Special forces have always captured the imagination of the world. This comes as no surprise, as there is a lot of literature and movies on special forces available. The terror attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States of America, and the subsequent declaration by George W. Bush of a Global War on Terrorism, has brought the special forces of the United States and other Western powers out of the shadows and into the limelight as the force of choice to combat the new security threat. It also focussed the international concern on the security threats of ungoverned spaces, failed states, and the use of terror. This in turn created a merging of failed states and counter-terrorism agendas, which resulted in a powerful new framework for humanitarian actors. Third party interventions in the form of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), to mention but one example, appeared. The subsequent deployment of European special forces to Mali in 2013 as part of MINUSMA was in an effort to restore constitutional order to the Malian government. The mission is still ongoing and thus relevant as a case study to relate the role of special forces to peace missions. The aim of the article is to explore the role of special forces in peace missions, using the role of European Special Forces in MINUSMA as case study.
{"title":"The Role of Special Forces in Peace Missions: A Focus on MINUSMA within the African Context","authors":"Louis Bester","doi":"10.5787/51-2-1398","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-2-1398","url":null,"abstract":"Special forces have always captured the imagination of the world. This comes as no surprise, as there is a lot of literature and movies on special forces available. The terror attacks on 11 September 2001 in the United States of America, and the subsequent declaration by George W. Bush of a Global War on Terrorism, has brought the special forces of the United States and other Western powers out of the shadows and into the limelight as the force of choice to combat the new security threat. It also focussed the international concern on the security threats of ungoverned spaces, failed states, and the use of terror. This in turn created a merging of failed states and counter-terrorism agendas, which resulted in a powerful new framework for humanitarian actors. Third party interventions in the form of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), to mention but one example, appeared. The subsequent deployment of European special forces to Mali in 2013 as part of MINUSMA was in an effort to restore constitutional order to the Malian government. The mission is still ongoing and thus relevant as a case study to relate the role of special forces to peace missions. The aim of the article is to explore the role of special forces in peace missions, using the role of European Special Forces in MINUSMA as case study.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662151","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
As a Russian private military company, the Wagner Group has become an increasingly significant instrument in the Kremlin’s foreign policy toolkit. Wagner can even be described as a quasi-state actor and a proxy institution of the Russian state. It has a footprint across the globe, but its operations have especially been mired in controversy on the African continent. In Africa, Russia has sought to expand its geo-political influence and accordingly challenges Western influence on the continent. What is of particular interest is that Wagner’s operations are conducted in resource-rich and fragile African states where insecurity or conflict prevails. In view of the above, the study on which this article reports, examined the Wagner Group as a foreign policy instrument of the Russian government. The discussion commences with a background section on instruments of foreign policy, followed by an overview of Wagner’s activities worldwide, and particularly in Africa. Wagner’s operations in four African states are specifically analysed, namely Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali.
{"title":"Russian Para-Military Operations in Africa: The Wagner Group as a De Facto Foreign Policy Instrument","authors":"Theo Neethling","doi":"10.5787/51-1-1403","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-1-1403","url":null,"abstract":"As a Russian private military company, the Wagner Group has become an increasingly significant instrument in the Kremlin’s foreign policy toolkit. Wagner can even be described as a quasi-state actor and a proxy institution of the Russian state. It has a footprint across the globe, but its operations have especially been mired in controversy on the African continent. In Africa, Russia has sought to expand its geo-political influence and accordingly challenges Western influence on the continent. What is of particular interest is that Wagner’s operations are conducted in resource-rich and fragile African states where insecurity or conflict prevails. In view of the above, the study on which this article reports, examined the Wagner Group as a foreign policy instrument of the Russian government. The discussion commences with a background section on instruments of foreign policy, followed by an overview of Wagner’s activities worldwide, and particularly in Africa. Wagner’s operations in four African states are specifically analysed, namely Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity as an excessive or a disproportionate accumulation of body fat that impairs health. The South African military community is a subset of the general population, and is not exempt from the effects of overweight and obesity. Military recruitment and operational preparedness are directly affected by obesity as it affects members’ physical fitness, overall health, and capacity to perform duties optimally. The South African Military Health Services uses a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment and prevention of obesity and related conditions. Assessing perceived barriers to physical activity and healthy eating within the military environment could contribute to the development of effective and relevant programmes to address weight management and mitigate the health consequences of obesity. The current cross-sectional study was conducted in Bloemfontein, and comprised 58 randomly selected active-duty military personnel diagnosed with obesity, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the association between continuous data by calculating the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Analytical statistics, namely the independent T-test or analysis of the variance, was used to compare mean values among groups. The five items identified as barriers to healthy eating habits were liking food too much, difficulty controlling cravings, staying motivated, perceiving healthy food to be expensive, and a lack of will power. The five items identified as barriers to physical activity were a lack of will power to get started, social activities that do not include physical activity, a lack of physical training centres and shower facilities at work, no motivation to stick to a plan for healthy eating, and being too busy. Factors related to the military environment did not affect perceived barriers. A multidisciplinary and coordinated approach might enable the target population to attain better health outcomes, as the identified barriers were related to social and environmental factors and perceptions of self-efficacy. Further investigation into the enablers and motivators of behaviour change in this population would shed more light on addressing the apparent lack of motivation that persists among active-duty military personnel.
{"title":"Perceived Barriers Affecting Adherence to Healthy Eating and Exercise Guidelines among Obese Active-Duty Military Personnel of the South African National Defence Force","authors":"Magdeline Alcock, Jacqueline Wolvaar","doi":"10.5787/51-1-1406","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-1-1406","url":null,"abstract":"The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity as an excessive or a disproportionate accumulation of body fat that impairs health. The South African military community is a subset of the general population, and is not exempt from the effects of overweight and obesity. Military recruitment and operational preparedness are directly affected by obesity as it affects members’ physical fitness, overall health, and capacity to perform duties optimally. The South African Military Health Services uses a multidisciplinary approach for the treatment and prevention of obesity and related conditions. Assessing perceived barriers to physical activity and healthy eating within the military environment could contribute to the development of effective and relevant programmes to address weight management and mitigate the health consequences of obesity. The current cross-sectional study was conducted in Bloemfontein, and comprised 58 randomly selected active-duty military personnel diagnosed with obesity, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the association between continuous data by calculating the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Analytical statistics, namely the independent T-test or analysis of the variance, was used to compare mean values among groups. The five items identified as barriers to healthy eating habits were liking food too much, difficulty controlling cravings, staying motivated, perceiving healthy food to be expensive, and a lack of will power. The five items identified as barriers to physical activity were a lack of will power to get started, social activities that do not include physical activity, a lack of physical training centres and shower facilities at work, no motivation to stick to a plan for healthy eating, and being too busy. Factors related to the military environment did not affect perceived barriers. A multidisciplinary and coordinated approach might enable the target population to attain better health outcomes, as the identified barriers were related to social and environmental factors and perceptions of self-efficacy. Further investigation into the enablers and motivators of behaviour change in this population would shed more light on addressing the apparent lack of motivation that persists among active-duty military personnel.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The service of women in the South African Navy and its predecessors can be divided into three distinct historical periods. Firstly, there was the service of the so-called Swans with the South African Naval Forces during the Second World War, followed by the service of women in the Navy’s Permanent Force from 1972 with the South African Defence Force, and lastly, their employment in the Navy since 1994 when a new democratic dispensation saw the establishment of the South African National Defence Force. While the first and last eras mentioned above have received a good measure of attention in academic writing, the second has not. This article attempts to provide much-needed focus on a neglected but important era in our naval history. It details the first permanent appointment of women in the South African Navy in 1972 and 1973, which marked the departure point of women’s service in a permanent capacity – an important groundbreaking event that would lead to expanded utilisation in later years. The article discusses their experiences, particularly their utilisation and challenges to integrate into a male-dominated Navy during the early and mid-1970s. The research methodology employed for the study on which this article is based, combined the traditional “top-down” (archival sources) and grassroots “from the bottom-up” (oral history) approaches. This method offered a balanced and corroborated view of these important trailblazing events that occurred 50 years ago.
{"title":"Swans of the 70s: The First Women of the South African Navy’s Permanent Force","authors":"Leon Steyn","doi":"10.5787/51-1-1405","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-1-1405","url":null,"abstract":"The service of women in the South African Navy and its predecessors can be divided into three distinct historical periods. Firstly, there was the service of the so-called Swans with the South African Naval Forces during the Second World War, followed by the service of women in the Navy’s Permanent Force from 1972 with the South African Defence Force, and lastly, their employment in the Navy since 1994 when a new democratic dispensation saw the establishment of the South African National Defence Force. While the first and last eras mentioned above have received a good measure of attention in academic writing, the second has not. This article attempts to provide much-needed focus on a neglected but important era in our naval history. It details the first permanent appointment of women in the South African Navy in 1972 and 1973, which marked the departure point of women’s service in a permanent capacity – an important groundbreaking event that would lead to expanded utilisation in later years. The article discusses their experiences, particularly their utilisation and challenges to integrate into a male-dominated Navy during the early and mid-1970s. The research methodology employed for the study on which this article is based, combined the traditional “top-down” (archival sources) and grassroots “from the bottom-up” (oral history) approaches. This method offered a balanced and corroborated view of these important trailblazing events that occurred 50 years ago.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The White Redoubt, the Great Powers and the Struggle for Southern Africa, 1960–1980","authors":"Evert Kleynhans","doi":"10.5787/51-2-1423","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-2-1423","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135705489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The research on which this article reports, analysed corruption as a major threat to Nigeria’s internal security. Studies have examined dimensions of corruption and their effects on security in the country, but this article sets out to analyse selected forms of abuse in the operations of two security agencies, the Army and Prison Services, in Nigeria’s Ministries of Defence, and Interior respectively. The two represent military and paramilitary services in Nigeria, but they have overlapping duties and functions with other security agencies like the police, for example. Data is drawn from secondary sources for the conceptual and theoretical sections of the article. This is complemented by primary data from events analyses, especially from public hearings concerning the selected security agencies in Nigeria. A combination of the structural theory and the ecological approach is deployed for the article’s analytic frame. The article finds out that the two agencies selected for study reflect the prevalence of corruption in several sectors of Nigeria’s internal security architecture. It recommends a head-on combating of corruption which involves diligent closure of on-going cases of security breaches and corruption as well as the involvement of volunteers and communities.
{"title":"The Implication of Corruption to Nigeria’s Internal Security: Insights from Selected Security Agencies","authors":"Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju","doi":"10.5787/51-1-1408","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-1-1408","url":null,"abstract":"The research on which this article reports, analysed corruption as a major threat to Nigeria’s internal security. Studies have examined dimensions of corruption and their effects on security in the country, but this article sets out to analyse selected forms of abuse in the operations of two security agencies, the Army and Prison Services, in Nigeria’s Ministries of Defence, and Interior respectively. The two represent military and paramilitary services in Nigeria, but they have overlapping duties and functions with other security agencies like the police, for example. Data is drawn from secondary sources for the conceptual and theoretical sections of the article. This is complemented by primary data from events analyses, especially from public hearings concerning the selected security agencies in Nigeria. A combination of the structural theory and the ecological approach is deployed for the article’s analytic frame. The article finds out that the two agencies selected for study reflect the prevalence of corruption in several sectors of Nigeria’s internal security architecture. It recommends a head-on combating of corruption which involves diligent closure of on-going cases of security breaches and corruption as well as the involvement of volunteers and communities.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"External Missions: The ANC in Exile","authors":"Phumza Mbobo","doi":"10.5787/51-1-1413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-1-1413","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"12 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135662597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Commandant Barnie van der Merwe was a career soldier who served in the South African Defence Force (SADF) from 1934. By 1957 he had become embroiled in tender fraud and bribery in the procurement of arms and supplies for military vehicles and equipment for the SADF. His career came to an end in September 1963 when he was arrested and found guilty of corruption. His case contributed to the proclamation of the 1964 Cillié Commission of Inquiry into alleged irregularities in arms procurement in the SADF and the Department of Defence (DOD). The commission’s report showcased the intrigue in which corrupt SADF and DOD officials such as Van der Merwe played a part for the sake of self-enrichment. This study sheds light on the criminal biography of Barnie van der Merwe by indicating precisely how and against whom he committed his crimes and arguing the historical significance of his criminal career.
{"title":"The Corrupt Commandant: The Criminal Biography of Commandant Barnie van der Merwe","authors":"Emile Coetzee","doi":"10.5787/51-2-1415","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-2-1415","url":null,"abstract":"Commandant Barnie van der Merwe was a career soldier who served in the South African Defence Force (SADF) from 1934. By 1957 he had become embroiled in tender fraud and bribery in the procurement of arms and supplies for military vehicles and equipment for the SADF. His career came to an end in September 1963 when he was arrested and found guilty of corruption. His case contributed to the proclamation of the 1964 Cillié Commission of Inquiry into alleged irregularities in arms procurement in the SADF and the Department of Defence (DOD). The commission’s report showcased the intrigue in which corrupt SADF and DOD officials such as Van der Merwe played a part for the sake of self-enrichment. This study sheds light on the criminal biography of Barnie van der Merwe by indicating precisely how and against whom he committed his crimes and arguing the historical significance of his criminal career.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"87 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135703825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
During the Second World War, the Union of South Africa implemented emergency regulations, including an internment policy, to curb anti-war efforts within South Africa. These regulations and internment policy affected one of the biggest anti-war organisations, the Ossewabrandwag (OB), and many of its members were detained during the war in internment camps. In 1946, the Bond van Oud-geïnterneerdes en Politieke Gevangenes (BOPG) was formed by individuals, mostly OB members, who were interned in South African internment camps. Using the BOPG collection that forms part of the Ossewabrandwag-archives, this article explores some similarities between the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) and the BOPG in post-Second World War South Africa, it provides a brief historical background to the BOPG, and explores some key themes and focuses within the organisation. By framing the BOPG as a direct and long-lasting social manifestation related to the Union of South Africa’s internment policy, this article constitutes a first attempt at exploring the BOPG and understanding its role in the larger picture of South Africa’s Second World War experiences and memories.
第二次世界大战期间,南非联盟实施了紧急条例,包括一项拘留政策,以遏制南非境内的反战努力。这些规定和拘留政策影响了最大的反战组织之一奥塞瓦布兰瓦(OB),其许多成员在战争期间被拘留在拘留营中。1946年,Bond van Oud-geïnterneerdes en Politieke Gevangenes (BOPG)由被拘留在南非拘留营的个人组成,其中大部分是OB成员。本文利用构成奥塞瓦布朗德档案馆一部分的BOPG藏品,探讨了“锡帽纪念令”(MOTH)与二战后南非BOPG之间的一些相似之处,简要介绍了BOPG的历史背景,并探讨了该组织的一些关键主题和重点。通过将BOPG构建为与南非联邦拘留政策相关的直接和持久的社会表现,本文首次尝试探索BOPG并了解其在南非第二次世界大战经历和记忆的大图景中的作用。
{"title":"The Bond van Oudgeïnterneerdes en Politieke Gevangenes as a Direct and Long-Lasting Social Manifestation Related to the Internment Policy of the Union of South Africa, 1946–1985","authors":"Anna La Grange","doi":"10.5787/51-2-1416","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-2-1416","url":null,"abstract":"During the Second World War, the Union of South Africa implemented emergency regulations, including an internment policy, to curb anti-war efforts within South Africa. These regulations and internment policy affected one of the biggest anti-war organisations, the Ossewabrandwag (OB), and many of its members were detained during the war in internment camps. In 1946, the Bond van Oud-geïnterneerdes en Politieke Gevangenes (BOPG) was formed by individuals, mostly OB members, who were interned in South African internment camps. Using the BOPG collection that forms part of the Ossewabrandwag-archives, this article explores some similarities between the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) and the BOPG in post-Second World War South Africa, it provides a brief historical background to the BOPG, and explores some key themes and focuses within the organisation. By framing the BOPG as a direct and long-lasting social manifestation related to the Union of South Africa’s internment policy, this article constitutes a first attempt at exploring the BOPG and understanding its role in the larger picture of South Africa’s Second World War experiences and memories.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"50 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135705247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Equus Men: Rhodesia’s Mounted Infantry: The Grey’s Scouts 1896–1980","authors":"Laetitia Olivier","doi":"10.5787/51-2-1421","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/51-2-1421","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"192 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135703819","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}