Statement: Sisulu: Defence Review Committee

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REMARKS BY THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND MILITARY VETERANS, MS LINDIWE SISULU AT THE MEDIA LAUNCH OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN DEFENCE REVIEW PROCESS, IMBIZO MEDIA CENTRE, CAPE TOWN, AUGUST 30, 2011

Greetings to members of the media, members of Parliament, the Defence Review Committee and embassy officials. We invited you here today to unveil something we have been working on for sometime. In my 2010 Budget Vote speech I indicated that we have started a process towards a total review of all our Defence legislations, policies and structures.

“Major changes, both dramatic and evolutionary, have taken place in the defence environment over the past 15 years. The policy review and strategy would of necessity take this into consideration and will be informed by a clear-eyed assessment of what we want our foreign policy to achieve, the potential threats facing us, and socio-economic interests in what is a very uncertain era of growing competition among new major powers. The new environment requires new thinking and new approaches. To this end, we remain committed to creating a dependable, agile and flexible Human Capital base in the defence force” Minister Sisulu, 2010 Budget Vote speech.

I also said that we seek to answer a number of questions, among them the role of the SANDF in the 21st century in a developing country with a number of developmental and social challenges. We said that the domestic, regional, continental and global world is changing, that the SANDF – which is bound by international and regional rules – has to adapt to the rigors and demands of SADC and the African continent.

Most importantly we indicated that we need to review all our legislations, programmes and policies in order to answer the important question: What is the role of the SANDF in a developing state with a number of developmental challenges?

Every country has a National Defence Policy; a National Defence Policy is that body of public policy that a government pronounces its guidelines for the defence objectives and functions of its armed forces. Defence policy defines the defence or military scope of national security, the strategic posture, defence capabilities, defence alliances, and security institutions or mechanisms (both national and international) that govern the operations of a country’s defence force.

The national defence policy also clearly identifies the possible threats to a country’s national security, its society, economy, territory and environment, and provides options to government on how the defence force should deal with such threats. National defence policies are created through a rigorous policy process of making important decisions on strategic issues of national security, such as when and how to commit national defence forces.

In addition it entails the identification of priorities and different options for critical decisions on issues such as defence personnel and capability programs within budgetary constraints and on the basis of the impact they will have on the overall national development of the country.

In essence, the national defence policy of a country defines the strategic intent of government regarding the defence, including the utilisation of the defence force. Therefore, a country’s national defence policy, given these characteristic features, must be subjected to periodic review and update to reflect on factors that have constituted a change to Government’s guidelines to the defence function.

The Defence Policy Framework addresses three broad issues: 
a.            Defence Mandate and Defence Outcomes – the objectives to be pursued by Defence (Ends).
b.            Defence Concept – the required defence missions and tasks, priorities and envisaged operations (Ways).
c.            Defence Capability Requirements – the broad capabilities and force levels required to execute the defence concept and achieve the outcomes (Means).

Following the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, the South African government set out to confirm and consolidate the basis for future defence policies for the Republic.  Accordingly, a comprehensive process was embarked upon to determine and formulate the defence policy framework for a democratic South Africa that centred primarily on the transformation of South Africa’s defence sector, reflected the constitutional imperatives of a democratic government and pronounced on the integration of forces into the newly established SANDF.

Epitomised by the term “Defence in a Democracy”, this engagement was historic since it was the first time in South Africa’s history that the people of South Africa engaged each other on the country’s defence policy. The outcome resulted in the South African White Paper on Defence. In addition these processes, quite critically set the foundation for future civil-military relations in South Africa.

However, by 2000/2001 it became apparent that the 1996 White Paper on Defence and the 1998 Defence Review required updating to due to many changes that occurred within both, the external and domestic, strategic environments of South Africa.

Infact many academics argue that the policies were outdated as they were being drafted due in a fast changing environment.

From the early days of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in the early 1990’s to the current 2009-2014 Medium Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) there has been consistent policy intent concerning the role of the State in meeting the development needs of our people. Consequently, the role of a Defence Force in a developmental state also needs to be expressed in policy alongside the traditional primary and secondary functions of defence. This should not detract the defence force from its mandated functions, but should express both how the execution of its mandated functions and other specific initiatives will contribute to the development of our people.

The continental environment has also been overtaken by a number of elements that the SANDF must know operate under, these include the following:
a.             The New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and the Development of the African Agenda provides a clear South African foreign policy priority and direction.
b.             The formation of the African Union (AU) and the passing of the Organisation for African Unity (OAU).
c.            The developing Security Structure of the AU, specifically the Peace & Security Council and its Organs:
i.            Common African Defence & Security Policy.
ii.           Panel of the Wise.
iii.          Peace Fund.
iv.         Military Staff Committee.
v.          African Standby Force (ASF).
d.             The creation of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security and its Interstate, Defence and Security Committee (ISDSC).

There is also an emergent conviction that regional and sub-regional organisations must take more responsibility for managing the conflict in their neighbourhoods. This implies a greater role for the AU and SADC in managing regional conflict.  South Africa is expected to play a significant role in this.

Therefore, equally driving the need to update South Africa’s defence policy is the importance allocated to stabilising parts of the African continent. The 1996 South African White Paper on Defence, concentrated on transforming the defence function and forces of the country. Subsequently the growing utilisation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in performing Defence Diplomacy, in particular peacekeeping on the African continent, has compelled a need to prioritise peace missions and give peacekeeping its correct place in the roles and functions of the SANDF. Through peacekeeping the SANDF contributes to political stability that facilitates economic development, the economic success of countries like Burundi and DRC proves this.

All governments face similar questions when attempting to identify their national defence needs:
a.            What are the nature and characteristics of the current and future security and defence environment?
b.            What position and role does the country aspire to in that environment?
c.            What work will accordingly be required of Defence?
d.            What must Defence be able to do at a stretch?
e.            What should Defence not do?
f.             What are the resources are available to Defence?
g.            How should Defence be structured, organised and equipped to best fulfill requirements within resource constraints? 

In determining the future South African Defence Policy Framework we have carefully studied the national security objectives of the country, our international relations objectives, our national interests and the geo-strategic trends in our environment and the future African Continent battle space. While the future is inevitably shrouded in uncertainty, it is impossible to plan defence capabilities without constructing some idea of how the future might develop. A new Defence Review considering the current environment is now more than urgent.

After consulting the Commander in Chief, President Jacob Zuma I have decided to appoint a Committee to be known as the South African Defence Review Committee to assist with the coordination and facilitation among stakeholder of a draft Defence Review Policy for our country. On completion of the initial consultation, research and drafting of the document, the Draft South African Defence Review Policy will then be tabled before Parliament and other stakeholders for further consultation and way forward.

I have appointed Mr Roelf Meyer to Chair the Committee. The other members of the Committee are:
1.Ms Thandi Modise (Deputy Chair of the Committee)
2.Ambassador Thenjiwe Mtintso (Deputy Chair)
3.Dr. Moses Khanyile
4.Dr. Phandelani Motoma
5.Dr. Gulube (Chair of Resource Group)
6.Ms. Nonkonzo Molai
7.Col. G. Seape
8.Mr. Nick Sendall
9.Mr Helmoed Heitman
10.Adm Phillip Schoultz
11.Mr. Tony Yengeni
12.Ambassador, T. Mtintso
13.Mr Godfrey Giles
14.Mr Charles Nqakula

This Committee will facilitate and coordinate all the Defence Review activities towards drafting the future Defence Review for our nation. Following that we will table the Defence Review before the Cabinet and before Parliament for further consultation and way forward.

I will now hand over to the chairperson Mr Roelf Meyer to share with you their programme and how they are going to get the Defence Review before parliament before the end of the 2011 terms.

Enquiries:

Ndivhuwo Mabaya
083 645 7838