined to employ the SANDF in socio-economic development. Such employment blurs the distinction between the military and civilian spheres; it contributes to the militarisation of civil society; and it undermines the preparedness of the force with respect to its primary function.

5. However, there may be exceptional circumstances which mitigate against the delivery of services by line function departments. The support of the SANDF may be required as a matter of urgency because of its specialised skills and resources; an example of this might be assisting with emergency provision of water to a rural community. The details of such support are currently under review by a ministerial task group.

6. The following guidelines will govern these situations: the employment of the SANDF should be requested by the relevant government department; it should have the consent of the affected community; it should have a limited time duration; and it should be subject to civilian control.

7. The SANDF makes an important contribution to developing human resources through its education and training programmes. Special training programmes are associated with integration, demobilisation and rationalisation. For example, the Service Corps trains its members in a range of vocational and other skills to prepare them for employment in civil society (see paragraphs 23 and 24 below).

8. The rest of this chapter describes the main non-military tasks of the SANDF.

DESCRIPTION OF NON-MILITARY TASKS

Maritime Services

9. The SANDF provides surveillance and enforcement support to the relevant authorities for the protection of marine resources against illegal plunderig; the protection of the marine environment against pollution; and maritime law enforcement with respect to piracy and smuggling of drugs and weapons.

10. The magnitude of these tasks is such that the Navy and the Air Force are required to support other state departments. This state of affairs is expected to continue indefinitely since government is unlikely to establish a new organisation for maritime protection.

11. Marine resources are steadily gaining importance and the marine environment is under growing pressure. The scope of the protection task is therefore expected to increase. Maritime aircraft and naval vessels currently conduct extensive patrols on a regular basis as part of their normal employment.

Air Space and Traffic Control

12.The SANDF may be required to provide support to air space and air traffic control where the relevant civilian body lacks capability. An example is the service provided by the Air Force to augment Civil Aviation in Mpumalanga.

Disaster Relief

13. The SANDF provides support for the preservation of life, health and property in emergency situations which exceed the capacity of the civil authorities. These situations typically arise from fires, floods and other disasters, such as forest fires. Assistance is subject to financial reimbursement, as determined by the Department of Defence.

Maintaining Essential Services

14. The SANDF provides emergency support to the civil authority for the maintenance of essential services which have been temporarily disrupted through natural disaster, large-scale failure or sabotage. Examples include drought relief; the provision and distribution of purified water; and the continuation of hospital services during large-scale labour action.

Search and Rescue

15. The SANDF provides search and rescue support to the relevant authorities and in terms of South Africa s international obligations. It is a major participant in the national search and rescue structure (SASAR) co-ordinated by the Department of Transport.

VIP Air Transport

16. The SANDF provides VIP air transport for the President, the Deputy President, the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and, where capacity allows, other cabinet ministers and provincial premiers.

Antarctic Transport Support

17. The Navy and the Air Force provide the Department of the Environment and Tourism with transport support to the Prince Edward Island group and the Antarctic. This is a long term national commitment because South Africa is a signatory to treaties governing the management and preservation of the Antarctic, and because the marine resources in areas over which the Republic has sovereignty will gain importance in years to come.

Hydrographic Services

18. The Navy provides hydrographic services for its own purposes, to South Africa s mariners and to other mariners in terms of international obligations. The Hydrographer of the Navy charts the Republic s territorial waters and maritime zone, as well as international waters for which South Africa has responsibility in terms of the International Hydrographic Organisation.

19. The Hydrographer promulgates radio navigation warnings, notices to mariners, and tidal and related meteorological data to seafarers passing through South African waters. Requests have been received from the coastal states in Southern Africa for assistance in surveying their coasts, harbours and harbour-approaches.

Medical Services

20. The SA Military Health Service (SAMHS) provide medical management and health services and support to various departments (eg the SAPS and the departments of health, foreign affairs, the environment, transport and correctional services).

21. Such support can include the provision and distribution of medicine to national and provincial authorities; the provision of specialised facilities (eg air medical, dive medical and hyperbaric treatment facilities); immunization campaigns; maintaining essential medical services during labour unrest; assisting in disaster relief operations; training primary health care personnel; health service management and treatment of SAPS and Department of Correctional Services personnel and animals; and social upliftment programmes where required.

22. SAMHS also provides medical care to the President, the Deputy President, the Minister and Deputy Minister of Defence and, at the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs, foreign VIPs visiting South Africa.

Service Corps

23. The SANDF provides the infrastructure for the management of the Service Corps which equips former combatants for re-entry into civilian society through the provision of vocational skills training and adult basic education.

24. In March 1996 Cabinet tasked an inter-departmental committee to investigate the extension of this structure into a National Service Corps to train youth and unemployed people. The investigation will determine the appropriate place of the new initiative within government structures, probably outside the Department of Defence.

Communication Security Service

25. The SANDF provides and maintains an infrastructure for ensuring that government communication is secure.

Election Support

26. As in previous elections, the SANDF may be required to deploy large numbers of troops to support the police during the 1999 elections. It may also be requested to provide support during elections elsewhere in Southern Africa.