Title: Getting the Job Done: Transformation in the South African Military
Abstract: ABSTRACT This article explores the nexus between transformation and the ability of the South African military to fulfil its constitutionally defined mission since democratisation in 1994. Transformation in the South African military was linked to the 'national democratic revolution' and placed high emphasis on racial and gender representivity. During the Mandela era, the focus was predominantly on structural and other organisational changes. During the Mbeki era, the military became an important instrument of foreign policy. This article argues that the transformation of the South African National Defence Force was successful in orientating the organisation in new direction. At the same time though, and in view of the current challenges confronting the South African National Defence Force, transformational change did not take the force to an entirely different level of 1. INTRODUCTION Transformation is normally closely associated with the need for change. Most definitions of the concept link the idea of transformational change to the need to be more effective. Amongst others, transformation is defined as a process of profound and radical change that orients an organization in new direction and takes it to an entirely different level of effectiveness. (1) Accordingly, the essence of transformation is the idea of change driven by the need for self-improvement. Military self-improvement is rooted in the notion of specific military as learning organisation and, in particular, its ability to adapt in rectifying mistakes made in the past. Self-adjustment of equipment, personnel, systems and procedures is the key ingredient of transformed military's ability to increase its own capacity. (2) Linking the idea of transformation and effectiveness, however, is risky. To be precise, what constitutes military effectiveness is open to debate. (3) However, the aim of this article is not to engage in this discourse. Irrespective of how specific military defines its own vision, mission, roles and effectiveness, perceptions about its ability 'to get the job done' are key ingredients in its use as an instrument of national power. These perceptions not only affect the threat assessment of possible adversaries and the deterrence capacity of country but they are also critical for the legitimacy with which military supports the diplomatic efforts of its government and, in particular, whether such diplomatic efforts will be taken seriously in the international domain. Brooks, for example, points out that through the study of military effectiveness valuable practical insights are gained into the relative power of states in the contemporary interstate arena. (4) The defence budget process is interactive and dependent on the military's ability to justify the size and the composition of its share of the national budget and to lobby effectively for it when measured against other priorities. In the absence of civilian policy-makers with military experience of note or in the face of growing civil-military gap, political support for the defence budget will primarily be based on views about the ability of the military to fulfil its role. Politicians, policy-makers and military leaders need to ensure the biggest possible 'bang for the buck'. Of course, political office bearers and military bureaucrats have an ethical obligation to employ public funds and resources in responsible manner. This implies an obligation to optimise the use of public resources in the delivery of military services, specifically when measured against other priorities in developing state. (5) Few countries have experienced the kind of transformational change that the South African society has undergone since democratisation in 1994. As highly militarised state before 1994, the military was due to be an integral part of the transformation of the public sector in South Africa. (6) In South Africa at large, the idea of transformation is closely related to the 'national democratic revolution' (7) and often associated with the need to change the racial (and sometimes gender (8) profile of both the public and the private sectors. …
Publication Year: 2010
Publication Date: 2010-06-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 8
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