southern af rica #8/77 PERSPECTIVES ARMS FOR APARTHEID

...Souhth African Aice Miraqets

UN/Contact by Sean Gervasi The UN arms embargo against Nations arms embargo against South of weapon and type of equipment, South has in no way deterred Africa, instituted through resolutions from and radar to helicopters and Western countries, notably the US, 181 and 182 of 1963, is in practical fact self-propelled guns. Britain, Italy and ,from selling non-existent. An exhaustive examina It was generally believed until now major weapons systems to South tion of both governmental and confi that France had supplied Africa. The following Special Report dential industry sources reveals that a with most of its imported arms in outlines the basisfor this claim by pro thriving international trade in arms to recent years. However, this now viding Southern Africa readerswith an the apartheid state has been underway seems doubtful. While figures on the edited version of Sean Gervasi's testi for nearly a decade. As a result, South value of the arms trade are not yet money before the Subcommittee on Africa has been able to build a power available, it appears that Great Britain, Africa, Committee on International ftil modern military machine based on the United States and France have Relations, House of Representatives, foreign weapons-the very outcome accounted for the bulk of sales to South 14 July, 1977. Gervasi, an economist the UN embargo was designed to Africa since 1963, with Italy as a fourth who has worked for the Office of the prevent. principal supplier. As the South Afri Commissionerfor Namibia at the UN, According to American journalist can defense import figures indicate, called on Congress to investigate US Jim Hoagland (Washington Post, 16 the volume of the arms trade with arms sales to the apartheid regime, January, 1977) the South African gov South Africa has been far larger than it and received a particularly sympa ernment has in recent years been was thought to be, with French sales thetic hearing from Congressmen spending the equivalent of two-thirds accounting for only a part of that trade. Diggs, Whalen and Bonker. of its annual defense budget on mili It goes without saying that, for the A telex from the Rand Daily Mail to a tary imports. With a defense import most part, western arms sales to South correspondentin Washington dated 14 bill of $450 millions and more than Africa, in particular, those involving July, 1977, relays a South African De .800 millions in 1973 and 1975 respec Britain, the US, and Italy, have been fense Department request suggesting tively, South Africa's projected de shrouded in secrecy. that South Africa is more than a little fense import bill for 1977 is, according A thorough analysis of this "invisi concerned about the information pro to US Senate sources, in excess of ble" trade must begin with an accurate vided by Gervasi. The Department re $1,200 millions. description of the present South Afri quested no publication of the report, can arms inventory. The difficulty up noting that "...any publicity given to Prepared to Pay the Price to now has been that published figures this testimony could result in embar Almost all of this money has been on this inventory were inaccurate. rassment to countriesfriendly to South spent, and is being spent, in Western Specifically, data generally regarded Africa and therefore affect South Af countries, or in countries used for the as authoritative published by the Lon rica's security." trans-shipment of Western arms, who don-based International Institute for have been willing to sell South Africa Strategic Studies (IISS) and indicating almost anything it wants for a price. the quantities of different kinds of mili Evidence has recently come to light Prepared to pay that price, South tary equipment held by most countries which makes it clear that the United Africa has been purchasing every kind has provided a misleading view of

-The Africa Fundo198 BroadwayoNew York, NY 10038 has had very serious consequences. Perhaps the most serious is that South TABLE A Africa has been able to build a modern DELIVERIES OF WEAPONS KNOWN TO BE IDI SERVICE military force on the African continent, WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENSE F ORCES a force which in the present circum (END 1976) stances gives it formidable power. When the arms embargo began, Manufactured/ Numbers South Africa had a relatively small ITEM Licensed by Deliveries IISS* military establishment, with less than Mirage III fighter/bomber 13,000 men in the Permanent Force trainer/recce France 95+ 57 and total military expenditures of ap Mirage F-I all weather proximately Rand 120 million. The Air multi-purpose fighter France 48+ 16 Force had few modern aircraft and Aermacchi MB-326M Imapala I only a few helicopters. The Army had a strike/trainer S.A./Italy 300 145 collection of old British and American Aermacchi MB-326K Impala II tanks, armored cars and . strike S.A./Italy 100 2 Lacking even a small mobile attack Aerospatiale Alouette III armed force, the apartheid regime had an 115+ 40 essentially defensive capability. attack helicopter France Awesome Military Capability Aerospatiale/Westland 330 Puma assault helicopter France/UK 40+ 25 Today the situation is completely 150 141 different. South Africa now has an awe Mk 7 heavy UK some military capability. The- Air Daimler Ferret Mk 2 / Force possesses more than 600 combat anti-tank UK 450 230 aircraft, including nearly 150 Mirage M-3A1 White armored personnel III and Mirage F-i aircraft, as well as carrier US 400 n.s. some 300 Aermacchi MB-326 strike Saracen FV603 and FV610 armored trainer and strike jets, 40 Lockheed personnel carrier UK 700 n.s. F104G fighter-bombers and 50 North T-17 El Staghound armored car US 450 n.s. American F-51D Cavalier counter *The Military Balance 1976-1977 insurgency strike aircraft. It also has more than 200 helicopters. There are n.s. = not specified well over one thousand aircraft in service with the South African Air Force. The army possesses more than 500 South Africa's strength in two respects: Africa many item s of equipment, not tanks. A large number of these are First, generally believe d to be part of the Centurion Mk 10's, with a 105mm gun the IISS publication, The South African inv Military Balance, 1976-77, fails to list entory. and better armor and engine than the details on the Mk 5 and Mk 7 models which South many major weapon systems currently Table A providees some dAfrica is usually listed as having. The in use in South Africa, including Cen sale of "extra quarntities" of equipment Patton tanks are an improved model turion Mk 10, Patton, Walker Bulldog to South Africa, aind the sources of that fitted with a British 105mm gun. and AMX-13 tanks; Staghound and equipment. Shorland MK 3 armored cars; Table B indicat es that many impor- The army also has nearlv 200 Pan M-113AI, V-130 Commando, Piranha, tant arms deals have been kept en- hard armored cars fitted w ith 90mm Short SB 301, and M3A1 armored per tirely secret until now. It lists weapons guns. These are made in South Africa sonnel carriers; and Sexton 88mm, systems now in t he South African in- under French license. In addition, it M-7 Priest 105mm, and M-109 155mm ventory which are not credited to possesses several hundred other ar self-propelled guns. Not listed among South Africa bv st andard sources such mored cars and nearly 1,000 armored South Africa's combat aircraft and heli as The Military B alance. With one ex- personnel carriers. Some of the latter copters are Impala II jets, F-104G ception, all of thhe arms listed have are very recent American and British Starfighters, F-51D Cavalier COIN, been delivered t(o South Africa since models. It has a large number of self and Iroquois and Gazelle helicopters. the arms embarg o began, and many propelled guns-medium and heavv Second, the IISS figures on weapons have been delive red within the last artillery, of 88ram, 105ram andt which it does list often understate the eight or nine yea rs. Orders for some 155mm, mounted on tank chassis. quantities actually in use. This is the are still on the bo,oks in Great Britain, and Table C indicates the extent to case with regard to Centurion tanks, Italy which The Military Balance generally Ferret sct/armored cars, Saracen and The data set )ut in these Tables underestimates show that France, South African power, Ratel armored personnel carriers, the US, the UK and giving figures for each type ormajor Mirage II strike interceptors, and sev Italy have failed al together to heed the weapon actually in service. WVeapons eral types of helicopter. Security Council call for an arms em systems now known to be in the South bargo against S(outh Africa. While A there may be "a frican inventory at the end of 1976 Large Quantities Not Reported rms export control" include four times the number of com regulations of som ne kind on the books bat aircraft, twice the number of heli From the evidence now available it in various count ties, they have not copters, three times its many tanks, as is clear that suppliers have been selling stopped the flow of Western arms to well asnore armored cars ald person far larger quantities .ofcertain weapons South Alica over the whole of the last to South Africa than is generally re nel carriers than the IISS lists, and decade. self-propelled guns not listed at dl. ported, and have been selling South The breakdown of the arms embargo Now A Dominant Influence The new data on South African arms make it clear that in terms of real TABLE B military capability, South Africa's strength, generally compared with DELIVERIES OF WEAPON SYSTEMS Poland and , NOT GENERALLY KNOWN TO BE IN SERVICE that of , WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE FORCES ought in fact to be compared with , (END 1976) Brazil, and Japan, -all significant military powers with a dominant influ Manufactured/ ence in important regions of the world ITEM Licensed by Deliveries (see Table D). Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Although it is true that South Africa fighter/bomber US/ex-Luftwaffe 40 has a relatively small standing force, its North American F-51D Cavalier actual manpower pool, according to South African sources, contains some counter-insurgency strike US 50 450,000 trained personnel. More im Aerospatiale/Westland 341 Gazelle portantly, South Africa can mobilize general purpose helicopter France/U K 2 (?) large numbers at relatively short Agusta-Bell 205A Iroquois notice by calling up the Citizen Force utility/s.r. helicopter US 25 reserves, units composed of men with Lockheed P-2 Neptune military experience, who are re anti-submarine patrol US 12 trained every year. At the present Centurion Mk 10 heavy tank UK 240 time, Citizen Force units are being rotated continuously through the M-47 Patton US/Italy 100 standing forces, those on active duty, M-41 Walker Bulldog light tank US 100 in order to maintain a high degree of AMX-13 light tank France 80 readiness. M- 113A1 armored personnel carrier US/Italy (400) There is no question that South Commando V-150 armored personnel carrier US/Portugal (300) Africa has achieved overwhelming military power south of the Sahara Piranha armored personnel carrier Switzerland (100) even while it continues to lack the Shorland Mk3 armored car UK (200) capacity to produce sophisticated Short SB 301 armored personnel carrierl UK (300) moderu arms economically. Thus as Sexton 25 pdr self-propelled gun Canada 200 South Africa prepares for war it knows M-7 105mm self-propelled gun US 200 that it has a tremendous advantage over its weaker and poorer neigh M-109 155mm self-propelled gun US/Italy (50) bors-an advantage achieved largely Figures in brackets indicate orders on which delivery continues. because Western countries have been 1. In service with the South African Police willing to violate the arms embargo and sell it aircraft, tanks and other mili tary equipment. TABLE C Acquired In Last Ten Years ARMS INVENTORY: Those who insist that the Western SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENSE FORCES equipment in the South African inven (END 1976) tory is largely old or shipped to South IISS* Gervasi Africa before the arms embargo began combat aircraft 133 625 are incorrect. Although some of the WVestern equipment still in service, helicopters 92 215 such as the Walker Bulldog tank and tanks 161 525 the Staghound armored car, is quite armored cars 1,050 1,430 old, much of it is still serviceable. armored personnel carriers 250 960 More importantly, other equipment, self-propelled guns no t listed 294 such as the Patton tank, has recently medium and light artillery n.a. 380 been re-conditioned and improved. And most of the major weapons now in *The Military Balance 1976-1977 service with the regular Air Force and n.a. = not available the Regular Army have been delivered in the last ten years. Table E shows that almost all the first-line armor of the regular South South Africa's firepower on the I)efense Forces. Major items al)out ground. which we know at this time include the African army has been imported from following: Western countries within the last ten Although the US declared its inten years, with important items such as the tion to adhere strictly to the UN em - M-3A1 armored personnel car M-113A1 armored personnel carrier bargo from the very beginning, and riers and the M-109 self-propelled gun im has consistently maintained that it is - T-17 El Staghound armored cars ported very recently. Given this doing so, it is now clear that a great - M-47 Patton main battle tanks equipment, all of the front-line states deal of US military equipment has - M-41 Walker Bulldog light tanks combined could not hope to match found its way into the South African - M-113AI armored personnel carriers - Comnmando V-150 personnel car riers - M-7 105ram self-propelled guns TABLE D - M-109 155am self-propelled COMPARATIVE STRENGTH OF SELECTED ARMED FORCES guns (END 1976) - Lockheed F-104G Starfighter South jets Brazil Egypt Japan Africa - North American F-51 1) counter total armed forces (O00s) 254 322 236 1301 insurgency aircraft combat aircraft 190 600 500+ 625 - Agusta-Bell 205A Iroquois heli helicopters 50+ 160 n.a. 215 copters tanks 350+ 1,975 750 525 - Lockheed Hercules C-130B armored cars 120 100 n.a. 1,430 transport aircraft armored personnel carriers 500 2,500 460 960 self-propelled guns n.s. 200 660 294 Fhese weapons, made in the US or Sources: Defense and ForeignAffairs Handbook 1976-77, Washington, D.C. and in other countries under US license London, 1977 and various industry sources. are all in service with South Africa's n.a. = not available regular fbrces or the Citizen Force. n.s. = not specified Most of the US weapons have beer 1. Estimate by the author based on South African source material. South Africa sold to South Africa since the arms em can mobilize 200,000 men within 2 days in an emergency. bargo began. More importantly, de liveries of some items of US equip ment were continuing in early 1977. TABLE E US corporations do not, so far as is MAJOR WEAPON SYSTEMS IN SERVICE known, sell directly to the apartheid WITH THE SOUTH AFRICAN REGULAR ARMY regime. The preferred channel for (EARLY 1977) getting US arms to South Africa at approx number approx date present appears to be licensed produc ITEM in service of delivery tion-an arrangement by which US Centurion Mk 10 tank 180 1967-1968 corporations agree to let a foreign AML 245 H60 armored car 800 produced under mnanufacturer produce an American license weapon under license. The foreign Panhard AML 245 H90 armored car 170 produced under manufacturer then ships the item in license question to South Africa. Daimler Ferret Mk 2 with Vigilant ATGW In theory, this 1968-1969 traffic should be con Saracen armored personnel carrier trolled by the Office of Munitions Con 1962-1966 Commando V-150 armored trol in the l)epartment of State. flow personnel carrier lO post-1971 ever, the OMC apparently does not Piranha armored personnel carrier ? delivery beginning control some foreign sales when pro M-113AI armored personnel carrier 150 1973-1974 (hiction takes place under US license. delivery continuing For example, the FMC Corporation Sexton 25 pdr self-propelled gun 150 1946 has licensed Oto Melara, a major M-109 155mm self-propelled gun 24 1972-1973 Italian arms manufacturer, to produce delivery continuing a version of the M-1 13A1 armored per Shorland Mk 3 armored car 60 1973 sonnel carrier. delivery continuing M-47 Patton tankl 70 1971 It is the Oto Melara models which 1. Assigned to the Citizen Force, but major have been recently sold to South equipment. Africa. Oto Melara is also producing, or refuirbishing, the M-109 self-pro pelled gun under license and then sell South Africa. In so doing, they have Studies, London: Alnanac of World ing it to South Africa. Meanwhile helped South Africa to impose apart Military Power, T. N. Dupay and Bravia Cgaimite, a firm in Portugal, is heid and have encouraged a state Associates, New York, 1974; Foreign producing the N-150 Commandofper whose policies they profess to abhor. Militanj Markets, South Africa Force sonnel carrier under license rom That is, these states, the US in Structure, 1976, )efense Marketing Cadillac Gage of Detroit. The Com cluded, have taken the side of the Services, Greenwich, Conn.; South mandos, like other US weapons pro apartheid regime and have, in fact, ern -Africa The Escalation of a Con duced under license, were in the armed the white minority regime fi)r flict, Stockholm International Peace process of being delivered to South the military confrontation which is Research Institute, Stockholm, 1976, Africa earlier this year, and so far as is now developing in southern Africa. EJ Appendix 1; International Military known, no attempt has been made to Aircraft and Ariation A NOTE ON SOURCES Directory, 1970 stop this traffic. and 1976. Aviation and Advisory Ser There is a great deal which is still Data on arms deliveries to South vices, Stapleford, Essex; Defen.se and unclear about the breakdown of the Africa and weapons currently present Foreign Affairs Handbook 1976-77, arms embargo. What is clear, how in the South African weapon systems Washington, D.C. and London, 1977; ever, is that the US, and other \Vest E rovided in the text and tables above Jane's Weapons Systems, 1977, Lon ern powers, have allowed vast quaiti ave been derived from the following don, 1977: diverse goxernment and ties of arms to be sent to South Africa, sources: industry sources. and have, for all practical purposes, The Military Balance 1976-1977, Reprinted by permission from the August 1977 ignored the UN arms embargo against International Institute for Strategic issue of Souihern Africa.