Dangerously neglected
Date: 13 February 2009
Soldiers, airmen and sailors will find little comfort in the budget - though a few areas have been favoured. The defence budget has been declining in real terms for many years, and that isn't about to change. Between 2005/2006, when defence spending was R23,5bn, and 2009, the average annual increase was 5,9%. In the next year the total is set to increase markedly from R27,7bn to R32bn - but will then remain virtually static, rising to just R34,4bn by 2011/2012. The increase is based on inflation-related increases in operating expenditure; salary increases; further acquisition costs of the Gripen fighter aircraft; and the establishment of a strategic airlift capability. This means the SA Air Force will take nearly a third of total defence spending in the coming year. That's just one example of how the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has had to prioritise by rotation. In the army, this year it is the turn of the engineers, whose 31% increase will go to investment in recovery vehicles and minefield breaching capacity; and of the artillery, with an upgrade of the G6 mobile guns. But there are many other areas that need urgent attention. Many bases are virtually derelict, though these are also being given attention on a case-by-case basis. Recent upgradings include the runways at Waterkloof air force base and 4 SA Infantry Battalion at Middelburg. The emphasis on arms and equipment procurement has meant that training time has been reduced. There is not enough ammunition for realistic training to be carried out on the scale required. Perhaps the most desperate need is in the Reserve Force (RF), which provides the SANDF's landward conventional force. In times of war or crisis, the RF will be expected to provide the necessary expansion in capacity. Strategically, the RF is not a "nice-to-have" but an integral part of the SANDF. After more than a decade of what was in effect a moratorium on recruiting, the RF is at last being revitalised by an annual intake from the regular force's military skills development programme. This recruits young men and women who serve for two years. The best are selected for continued regular service and the rest return to civilian life but must continue part-time service in the RF. In the budget there is a vague promise of more money for RF training - but it is not clear if this will be enough. Whatever other good the budget may do, the SANDF remains dangerously neglected. Source: Financial Mail
