South African Defence Review 2015 S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 1 DEFENCE AND NATIONAL SECURITY Cabinet Statement: 20 March 2014 Cabinet approved the South African Defence Review, and directed that it be tabled in Parliament. The Review provides a long-term Defence Policy and Defence Strategic Trajectory to be pursued by the country over the next four Medium-Term Strategic Framework periods. The document will be shared with the public, as they participated in the public consultations that were held across the country in the past year. STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS: 17 June 2014 The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) has been a source of national pride as it participated in peacekeeping missions on the continent. This role will continue and government is looking into the resourcing of the SANDF mandate in line with the recently concluded Defence Review. To take this programme of action forward, the Deputy President and I will be meeting with Ministers and Deputy Ministers to discuss the detailed implementation plans for each department. Each Minister will sign a performance agreement with the President outlining what each department will do to deliver on the programme of action. 2 S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 MINISTER OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS It gives me great pleasure and pride to present the South African Defence Review 2015 to the President of the Republic of South Africa, the Honourable Jacob Zuma. A dedicated team of proud South Africans spent extensive time and energy to produce this important and overdue Defence Review, with utmost dedica- tion and sublime professionalism. This Defence Review is the second such policy review in the democratic South Africa, and it maps out the direction defence will be taking over the next 20 to 30 years. The issues that informed the 1996 White Paper on Defence and subsequently the 1998 Defence Review, centred on the transition to de- mocracy and the resultant transformation of the Department of Defence. However, complex changes in the strategic environ- ment, increasing continental peacekeeping obligations, the need to deepen democracy on the continent and the pursuit of our national interests have led to a review of our strategic posture and concomitant policy. In an ever-changing and dynamic geopolitical environment, it is important for the government to ensure that its Defence Force is not only the Defence Force that South Africa needs, but also the Defence Force that the citizens want and can be proud of. The Defence Review Committee, after extensive basic re- search, provided a draft which was publicly released on 12 April 2012. Starting with a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Military Veterans on 18 April 2012, the Defence Review Committee proceeded with a consultation process The Minister of Defence & Military Veterans, the Honourable throughout South Africa. Ms Nosiviwe Noluthando Mapisa-Nqakula. Over 350 consultative engagements were undertaken with Ministries, Government Departments, Agencies and Public These engagements enabled the Defence Review Committee Entities, key stakeholders and interested parties. One primary to draw on a breadth of expertise, as well as to engage with stakeholder was the Defence Force itself. Many organisations views from a cross-section of the South African society to assist and experts were engaged internationally, such as the African in pronouncing on the defence policy of South Africa and on Union Commission and the Southern African Development what South Africans expect from their Defence Force. Follow- Community Secretariat. Contributions were received from all ing public consultation, and the consolidation thereof into the walks of life in South Africa, ranging from rural communities at Defence Review, the document had to be further adapted in grass-roots level to academics and military specialists in and out- response to the ever-changing strategic environment, especially side South Africa. on the African continent. S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 i MINISTER OF DEFENCE & MILITARY VETERANS Following engagements at Cabinet level, the Commander- document is truly a product for all South Africans by all South in-Chief, the Honourable President Jacob Zuma, personally Africans. provided additional strategic direction on South Africa’s future defence capabilities. He further instructed that the ‘defence Guided by the Defence Review 2015, the Chief of the Defence strategic trajectory’ be included in the document. Force will present the Military Strategy to the Minister and Cabi- net, this being inclusive of: force design; force structure; estab- This defence strategic trajectory is the pivotal chapter in the lishment table; capability strategy and acquisition plan; and key Defence Review. Departing from an acknowledgement of the resource imperatives. The Defence Accounting Officer must currently declining state of defence capabilities, it posits the de- translate the Defence Review into an extended long-term de- sired end-state of the Defence Force, and identifies the 20- fence development plan, inclusive of an aligned funding trajec- year defence strategy to be pursued over four Medium-Term tory, and integrate this into the government planning cycle. Strategic Framework periods. This strategy is founded on five milestones, each milestone specifying an estimated budget re- Ndiyabulela quirement, personnel targets, the required number of opera- tional units, required capital programmes, and organisational interventions to be pursued. It further provides strategic guide- lines for the development of SA Army, SA Air Force, SA Navy, SA Military Health Service and SA Special Forces capabilities. Cabinet has endorsed the Defence Review 2015, and it has (N.N. MAPISA-NQAKULA) further been tabled in Parliament. I can therefore say that this MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS ii S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 CHAIRPERSON’S OVERVIEW I N T R O D U C T I O N CHAIRPERSON’S OVERVIEW ABOUT THE DEFENCE REVIEW 1. The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans constituted the Defence Review Committee and mandated it to look criti- cally at South Africa’s defence policy, given the rapid and fun- damental changes that have occurred in the strategic environ- ment over the last number of years. To this end, the Committee embarked on a diagnostic of the current defence function and analysed the strategic role that the Defence Force plays. 2. Whilst a number of the principles established during the 1998 Defence Review process remain relevant, current stra- tegic circumstances call for a far greater Defence contribution towards the continuance of South Africa’s national security, the deepening of democracy on the continent and meeting South Africa’s international responsibilities. This Defence Review thus defines and expands on the guiding principles that will steer the Defence Force through the next twenty to thirty years. 3. Traditionally, Defence Forces have focused purely on the role that they play in the defence of the sovereignty of the na- tion-state. This Defence Review, however, discusses the broad- er role of the Defence Force within a developmental state. It does not purely focus on the ‘what the Defence Force is against’ but additionally provides the framework for the ‘what the De- fence Force is for’ and consequently ‘what the Nation expects its Defence Force to do’. This includes the positive role it should Mr Roelf Meyer, Chairperson of the Defence Review Committee. play in support of nation building, as an adjunct to its traditional roles and functions. constitutional order; the security and continuance of national NATIONAL SECURITY, FOREIGN POLICY institutions; the well-being, prosperity and upliftment of the AND THE NATIONAL INTEREST people; the growth of the economy; and demonstrable good governance. As a developmental state, South Africa faces the 4. South Africa’s national security is centred on the advance- onerous task of addressing a number of pressing developmen- ment of its sovereignty, democracy, national values and free- tal challenges, including poverty, unemployment, inequality and doms, and its political and economic independence. To this end criminality. it is clear that there is both a domestic and a regional dimension to national security. 6. Regionally, South African national security inextricably hinges on the stability, unity and prosperity of the Southern Afri- 5. Domestically, South African national security focuses on can region, and the African continent in general. Africa is at the its sovereignty and the related priorities of: territorial integrity; centre of South African policy, and the growth and success of S O U T H A F R I C A N D E F E N C E R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 iii CHAIRPERSON’S OVERVIEW the South African economy are further intrinsically dependent on mainly from: lack of political rights; weak and dysfunctional states; enduring peace, stability, economic development and deepened inadequate political and economic governance; the politicisation democracy on the continent. Significant growth of the economy of ethnicity; the marginalisation of groups; inappropriate military requires accelerated inbound and outbound trade (in particular involvement; and unconstitutional changes of governments. higher-value products) as well as attracting significant volumes of Other prominent drivers of African insecurity include: compe- foreign direct investment. Sustained value and volume of exports tition over scarce resources; poverty, under-development and to traditional markets must be achieved. Continental and other poor human security; maritime insecurity; and endemic disease.