Much has been written about China’s deep ambitions as the country moves towards great power status. The Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) is just one example of how China is flexing its muscles, and if history is to be believed, there is a strong correlation between maritime success and national economic prosperity. The study, on which this article reports, examined China’s MSRI through the lens of sea power theory. It was argued that the New Silk Road, which will most likely be backed by a modern blue-water navy, could represent a new era of maritime supremacy. However, to see the MSRI as a pursuit of sea power requires an understanding of how maritime logistics functions as power. The seamless movement of goods across the ocean is at the heart of the MSRI. Therefore, the research question that was pursued related to how maritime logistics functions as a tool for power projection. Although sea power theory recognises merchant shipping as a core element of sea power, it was further argued that scholarly work in critical logistics and mobility studies could enhance our understanding of logistical power. The study therefore aimed to conceptualise the MSRI through the lens of sea power by highlighting maritime logistics as a strategic conduit for power projection.
{"title":"China’s Maritime Silk Road Initiative: A quest for sea power","authors":"Lungani Hlongwa","doi":"10.5787/48-2-1258","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-2-1258","url":null,"abstract":"Much has been written about China’s deep ambitions as the country moves towards great power status. The Maritime Silk Road Initiative (MSRI) is just one example of how China is flexing its muscles, and if history is to be believed, there is a strong correlation between maritime success and national economic prosperity. The study, on which this article reports, examined China’s MSRI through the lens of sea power theory. It was argued that the New Silk Road, which will most likely be backed by a modern blue-water navy, could represent a new era of maritime supremacy. However, to see the MSRI as a pursuit of sea power requires an understanding of how maritime logistics functions as power. The seamless movement of goods across the ocean is at the heart of the MSRI. Therefore, the research question that was pursued related to how maritime logistics functions as a tool for power projection. Although sea power theory recognises merchant shipping as a core element of sea power, it was further argued that scholarly work in critical logistics and mobility studies could enhance our understanding of logistical power. The study therefore aimed to conceptualise the MSRI through the lens of sea power by highlighting maritime logistics as a strategic conduit for power projection.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"35 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125368471","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 popular perception of Oswald Pirow is that of an incompetent Minister of Defence, much derided for his bush carts pulled by oxen in the era of the blitzkrieg doctrine of dive-bombers and tanks. However, this was not the perception of him in the years between 1933 and 1939. When Pirow became Minister of Defence in 1933, the Union Defence Force was in a poor state. During the Great Depression between 1929 and 1933, austerity measures had reduced the already small army to an insignificant force. In what has been described as a Pirowian renaissance he succeeded in improving the preparedness of the Union Defence Force drastically. Ian van der Waag points out that with the outbreak of the Second World War, South African defences were in abetter state of preparation than during any other period in its peacetime history. This was a considerable achievement, as Pirow had to deal with the vehement hostility of the National Party who viewed the Union Defence Force as a tool to serve British imperialism. In addition, the average white voter was extremely reluctant to pay taxes to fund a standing army, while the rise of Nazi Germany made it near impossible tosecure modern armaments from Britain. What ultimately destroyed Pirow’s reputation as Minister of Defence was his disastrous performance in the 1940 parliamentary session. His vindictive attacks on Jan Smuts made it possible for the premier to launch a devastating counterattack, condemning him as a fraud and an incompetent windbag. In the process, Smuts succeeded in destroying Pirow’s reputation as a highly regardedadministrator and as a potential prime minister.
{"title":"All just grandiose plans and talk: The destruction of Oswald Pirow’s reputation as Minister of Defence, 1940","authors":"F. A. Mouton","doi":"10.5787/48-2-1292","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-2-1292","url":null,"abstract":"The popular perception of Oswald Pirow is that of an incompetent Minister of Defence, much derided for his bush carts pulled by oxen in the era of the blitzkrieg doctrine of dive-bombers and tanks. However, this was not the perception of him in the years between 1933 and 1939. When Pirow became Minister of Defence in 1933, the Union Defence Force was in a poor state. During the Great Depression between 1929 and 1933, austerity measures had reduced the already small army to an insignificant force. In what has been described as a Pirowian renaissance he succeeded in improving the preparedness of the Union Defence Force drastically. Ian van der Waag points out that with the outbreak of the Second World War, South African defences were in abetter state of preparation than during any other period in its peacetime history. This was a considerable achievement, as Pirow had to deal with the vehement hostility of the National Party who viewed the Union Defence Force as a tool to serve British imperialism. In addition, the average white voter was extremely reluctant to pay taxes to fund a standing army, while the rise of Nazi Germany made it near impossible tosecure modern armaments from Britain. What ultimately destroyed Pirow’s reputation as Minister of Defence was his disastrous performance in the 1940 parliamentary session. His vindictive attacks on Jan Smuts made it possible for the premier to launch a devastating counterattack, condemning him as a fraud and an incompetent windbag. In the process, Smuts succeeded in destroying Pirow’s reputation as a highly regardedadministrator and as a potential prime minister.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"71 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127099200","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":"Cuba and Revolutionary Latin America: An Oral History - Dirk Kruijt","authors":"I. Liebenberg","doi":"10.5787/48-2-1305","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-2-1305","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116993226","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 SADF and Cuito Cuanavale: A tactical and strategic analysis - Leopold Scholtz","authors":"W. Gordon","doi":"10.5787/48-2-1303","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-2-1303","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"16 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132827777","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 Second World War was a dynamic time in the South African past – a time when war was not only fought against foreign enemies but also at home within the Afrikanerdom. The metaphorical battle on the home front had two sides. The one was resistance against the Smuts government’s war effort, and the second was the Smuts government’s actions to curb internal unrest. The main attempt to dampen the internal unrest manifested itself in the form of various emergency regulations and war measures. These regulations and measures affected the Ossewa-Brandwag, a dualistic organisation within the Afrikanerdom, which would eventually lead the resistance directly against the war effort. This article delves into the Smuts government’s justification of the emergency regulations and analyses the impact thereof on the Ossewa-Brandwag.
{"title":"The Smuts Government’s justification of the emergency regulations and the impact thereof on the Ossewa-Brandwag, 1939 to 1945","authors":"Anna La Grange","doi":"10.5787/48-2-1291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-2-1291","url":null,"abstract":"The Second World War was a dynamic time in the South African past – a time when war was not only fought against foreign enemies but also at home within the Afrikanerdom. The metaphorical battle on the home front had two sides. The one was resistance against the Smuts government’s war effort, and the second was the Smuts government’s actions to curb internal unrest. The main attempt to dampen the internal unrest manifested itself in the form of various emergency regulations and war measures. These regulations and measures affected the Ossewa-Brandwag, a dualistic organisation within the Afrikanerdom, which would eventually lead the resistance directly against the war effort. This article delves into the Smuts government’s justification of the emergency regulations and analyses the impact thereof on the Ossewa-Brandwag.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134158324","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}
This article reports on a theoretical analysis about a series of events that will hopefully never take place. Should Russia ever decide to invade the Baltic republics, the obvious invasion route would be from Russian territory into Estonia and Latvia, and perhaps also from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad into Lithuania. Authoritative war games have found that Russian forces could reach the three Baltic capitals within 36–60 hours. NATO has decided on a counterstrategy, stationing 5 000 troops in the three republics and Poland, as well as establishing a rapid reaction force of 13 000 troops, capable of being at the front in a week. Nevertheless, this article argues that this is probably insufficient. These troops will have to move through the so-called Suwalki Gap (80 kilometres wide) between Kaliningrad and Belarus, a close Russian ally, which could be closed by a determined Russian push. The article ends with a war scenario, which shows that any clash could rapidly escalate into a general war.
{"title":"The Suwalki GAP dilemma: A strategic and operational analysis","authors":"L. Scholtz","doi":"10.5787/48-1-1293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-1-1293","url":null,"abstract":"This article reports on a theoretical analysis about a series of events that will hopefully never take place. Should Russia ever decide to invade the Baltic republics, the obvious invasion route would be from Russian territory into Estonia and Latvia, and perhaps also from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad into Lithuania. Authoritative war games have found that Russian forces could reach the three Baltic capitals within 36–60 hours. NATO has decided on a counterstrategy, stationing 5 000 troops in the three republics and Poland, as well as establishing a rapid reaction force of 13 000 troops, capable of being at the front in a week. Nevertheless, this article argues that this is probably insufficient. These troops will have to move through the so-called Suwalki Gap (80 kilometres wide) between Kaliningrad and Belarus, a close Russian ally, which could be closed by a determined Russian push. The article ends with a war scenario, which shows that any clash could rapidly escalate into a general war.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"39 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128993091","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 Department of Defence Archive in Pretoria is the repository of all military documents generated by the Union Defence Force, the South African Defence Force and the South African National Defence Force. This makes it the foremost source of primary information for researchers of South African military history. However, an almost total ban on access to archival documents from 1 January 1970 onwards complicates research into later periods. In fact, anyone researching post-1970 military-related topics has to apply for access to archival documents through the Promotion of Access to Information Act. The traditional weapon in the armoury of the historian – the systematic trawling of archives – is thereby negated, while the methodology of post-1970 historical research differs significantly from commonly accepted historical practices. Finding aids, the only access route to classified information in this analogue archive, offer only the briefest descriptions of the content of files, and researchers need almost esoteric intuition to identify documents that are even remotely relevant to their research. Additionally, a fee is payable for declassification, and the process can take several months to complete. This review article reports on the theoretical workings of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, and uses an actual research example as a case study to illustrate the practical implications of conducting research at the Department of Defence Archive in South Africa based on classified military documentation.
{"title":"Legislative disconnect or institutional gatekeeping? Challenges of researching South Africa's military past","authors":"Evert Kleynhans, W. Gordon","doi":"10.5787/48-1-1294","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-1-1294","url":null,"abstract":"The Department of Defence Archive in Pretoria is the repository of all military documents generated by the Union Defence Force, the South African Defence Force and the South African National Defence Force. This makes it the foremost source of primary information for researchers of South African military history. However, an almost total ban on access to archival documents from 1 January 1970 onwards complicates research into later periods. In fact, anyone researching post-1970 military-related topics has to apply for access to archival documents through the Promotion of Access to Information Act. The traditional weapon in the armoury of the historian – the systematic trawling of archives – is thereby negated, while the methodology of post-1970 historical research differs significantly from commonly accepted historical practices. Finding aids, the only access route to classified information in this analogue archive, offer only the briefest descriptions of the content of files, and researchers need almost esoteric intuition to identify documents that are even remotely relevant to their research. Additionally, a fee is payable for declassification, and the process can take several months to complete. This review article reports on the theoretical workings of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, and uses an actual research example as a case study to illustrate the practical implications of conducting research at the Department of Defence Archive in South Africa based on classified military documentation.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"670 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132366493","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 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) recently celebrated, “25 Years of Defence in Democracy”[i]. Professor Lindy Heinecken’s latest book, South Africa’s post-apartheid military: Lost in transition and transformation, is therefore a timely work. Published 25 years after South Africa’s first democratic elections and the integration of the country’s disparate armed forces, Heinecken gives a well-researched, fair and comprehensive account of the critical issues that have characterised 25 years of defence in South Africa.
{"title":"South Africa’s post-apartheid military: Lost in transition and transformation","authors":"C. Bailie","doi":"10.5787/48-1-1297","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-1-1297","url":null,"abstract":"The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) recently celebrated, “25 Years of Defence in Democracy”[i]. Professor Lindy Heinecken’s latest book, South Africa’s post-apartheid military: Lost in transition and transformation, is therefore a timely work. Published 25 years after South Africa’s first democratic elections and the integration of the country’s disparate armed forces, Heinecken gives a well-researched, fair and comprehensive account of the critical issues that have characterised 25 years of defence in South Africa.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"43 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114757335","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}
Tim Marshall is an esteemed authority on foreign affairs, with more than thirty years’ experience in broadcasting, reporting, analysis and writing about past, present and future geopolitical affairs – most of the time reporting from the front line on major world events and conflict zones that had significant geopolitical effects on global politics, such as the Balkan wars of the 1990s, the Kosovo crisis of 1999, the first Gulf War (1991), the US war in Afghanistan (2001). He also covered three US presidential elections (The What and The Why, 2016). Prisoners of geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics is arguably the most successful of his books, and makes for an intriguing read by an author with such an impressive resume.
蒂姆·马歇尔(Tim Marshall)是一位受人尊敬的外交事务权威，在过去、现在和未来地缘政治事务的广播、报道、分析和写作方面拥有30多年的经验。他大部分时间都在前线报道对全球政治产生重大地缘政治影响的重大世界事件和冲突地区，如20世纪90年代的巴尔干战争、1999年的科索沃危机、第一次海湾战争(1991年)、美国在阿富汗的战争(2001年)。他还报道了三次美国总统选举(The What and The Why, 2016)。《地理的囚徒:十张地图，告诉你你需要知道的关于全球政治的一切》可以说是他最成功的书，对于一个有着如此令人印象深刻履历的作者来说，这是一本耐人寻味的书。
{"title":"Prisoners of Geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics","authors":"Ivan Henrico","doi":"10.5787/48-1-1298","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-1-1298","url":null,"abstract":"Tim Marshall is an esteemed authority on foreign affairs, with more than thirty years’ experience in broadcasting, reporting, analysis and writing about past, present and future geopolitical affairs – most of the time reporting from the front line on major world events and conflict zones that had significant geopolitical effects on global politics, such as the Balkan wars of the 1990s, the Kosovo crisis of 1999, the first Gulf War (1991), the US war in Afghanistan (2001). He also covered three US presidential elections (The What and The Why, 2016). Prisoners of geography: Ten maps that tell you everything you need to know about global politics is arguably the most successful of his books, and makes for an intriguing read by an author with such an impressive resume.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"30 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126930461","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}
R. DuVivier, Mary J. Huber, Julian M. Bass, Alfred R Couchon, Alan Avila-John, R. Taylor, Joseph E. Keferl
Sexual assault (SA) in the military has become a prominent societal concern. A recently released Department of Defence report on Military Sexual Abuse (MSA) concluded that SA continues to be a significant problem in the Armed Forces. To address this issue, systematic and cultural change including training military personnel on sexual assault and the prevention and protection against SA are needed. A study examining the effectiveness of a week-long workshop using the Gracie Defence Systems (GDS) was conducted. The results suggest that Gracie training designed to empower military personnel to prevent and protect themselves against SA and teach sexual awareness was effective. The overall effects of the training (f2 = .41; large ES) appear to impact underlying constructs including self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance, and vulnerability. In addition, differences were found between males and females prior to training (f2 = .44) and after training (f2 = .29) as well as differences between those who had prior self-defence training and those that did not (f2 = .35). Recommendations include field testing and validating a measure that adequately examines self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance, and vulnerability as well as continued efforts to implement SA training throughout the military and improve policies.
{"title":"Effects of self defence training for sexual assault prevention in the Air Force","authors":"R. DuVivier, Mary J. Huber, Julian M. Bass, Alfred R Couchon, Alan Avila-John, R. Taylor, Joseph E. Keferl","doi":"10.5787/48-1-1220","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5787/48-1-1220","url":null,"abstract":"Sexual assault (SA) in the military has become a prominent societal concern. A recently released Department of Defence report on Military Sexual Abuse (MSA) concluded that SA continues to be a significant problem in the Armed Forces. To address this issue, systematic and cultural change including training military personnel on sexual assault and the prevention and protection against SA are needed. A study examining the effectiveness of a week-long workshop using the Gracie Defence Systems (GDS) was conducted. The results suggest that Gracie training designed to empower military personnel to prevent and protect themselves against SA and teach sexual awareness was effective. The overall effects of the training (f2 = .41; large ES) appear to impact underlying constructs including self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance, and vulnerability. In addition, differences were found between males and females prior to training (f2 = .44) and after training (f2 = .29) as well as differences between those who had prior self-defence training and those that did not (f2 = .35). Recommendations include field testing and validating a measure that adequately examines self-efficacy, self-determination, vigilance, and vulnerability as well as continued efforts to implement SA training throughout the military and improve policies.","PeriodicalId":173901,"journal":{"name":"Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123427253","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}
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