Defence Forces

• The South African National Defence Force marks 30 years this year, having been established on 27 April 1994.
• It’s as old as the country’s constitutional democracy, the result of a negotiated political settlement that ended apartheid.
• The defence force consists of the army, air force, navy, and military health service.
• It has been in decline for some time, especially since 2000, as its budgetary allocation from treasury has shrunk.

Figuring out its primary role

• The purchasing of new military equipment was based on the South African Defence Review of 1998.
• The equipment included nine Gripen fighter aircraft, 12 Hawk aircraft, 30 light utility helicopters, four patrol corvettes and three submarines.
• It was eventually decided that the defence force should be designed primarily to protect the country from external enemies.
• But it has received no additional armour and personnel for this additional role.
• It also plays a pivotal role in the Southern African Development Community mission in conflict-ridden northern Mozambique.

Lesotho, 1998: restoring democracy and political stability, supported by the Botswana military
Burundi, 2003: peacekeeping alongside Mozambique and Ethiopia as part of the African Union Mission in Burundi
Sudan, 2005: as part of the United Nations–African Union Mission in Darfur.

Constraints

• Budgetary constraints have posed a growing challenge.
• In 2015, the defence force was 24% underfunded in terms of its size and shape.
• Defence spending in 2022/23 was 8.4% lower than in 2021, and 21% lower than in 2013.
• Because of the budgetary constraints, the serviceability and functionality of high-tech equipment – especially the Gripens, frigates and submarines – couldn’t be sustained.

Problems at home

• These include internal or domestic operations such as helping the police in combating gang warfare, fighting illegal mining syndicates, preventing the torching of commercial trucks, guarding power plants, and combating cash-in-transit heists.
• These responsibilities can now even be regarded as among the military’s primary functions.

Theo Neethling receives funding from the National Research Foundation.

• Viasat and Airbus collaborated to integrate Viasat's flexible dual-band broadband terminal, the GAT-5530, on the C295 MSA aircraft to provide enhanced capability to this multi-purpose military airborne platform.
• Airbus completed delivery of two C295 MSA aircraft to the Irish Defence Forces earlier this year.
• The Airbus C295 MSA, a highly reliable multirole surveillance aircraft, provides the Irish Air Corps with a new-generation tactical transport and ISR platform that is extremely versatile in the operations it can perform.
• The Airbus C295 MSA with the fully integrated dual-band terminal was showcased at the Paris Air Show prior to delivery to the Irish Defence Forces.

• It resulted in Germany’s first ever official national security strategy.
• While some countries, such as the United States and Britain, have had serious national security strategies in place for a long time, for others it takes a shock.
• The suite of documents released today – including a first ever national security strategy – provides the answer.

A new security strategy

• The national security strategy, Secure Together-Tō Tātou Korowai Manaaki, along with a new defence policy and strategy statement, rounds out this revised New Zealand worldview.
• A soon-to-be-released threat assessment from the security intelligence agencies will complete the picture.
• While the new assessments and strategic statements come from different state agencies, they nonetheless speak clearly and coherently about the risks to New Zealand’s security.

1. Geopolitical uniqueness

• The first consistent theme concerns New Zealand’s uniqueness.
• It is a liberal, multicultural democracy based on a bicultural relationship and te Tiriti o Waitangi/Treaty of Waitangi.

2. Times are changing

• While no one challenge is expressly prioritised, there is a clear emphasis on geostrategic competition and the threats to a rules-based international system.
• There are also unpredictable but significant risks – especially economic ones – from those tensions, even without a descent into military conflict.
• Read more:
  The most significant defence review in 40 years positions Australia for complex threats in a changing region

3. Partnerships matter

• The most important relationship is with Australia, which is also rapidly upgrading its defence capabilities.
• The newer multinational security partnerships – namely AUKUS and the “Quad” (US, India, Japan and Australia) – are mentioned.
• Read more:
  ANZUS at 70: Together for decades, US, Australia, New Zealand now face different challenges from China

4. Realism over China

• But the new strategies and assessments repeatedly highlight the challenge of China.
• While peaceful cooperation in areas of shared interest is deemed desirable, China is also recognised as being major driver of geopolitical change, especially in its willingness to be more assertive and willing to challenge existing international rules and norms.

• SFC Energy AG and its strategic partner FC TecNrgy Pvt Ltd. secure major order from the Indian Ministry of Defence for portable fuel cell solutions
  The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
• SFC Energy AG and its strategic partner FC TecNrgy Pvt Ltd. secure major order from the Indian Ministry of Defence for portable fuel cell solutions
  Brunnthal/Munich, Germany, March 06, 2023 – SFC Energy AG ( F3C:DE , ISIN: DE0007568578 ), a leading supplier of hydrogen and methanol fuel cells for stationary and mobile hybrid power solutions, together with its strategic partner FC TecNrgy Pvt Ltd ("FCTec"), has received a major order from the Indian Defence Forces to supply 450 portable methanol fuel cell systems.
• The assembly of the energy solutions will take place at SFC's Indian subsidiary at the new site in Gurgaon, Haryana.
• The order is the largest fuel cell contract by the Indian defence forces awarded till date.