Research Articles (Strategic Studies)

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/15150

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 33

Anatomy of post-communist European defense institutions : the mirage of military modernity
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2020) Jordaan, Evert
In Anatomy of post-communist European defense institutions: The mirage of military modernity, Thomas-Durell Young’s aim was to determine why Central and Eastern European (CEE) states have failed to apply democratic defence governance concepts, despite 25 years of Western assistance programmes.
The application of Supers theory in the military : culture and gender in the life roles of young professional officers
(AOSIS OpenJournals, 2001-01) Kotze, M. E.
Abstract: Political and societal changes in South Africa have resulted in the fundamental transformation of amongst others the personnel composition of the National Defence Force in order to be more representative of the South African population as a whole. As a corollary to this process, the South African Military Academy is making a determined effort to increase the number of black and female students within its student population.
Collecting evidence on the use of parliamentary oversight tools : a South African case study
(AOSIS, 2020) Van Rensburg, Wilhelm Janse; Vrey, Francois; Neethling, Theo
Background: Parliament, through its oversight function, plays a central role in holding the executive to account. In South Africa’s 2014 Defence Review policy document, it was stated that the ‘Defence Force is in a critical state of decline’. This brings about the question whether the South African Parliament effectively held the executive to account regarding developments around defence. Objectives: The article aims to gather evidence on the use of oversight tools by the South African Parliament over a 20-year period, within the post-1994 democratic dispensation, in order to determine the broader trajectory of parliamentary defence oversight. Method: To determine the trajectory of oversight, this article gathered evidence on the use of internationally recognised parliamentary oversight tools by South Africa’s two parliamentary defence committees from 1994 to 2014. The period allows for a 20-year review of oversight of defence, inclusive of four full parliamentary terms. Evidence was collected on parliamentary debates, questions, special inquiries, oversight visits and the use of external audits as oversight tools. Results: The article found that tools were used with varying degrees of success. Results for research on each oversight tool is discussed. Conclusion: Based on evidence on the use of oversight tools, this article concludes that over a 20-year period there was a declining trajectory in parliamentary oversight of the defence portfolio. The proven applicability of the criteria utilised in this article can serve to inform evaluations of the effectiveness of parliamentary oversight, specifically at committee level.
Collective security in Africa : the tension between theory and practice
(Department of Political Sciences, University of Pretoria, 2017) Jordaan, Evert
The promotion of peace and security in Africa necessitates security cooperation between states and collective security remains a way to pursue it. This paper explores the changed meaning and application of the concept of collective security within the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) to deal with both interstate and intrastate security concerns within the African Union (AU). Since the AU has made clear commitments to collective security, the aim is to determine to what extent the AU subscribed to collective security and applied it in terms of coercion, which includes interventions. While dealing with genocide, war crimes and extended presidential terms remains problematic, the AU has taken an assertive stand with the use of coercion in cases of unconstitutional changes of government. The article highlights the tension between the theory and practice of collective security in Africa.
Combined effect of buoyancy force and Navier slip on MHD flow of a nanofluid over a convectively heated vertical porous plate
(Hindawi, 2013) Mutuku-Njane, Winifred Nduku; Makinde, Oluwole Daniel
We examine the effect of magnetic field on boundary layer flow of an incompressible electrically conducting water-based nanofluids past a convectively heated vertical porous plate with Navier slip boundary condition. A suitable similarity transformation is employed to reduce the governing partial differential equations into nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are solved numerically by employing fourth-order Runge-Kutta with a shooting technique. Three different water-based nanofluids containing copper (Cu), aluminium oxide (Al2O3), and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are taken into consideration. Graphical results are presented and discussed quantitatively with respect to the influence of pertinent parameters, such as solid volume fraction of nanoparticles (), magnetic field parameter (Ha), buoyancy effect (Gr), Eckert number (Ec), suction/injection parameter (), Biot number (Bi), and slip parameter (β), on the dimensionless velocity, temperature, skin friction coefficient, and heat transfer rate.
The development of normative theory in International Relations : some practical implications for norm-based and value-based scholarly inquiry
(Bureau for Scientific Journals, 2004) Neethling, Theo
This article attempts to assess the development and significance of normative theory in International Relations as an academic discipline. It is pointed out that a revival of normative concerns and issues in International Relations has transpired in recent decades, and that many scholars in International Relations today accept a proposition that scientific knowledge and inquiry in the discipline and its application should be underpinned or directed by a defensible normative commitment. It is furthermore pointed out that normative theory and some practical manifestations of norm-based and valuebased scholarly inquiry in the discipline are a matter of great significance, since these issues relate to some moral and ethical dimensions of activities in the international community. The article concludes by asserting that the growth of normative theory in International Relations is also of great importance and significance for scholarly research from a Christian perspective.
Editorial
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2020) Mandrup, Thomas
No abstract available.
EMHD flow of non-Newtonian nanofluids over thin needle with Robinson’s condition and Arrhenius pre-exponential factor law
(IOP Science, 2020-10-21) Mabood, Fazle; Muhammad, Taseer; Nayak, M. K.; Waqas, Hassan; Makinde, O. D.
Many researchers and scientists are devoting their time to scrutinize nanofluids nature and characteristics for heat transfer enhancement. The scrutiny of nanoliquids is important in the large scale thermal management systems via evaporators, advanced cooling systems, heat exchangers, micro/nano-electromechanical devices and industrial chilling applications. Nanoliquids are very momentous even in the natural process via different fields like chemistry, chemical engineering, physics and biology. Nanoliquids can be utilized in various fields of engineering such as different chemical procedures, cooling of electronic equipment and heat exchangers. The main aim of current article is to scrutinize electromagnetohydrodynamic flow of micropolar-Casson-Carreau nanoliquids over thin needle with Robinson's conditions and Arrhenius pre-exponential factor law. Double stratification effects are also taken into account. The reverent partial differential equations are reformulated into the system of ordinary differential expressions by implementing appropriate transformations. Such obtained equations subject to boundary constraints are computed numerically by considering Runge–Kutta-Fehlberg method. Behaviour of numerous interesting parameters on flow fields is deliberated. The outcomes of flow fields are delineated through graphs and tabular data.
The evolution of strategy : thinking war from antiquity to the present
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2011) Vrey, Francois
The Evolution of Strategy: Thinking War from Antiquity to the Present is another welcome addition to the field of War Studies with its particular focus on strategy. The publication adds to a growing body of literature that explores new historical sources to anchor the theoretical departure of the work further, and attends to the emergent dilemmas of the future role(s) of the armed forces. At a time when critical stances about the utility of armed forces seem to have entered a growth period, The Evolution of Strategy contributes several well-argued perspectives to acknowledge and comment on questions related to the utility of armed coercion in contemporary times.
From Boleas to Bangui : parliamentary oversight of South African defence deployments
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2020) Van Rensburg, Wilhelm Janse; Vrey, Francois; Neethling, Theo
Parliamentary oversight of the executive plays a key role in ensuring accountability and is therefore central to the system of checks and balances that characterises liberal democracies. After 1994, South Africa aligned itself with liberal democratic ideals and sought to foster accountability in governance. In the South African Parliament, committees are considered the engine rooms of the institution and are central to the oversight process. Members of Parliament serving on these committees also have specific tools at its disposal to conduct oversight. These include deliberations (debates), posing written and oral questions, oversight visits, special inquiries and external audit opinions. By reviewing the use of these tools in relation to defence deployments, this article aims to determine the long-term post-1994 trajectory of parliamentary oversight of deployments. The article uses the timeline between Operation Boleas (Lesotho, 1998) and the ‘Battle of Bangui’ (Central African Republic, 2013), two key post-1994 military deployments, as a demarcation for determining the trajectory of oversight. The article finds a negative trajectory in terms of the oversight of deployments. Committee meetings dedicated to deployments remained limited. Questions around deployments did not fill the vacuum left by a lack of committee activity. Oversight visits to deployment areas were limited while there was a complete dearth of in-depth inquiry into deployments through special inquiries and external audits. The article subsequently notes that the negative trajectory in terms of deployment oversight can not only be explained by the growing civil-military gap in South Africa, but arguably contributed to the widening gap.
From the editors
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2015) Esterhuyse, Abel; Liebenberg, Ian
The role of the military in the making of South Africa has always been a contentious issue and has recently again been highlighted when the military was deployed in certain South African neighbourhoods in support of the police to deal with the recent bout of xenophobic violence. During the 2010 Soccer World Cup, the military was deployed to help with border protection and has since been a permanent feature on South Africa’s borders. More recently, the military has also been utilised in counter-poaching operations and the fight against crime inside the country. During the farm labour unrest in the Western Cape in 2012, the provincial government under the national opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, also called on the national government to deploy the military in support of the police in that province. In the more recent past, the Western Cape provincial government also requested military support to deal with gangsterism in certain neighbourhoods of the Western Cape. There seems to be an increasing demand for and an increased deployment of the military in the domestic security realm in South Africa. Domestic military deployments in Africa have always been at the heart of debates about military professionalism and the effect such deployments have on the important relationship between a society and its military. The study of the intimate link between the military and the South African society is the focus of the first article by Lindy Heinecken.
From the editors
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2011) Esterhuyse, Abel; Liebenberg, Ian
This edition of Scientia Militaria, South African Journal of Military Studies, brings three very particular themes together: history, contemporary military operations, and military technology. From a historical perspective, the focus is on the Anglo-Boer War. The two articles on the contemporary use of force places the emphasis on Iraq and Somalia. The 2003 Iraqi War is used as a case study in the analysis of ‘civil war’ as a concept. The article on Somalia addresses the need for military intervention. The underlying argument is that military intervention can be successful in bringing about the change that is required in that war-torn region of the world. The technology related articles highlight the role of information warfare and weapons assignment in air defence.
Is open source GIS feasible in military operations? evaluation by applying a USE case
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2020) Henrico, Susan; Coetzee, Serena; Cooper, Antony
The study of terrain and all its related elements and facets are of crucial importance to the military. Lodi, Smit, and Ayirebi agreed with this statement and added that the importance of terrain was recognised by military leaders more than two thousand years ago.[i] Military operations can occur at any of the three levels of war: tactical, operational and strategic and can be a combat operation or a military operation other than war (MOOTW). Information about the geography empowers a military commander to plan and execute a mission successfully. As technology developed and evolved, geographic information systems (GIS) have come to play a major role in this. Today, a military operation without the use of GIS is unthinkable. In a developing country like the South Africa, however, licenses for proprietary GIS software, vendor-exclusive training and the bureaucracy of the procurement cycle add to the time and costs of a mission. The question arises whether open source software is a feasible alternative. Since the South African National Defence Force was initially trained in the use of proprietary software and it therefore became a strong habit, the perception now exits that FOSSGIS products are neither mature enough nor user-friendly enough to be used in military operations. This study evaluates the use of an open source desktop GIS product, QGIS, in a use case for a military operation “other than war” (MOOTW). QGIS outputs were compared to those produced in ArcGIS, a proprietary desktop GIS product widely used in military operations. The user-friendliness of the two products as well as pricing was also compared. Results show that the QGIS outputs provide the operational commander with equivalent information to successfully plan and execute a mission. This implies that open source GIS is suitable for military operations, especially those with limited budgets and at short notice, such as in the case of disaster relief. [i] Lodi, K., Smit, H. & Ayirebi, G. (2014). Terrain analysis in the course curricula of the South African Army Engineer Corps. Scientia Militaria: South African Journal of Military Studies, 42, 102-121.
Maintaining international peace and security : reflections on peace-support operations in Africa
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 1998) Neethling, Theo
The shift from a bipolar to a multipolar and multi-faceted world has reduced the risk of conventional inter-state wars, but has been the cause of several intra-state armed conflicts with an even higher risk of regional instability. Such conflicts and the resurgence of a global activism have produced a dramatic growth in peacekeeping requirements since the end of the previous decade. The international response, mainly through the United Nations (UN), has been to promote preventive diplomacy and, in a number of cases, to conduct peace-support operations. In brief, this paper points out that each UN peace-support operation places an extremely high premium on UN administration, organisation, coordination and resources. To this end, a multiplicity of contributions from various role-players is needed. It also points out that peace-support operations require significant commitments on the part of participating states, specifically the willingness to accept financial costs and fatalities in the interest of promoting international and regional stability. This is especially true in the case of African peacekeeping. This paper, furthermore, underscores the fact that the undertaking of peace-support operations in Africa is by no means a simple and easy task. The nature of peacekeeping missions in certain African countries have, in fact, resulted in an increasing reluctance on the part of the major powers and some of the other traditional troop-contributing nations to deploy on African soil. It concludes that the real impact of the post-Cold War era is that the burden of resolving African conflicts rests more and more on Africans. African countries and organisations are accordingly compelled to take measures and develop strategies to address the peacekeeping requirements on the continent.
Nature of military geography
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2012) Bezuidenhout, Jacques; Galgano, Francis A.; Palka, Eugene J.
The author presents a review of the book " Modern Military Geography" edited by Francis A. Galgano and Eugene J. Palka (2011), about the relationship between geography and military conflict.
The need for progress in an era of transformation : South African professional military education and military effectiveness
(Centre for Security Governance, 2018-04-20) Esterhuyse, Abel; Mokoena, Benjamin
The article explores the link between defence sector reform, military effectiveness, and education. During the post-1994 transition, defence sector reform in South Africa primarily involved the ‘transformation’ of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The transformation of the military, though, was predominantly driven by the notion of racial representation with little emphasis on embedding military effectiveness as a central element of the transformation effort. While, education was recognised as a key element in the transformation of the military, the emphasis was on the programmes of the National War and Defence Colleges in Pretoria, targeting senior military officers. However, the accreditation of these institutional programmes through alignment with civilian universities was problematic and has forced the military to critically evaluate the pathway for the development of its officer corps. The evolving approach of the SANDF towards military education provides a useful case study to highlight the importance of a long-term view of military effectiveness, underpinned by a committed and educated officer corps, as a central component of defence reform initiatives.
Operation phakisa : reflections upon an ambitious maritime-led government initiative
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2019) Vrey, Francois
Operation Phakisa enjoys ‘presidential’ status as a project launched by and housed within the Presidency of the Republic of South Africa during the Zuma administration. Phakisa is a most ambitious project, which includes a prominent maritime component. The maritime focus functions as one catalyst for positioning South Africa as an international maritime player by 2030 and in the process speeding up national development through delivery of public goods, economic growth and jobs. Aiming to be an international maritime player supposes that foreign policy elements also feature in the project considerations. Launched in 2014, Phakisa’s oceans leg now offers scope for scrutiny as mixed messages about its progress and failures routinely appear. The gist of the discussion is forward-looking, with Operation Phakisa’s progress, failures and prospects to achieve government’s 2030 maritime aims and objectives constituting the focus of the discussion. The study on which this article is based, found that Operation Phakisa’s oceans leg depicts an impressive government ambition to exploit a new frontier, one reflecting progress and failures with promises of rapid big results being the most visible failure.
Paradigm shifts, South African Defence Policy and the South African National Defence Force : from here to where?
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2004) Vrey, Francois
Elements of Kuhn's theory on scientific revolutions and its applicability to the political domain also promote explanations of military change. In this regard, changes in the South African defence realm during the past decade and the rise of the South African National Defence Force need not be viewed as inexplicable. These developments represent an opportunity to explain a prominent example of military change in Africa through an established theory. By making use of indicators drawn from the theory developed by Kuhn, an explanatory framework can be established to co-explain certain adjustments of the South African defence paradigm over the past 10 years. Of particular relevance is Kuhn’s view of an initial dominant shift, which continues to evolve with the assistance of subsequent incremental shifts. The South African paradigm that guided the pre-1994 Total Strategy defence outlook was later opposed and ousted by one that was more explanatory and embracing of the democratic features permeating and envisaged for South African society. This democratic imperative drove the dominant shift in the South African defence paradigm during the middle 1990s as it dramatically and extensively began to adjust the policy environment regarding the role and utilisation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). In explaining his theory, Kuhn avers that a range of smaller adjustments towards maturing the initial shift soon follows the earlier dramatic shift. Upon investigation of this secondary field of smaller changes, more incremental adjustments also become visible when analysing the South African case. In this regard, the Defence Review (1998), the Military Strategy (2001), the primary-secondary role debate emanating from the 1996 Defence White Paper, and the 2004 Defence Budget Vote represent prominent indicators of the ongoing maturation process. The theory of Kuhn on scientific revolutions furthermore holds that new paradigms also stand to be contested by rising challenges to its status. In the case of the South African defence realm and the SANDF in particular, advanced regional integration and the perceived decline of the role of the state, could once again challenge the post-1994 defence paradigm with its concomitant explanation and direction of South African thought on the preparation and deployment of the SANDF.
Private Military Force as strategy to counter hybrid threats
(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2022-12) Leach, Jonathan; Esterhuyse, Abel ; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Military Science. School for Security and Africa Studies: Military Strategy.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Today, the international community faces a diffuse, shifting, and controversial set of security challenges. On the one hand, hybrid warfare creates both conceptual and strategic challenges, as various aspects of strategy constitute legally prohibited forms of intervention against hybrid threats. On the other hand, the partitions inherent in the modern strategic landscape can be described as decidedly anti-strategic; where the use of conventional military force is constantly being delegitimised, criticised, and in more extreme cases, criminalised. This has resulted in an increasing disconnect between the political intentions of states and the strategic effect of their armed forces, particularly when facing strategic problems characterised by hybridity. Although the employment of private military forces is almost universally condemned, these forces have often played crucial roles in conflicts, and today impact both the process and outcomes of conflicts due to the unique capabilities they offer. As such, this study researches the notion of private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats. Underlying the aim of this research are the following questions: is the notion of private military force a strategic concept? Why employ private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats and how to employ private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats? The findings reached from this study suggest that if private military forces are theoretically and contextually coherent, scaled according to suggested internal and external constraints, and employed in pursuit of threats characterised by hybridity, then private military force as strategy to counter hybrid threats is a compelling notion. This study relies on unobtrusive, qualitative content analysis on secondary sources of literature. Data collection is systematic by means of thorough examination; it is evidence-based and presented in an unbiased manner. Literature sources include official publications, scholarly literature on the subject, books, and media reporting.
A proposed typology of the military bully
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 2017) Kalamdien, Donovan; Lawrence, Audrey
Workplace bullying is a pervasive problem faced by organisations globally. Although progress has been made in augmenting our understanding of the phenomenon within diverse work settings, the military remains one work environment where dialogue into the phenomenon is not forthcoming. Scientific enquiry into bullying in the military is virtually non-existent. The aim of this study was to provide a conceptual analysis and review of workplace bullying literature, whilst also characterising the personas of military bullies and initiatives to assist them in correcting their behaviour. The associated costs to an organisation necessitate the urgency with which this issue needs to be addressed, especially within the military environment.

Browse

Browsing Research Articles (Strategic Studies) by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options