IN 2003 the SANDF will be expected to play an even bigger role in peacekeeping operations outside its borders. The SANDF currently has a protection force of some 700 soldiers in Burundi to oversee the peace process in this country as well as to provide protection to exiled political leaders returning to the country.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) the SANDF has been providing 150 specialists in cargo handling, fire fighting and medical support to the United Nations (UN) Monuc deployment for the past year and a half. According to a peace agreement signed in Pretoria between the DRC and Rwanda, whereby Rwanda had to withdraw its forces from the DRC and South Africa would act as the third party verification team, the task will probably fall on South Africa's shoulders to also provide some 1,500 soldiers to form part of Monuc III. This force will have to disarm and repatriate rebel groups such as the Mai-Mai and others in the Eastern parts of the DRC.

Aquisition programme The SA Navy will be the first to benefit from the above programme when the first of four Meko A-200 patrol corvettes, manufactured by the German Frigate Consortium, will arrive in False Bay. The corvettes will be fitted with locally manufactured weapons systems and combat suites in South Africa after which they will be commissioned into the Navy by 2004.

The Navy will receive the first of three new Class 209 diesel-electric submarines from the German Submarine Consortium in 2005. According to the Navy its biggest challenge remains the timeous provision of adequate numbers of suitable personnel with the appropriate entry requirements from the fleet to the corvette project to receive training for the manning of the vessels and the Navy support structures.

Due to budget constraints the acquisition of maritime helicopters for the corvettes has been put on ice, causing the current vessel acquisition only to be partially satisfactory to the required Navy corvette capability. The delay in the maritime helicopter project is posing a further challenge for the achievement of the overall aim of the corvette programme. The submarine project faces similar problems. The three submarines will be entirely built and accepted in Germany after which they will become the responsibility of the Navy. They will be sailed to South Africa by South African personnel. The submarines are being built at three different shipyards in Germany and production is on schedule. Staffing is at an advanced stage and personnel have relocated to Germany in accordance with the project plan.

The South African Air Force (SAAF) will be next in line to benefit from the acquisition programme. Production of 30 Italian Agusta A-109 helicopters is progressing well. All major design-engineering milestones have been completed, while the first SAAF helicopter has been assembled and is being equipped with flight test instrumentation. Denel Aviation from South Africa will be participating in certain manufacturing activities. In order to meet these requirements it has started industrializing its manufacturing processes in order to meet production dates by December 2003. The target date for equipping the first squadron is January 2005. The first three Hawk lead-in fighter trainers of a total of 24 are under construction at the BAE plant in the UK.

BAE has provided a demonstration aircraft for engine testing purposes. Having recognised the ability of local industry to assist in this test programme and the availability of South African test facilities, BAE Systems has decided to move the full engine evaluation programme to South Africa. The contract for the purpose of 28 Gripen advanced light fighters was activated in April 2002. Whilst awaiting the activation the South African project team and the main contractor, BAE SAAB, have been actively involved in creating the design baseline for the export variant of the Gripen. Although well ahead of the contractual delivery dates, BAE SAAB has already involved Denel in pro-active counter-trade opportunities.

Denel has started delivering fuselage sections destined for assembly into the latest batch of Swedish Air Force Gripens, adding to the industrial participation obligations.

Human resources strategy 2010 Since the establishment of the SANDF in 1994, replacing the former SADF with an integrated force of freedom fighters and conventional soldiers, a corporate transformation process has been underway to migrate from the pre-1994 defence dispensation to a new dispensation as envisaged by the democratic constitution of South Africa. Many of the changes in the SANDF's human resources department have been implemented; more than 100,000 soldiers have been cut down to 80,000 and then to the current 70,000. However, in order to have a more affordable and capable force this number has to be cut by another 20,000 by 2010.

According to the SANDF many changes have been beneficial to contribute towards transforming the SANDF into a representative force of all race groups. However, many changes have also had side effects that impact negatively on the readiness, output and efficiency of the SANDF - particularly in the light of new political demands on the deployment of South African troops in warring countries.

The first part of the scaling down process will be concluded between April and July this year whereby at least 3,000 troops will be retrenched. The SANDF hopes to achieve a model by which its budget will be divided into 40 per cent for personnel, 30 per cent for operating costs and 30 per cent for capital renewal. Currently the percentage for personnel amounts to 53 per cent of the defence budget. After integration the result was that 52 per cent of 10 151 Privates are between 30 and 60 years old and 50 per cent of junior non-commissioned officers in the same age group. The effect of the age imbalance is that particularly the SA Army carries significant numbers of combat personnel whose effective deployment potential is restricted as a result of their age.

There is particular concern regarding the effect of disease, most prominently HIV/AIDS, amongst all soldiers adding to the cost escalation to maintain personnel who cannot be utilised. According to the SANDF HIV/AIDS constitutes the biggest single threat to the deployment potential and operational effectiveness of the SANDF as it mostly affects people between 25 and 29 years old. The official statistics for HIV/AIDS infected soldiers are 23 per cent of the total force; a more realistic figure (according to HIV/AIDS specialists) would be at least 40 per cent.

As part of its 2010 strategy the SANDF will also be introducing a new service system consisting of a short term (STS), a medium term (MTS) and a long term system (LTS). It is hoped to divide its forces into 40 per cent STS; 40 per cent MTS and 20 per cent LTS. Adding to this a voluntary national service system, whereby young people who have just finished school would serve for two years only, will be introduced. Some 10,000 new recruits will annually enter the service according to this plan.

The Department of Defence reckons its challenges are attainable - though not without difficulty. According to Mr. Mosiuoa Lekota, Minister of Defence, "The SANDF remains one of South Africa's most important assets, in spite of numerous problems emanating from the transformation of the defence force. It has withstood the storms of transformation primarily due to the strong and committed leadership of the SANDF and will continue to do so."