Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

On May 27, South African Defense Minister Mosuuoa Lekota presented the program for implementing the force structure to the South African parliament. The presentation outlined that the new force structure would retain the core focus of current capabilities while expanding to meet new military needs. Lekota noted that, "This implies the need to ensure that all the necessary building blocks, such as doctrine, technology, and training capabilities are retained at an appropriate level to provide the backbone to future growth as and when required by government."

Lekota highlighted four areas in which the SANDF has identified a military need: rapidly-deployable light, mobile forces; strategic and tactical transport capability; mobile air defense radars and SAM systems; and aircraft-based maritime surveillance support for surface ships and submarines.

The timing of Lekota's announcement dovetails with the completion of the SANDF's Strategic Defense Procurement Plan (SDPP). The SDPP, a series of related major acquisition programs initiated throughout the late 1990s and in the early 21st century, is valued at ZAR46 billion and has been the driving force in the modernization of the South African military. Major procurements included in the SDPP have included 28 Saab/BAE JAS Gripen multirole fighters, 24 BAE Hawk 100 lead-in jet trainers, 30 Agusta A109 light utility helicopters, 4 MEK0 A-200 Valor frigates, and 3 Type 209-1400M submarines.

As SDPP contracts is largely complete, the SANDF is beginning to transition into a new phase of modernization, one that targets mobility, air defense, and the ability to link newly acquired aircraft and ships.

Lekota's unveiling of a new force structure provides a clear indication of the type of military platforms and systems it is likely to seek in its next round of modernizations. That the Strategic Defense Account (SDA, the primary procurement vehicle of the SANDF, will grow from ZAR8.28 billion to ZAR8.55 billion - an increase of about 3.3 percent - through 2010 suggests the SANDF are in deed planning another round of force-wide military procurement.