Department of Defence Annual Report 2008-2009

| Department of Defence |
Chapter 6
Programme 4: Maritime Defence
Overview
For the SA Navy FY 2008/09 was once again
demanding, yet satisfying and successful. The SA
Navy achieved and met most of its commitments.
In some instances, the required readiness-levels were
not met due to a shortage of personnel in various
domains, under-funding, obsolete equipment and
the availability of spares to effect repairs when
required.
The SA Navy deployed abroad on four occasions
during the course of the year, and hosted visiting ships
from 10 different countries. These all contributed
to enhancing naval relations and provided ideal
opportunities for multinational exercises, as well
as maintaining healthy international co-operation.
The most notable foreign deployment was that of
the Frigate, SAS SPIOENKOP to China (Operation
CARAWAY). This deployment, in support of the
Department of Foreign Affairs, contributed to
the celebration of 10 years of diplomatic relations
between the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and
the People’s Republic of China. The ship also visited
Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and Mauritius.
The SA Navy contributed an average of 50
personnel to the various missions in Africa during
FY 2008/09. The majority formed part of
Operation CURRICULUM, in which a platoon
from the Maritime Reaction Squadron’s Naval
Reaction Division was successfully deployed and
rotated. Technical assistance was provided to
Malawi and Mozambique. Learning opportunities
were provided to 27 learners from Namibia and the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The SA
Navy further provided a Junior Staff and Warfare
Course to 12 learners from eight South African
Development Community (SADC) countries,
and secretarial services to the Standing Maritime
Committee of the Inter-state Defence Security
Committee (ISDSC). The Working Group session,
as well as the meeting of Chief Delegates was held
in Angola, with the Chief of the Navy attending as
a Chief Delegate. In compliance with its pledges to
the SADC Brigade, the SA Navy also participated
in the initial planning exercise held in Angola, in
preparation of the Brigade Exercise scheduled for
FY 2009/10. All these efforts contributed towards
the DOD’s outcomes and have impacted positively
on the achievement of Government’s priorities.
Eight multinational naval exercises were conducted
during the period under review. Most notable were
the inaugural Ex IBSAMAR 1 (India, Brazil and
RSA), Ex ATLASUR VII (Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil
and RSA), Ex FLOWER (USA and RSA) and Ex
LERU (Mozambique and RSA). All these exercises
contributed to ensuring that the SA Navy remained
abreast of world standards and imparted knowledge
to navies in the region. Bilateral maritime/naval
relations were enhanced through staff talks held
with Brazil, India, Pakistan, the United States of
America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK),
focusing on areas of co-operation and training. A
process to formalise staff talks with SADC Standing
Maritime Committee member states to enhance
bilateral maritime relations with African navies, has
also been initiated. Some of the foreign military
dignitaries hosted by the Chief of the Navy included
representatives from countries such as Chile, China,
the DRC and Pakistan, while the Chief of the Navy
also conducted goodwill visits to Argentina, Spain
and the US. All these visits contributed positively to
the enhancement of naval relations.
A successful 3 rd Sea Power for Africa Symposium
with the theme “Towards Effective Maritime
Governance for Africa” was hosted in Cape Town
in March 2009. A total of 33 African countries and
12 observer countries attended the symposium.
Resolutions were formulated, mainly in terms of
international, continental and regional co-operation,
capability and force design, policy and governance,
and consolidation of previous resolutions.
In terms of support to other government
departments, the SA Navy has been fully involved
in all the planning and relevant exercises to ensure
proper preparedness for the 2010 Fédération
Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
World Cup.
The most signicant highlight during the period
under review was the successful execution of the
Presidential Fleet Review in Simon’s Town to
honour the Commander-in-Chief of the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF).
Over 500 key stakeholders, including 60 media
| Programme 4: Maritime Defence |
103 Annual Report FY 2008 - 2009