Dec 11

The South African Electronic Warfare Association

Aardvark

Roost

Message from the President

December 2011

Are we doing enough?

Some of the 2011 web-site messages dealt with the necessity, the relevance, and the importance of EW as well as the responsibilities of the people involved in EW. (“Should we have EW in April; “”Are we on the Right Track” in March and “Where does the Responsibility Stop” in August).

This month’s topic “Are we doing enough” - to remain successful in EW in today’s changed and unstable external environment involves multiple and complex issues. The message will therefore be confined to the current situation in South Africa and how it impacts on EW.

Since the end of the conflict in Southern Africa towards the end of the 1980s, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) went through huge changes. All the Arms of the Services were significantly scaled down – in some cases quite drastically. A program of transformation regarding the composition of the personnel serving in the SANDF was also undertaken and is still in process.

One of the consequences was that the SANDF lost a lot of experienced and skilled people and is finding it very difficult to replace them.

The weapons procurement packages that were contracted about a decade ago however provided the SANDF with much needed new equipment such as frigates, submarines as well as fighter aircraft, training aircraft and helicopters. Modern combat platforms however rely on skilled personnel to operate, support and maintain them. They also depend on vitally important sophisticated infrastructure to ensure the various systems that make them formidable combat platforms, are kept at the necessary readiness and operational levels. The SANDF, having lost so many competent people, indeed has an uphill battle to succeed in this.

Priorities have meanwhile also shifted substantially with the change in government. More than 10% of the country’s total budget is for example channeled towards social grants while the defence budget remains at less than 2% of the gross national product (GDP). The allocation of the defence budget is further also directed more towards personnel (salaries) at the expense of the operating budget and capital renewal programs. This in turn impacts directly on the SANDF’s operational effectiveness.

A competent EW capability is crucial to ensure successful intelligence and combat operations - a fact that virtually every conflict during and since the cold war has proven over and over again. EW is however a sophisticated and highly technical field of expertise and is therefore exceedingly vulnerable to the environment as described.

The inevitable result of the combination of loosing too many experienced and skilled personnel as well as insufficient defence (including EW) budgets, over a prolonged period, is that the operational effectiveness in general and the EW capability in particular, erodes and will decline further - unless the situation can be turned around.

The question is therefore whether we are doing enough to bring about such a turn around? In responding to this question let us however not forget the closing remark of the “What causes Success” message of February. It was stated that the environment in which EW has to maintain a successful EW capability today, is probably more difficult than in preceding decades.

The main reason for this situation is that decision makers are more unsympathetic towards motivations for larger operating and capital renewal (including EW) budgets. This is firstly due to the mentioned shift in priorities and secondly, due to ignorance regarding what it takes to establish and maintain the required EW capabilities.

Accepting that the current situation is a given that cannot be turned around, is certainly not doing enough! We just cannot withdraw with an attitude of “leave me alone – I am happy in my own little world.”

To prevent that we complain in future about things that we allowed today, we have to become more pro-active. I believe that we should establish an EW discussion group where all the EW role players are represented. The discussion group must then engage identified key personnel in the department of defence, relevant other government departments as well as at appropriate political levels, in an EW dialogue to give them a better orientation and understanding of EW. We cannot expect them to make the right decisions if they do not know what they do not know!

As this is the last message of 2011, I would in conclusion also like to thank everyone involved in our EW community, whether in the EW industry, the Armed Forces or EW research establishments, for all your efforts and dedication over the past year to ensure that we still have a note worthy EW capability.

I also want to thank everyone for your continued support for the Aardvark Roost – without it, the South African Chapter of the AOC will not exist !

A special word of thanks is therefore also appropriate to our generous sponsors i.e. Armscor, CSIR, Grintek Ewation, Saab EDS and Sysdel. Without you contributions, it would not have been possible to host the successful half day conference in May at Saab EDS and especially the two day conference in September at the CSIR.

May all of you and your families be touched by the love and the grace of God during the coming holiday season and especially during Christmas.

Have a Blessed Christmas

Gerrie Radloff

(President of the Aardvark Roost)