GOVERNING & MANAGING GOVERNING THE DEFENCE SECTOR A well-functioning security sector is recognised as the foundation of any stable and GOVERNING & MANAGING prosperous society. Defence, properly integrated into government-wide security structures, is an essential component of this stability, and also an important tool of foreign policy. The fruit of more than thirty years of professional experience, research THE DEFENCE SECTOR and teaching around the world, Governing and Managing the Defence Sector provides a thorough discussion of how to organise and manage so as get the best out of the defence sector, as well as the management of resources and the conduct of military operations. Specifi c chapters also address intelligence, the making and implementation of national security policy, roles of civilians and the military, and the democratic obligations of transparency and accountability. Throughout, the emphasis is on practical problems and possible solutions, drawn from the author’s wide international experience. The book is a sequel to Defence Transformation (published in 2000 by the Institute for Security Studies), which was translated into several languages and is used in staff colleges, universities and training institutes in many parts of the world. DAVID CHUTER DAVID David Chuter worked for more than thirty years for the UK government, including spells in international organisations, think tanks, and at the French Ministry of Defence in Paris. He now works as an author, lecturer and independent consultant on security issues. An acknowledged expert on the management of the security sector around the world, Dr Chuter is the author of a number of books and articles. He has been involved with the South African security sector since before the 1994 election, and still teaches regularly in the country. ISBN 978-1-920422-19-6 9 7819 20 42219 6 DAV ID CHUTER GOVERNING & MANAGING THE DEFENCE SECTOR DAV ID CHUTER ... since it is my intention to say something that will prove of practical use to the enquirer, I have thought it proper to represent things as they are in real truth, rather than as they are imagined. – Niccolo Machiavelli, Th e Prince, Book XV, 1514 You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you. – Leon Trotsky www.issafrica.org © 2011, Institute for Security Studies All rights reserved Copyright in the volume as a whole is vested in the Institute for Security Studies, and no part may be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission, in writing, of both the authors and the publishers. The opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Defence, the SA Army, the Institute for Security Studies, its Trustees, members of the ISS Council, or donors. Authors contributed to this ISS publication in their personal capacity. ISBN: 978-1-920422-19-6 First published by the Institute for Security Studies PO Box 1787, Brooklyn Square 0075 Pretoria/Tshwane, South Africa Cover photos: Gallo Images/Getty Images Design, layout and printing: Marketing Support Services +27 (0)12 346 2168 Contents Acronyms and abbreviations . .vii Preface . viii Introduction . xi Chapter 1 Th e security sector and how it works . .1 Why is the security sector important? . .3 How do we understand the security sector? . .5 Conclusion . .8 Chapter 2 Making and implementing national security policy . .9 Why national security issues are complex . 13 Strategic analysis . 15 National strategic objectives . 16 Using the tools . 19 Organising security policy . 20 Chapter 3 Armed forces and what they are for . 23 Why do we need the military? . 23 What the military is not . 28 Why the military poses a problem . 30 Historical and cultural diff erences . 31 Professionals and conscripts . 35 The military as a public service . 37 Institutionalising excellence . 42 Acting on orders . 43 Chapter 4 Politics, the military and ‘control’ . 47 The roots of military interventionism . 48 The theory of dangers . 52 iii Contents The dangers of theory . 55 Is there really a problem? . 56 ‘Control’ of the military . 62 Civil control and civilian control . 63 Conclusion . 68 Chapter 5 Th e making of defence policy . 71 A few words about Clausewitz . 71 Defence policy and security policy . 73 The policy community . 74 Chapter 6 Th e military and the management of defence . 81 Areas of responsibility . 82 Political and military questions . 82 The illusion of homogeneity . 84 Offi cers and bureaucracies . 86 Chapter 7 Th e functions, organisation and working methods of a ministry of defence . 91 A range of defence functions . 91 Structure . 94 An integrated defence staff . 98 Working methods . ..