South African Army - Plans

Plans

The South African Army released its ARMY VISION 2020 guidelines document during 2006.

According to this, the army plans a return to a division based structure, from the current formation structure where units are simply provided as needed and assigned to the two active brigades. (43 SA Brigade and 46 SA Brigade) The last South African division, 7 Division, was disbanded in mid 1999. In many respects the restructuring is an attempt to undo the effects of the Deloitte and Touche-inspired force design that came into effect in 2001.

The new plan is to create two divisions, a Mechanised Division for home defence and a Motorised Division to be used primarily for external peacekeeping operations. Additional to this, a Special Operations Brigade will be created to conduct mountain, jungle, airborne and amphibious operations. Mostly this will require only administrative changes as the units already exist. Specialised training will have to be carried out though, as and when funds become available.

A works regiment is to be created also, to help with the maintenance of army and Defence Force buildings and infrastructure. Older troops will be used for this, supplying them with work, whilst at the same time saving on contractor fees and catching up on the backlog of building maintenance. The technical support for certain vehicles is also to be brought back in house, to save on contractor fees.

On 19 September 2007 Jane's Defence Weekly published more details of the implementation plan for Vision 2020, which is to be carried out in four stages. Phase 1, to be carried out in 2008, will see the army HQ reorganised in standard NATO-style staff divisions (G1, G2, etc), and the Works Regiment established. The Works Regiment will be created under the Army's Engineering Corps, and will have one squadron in each of the country's nine provinces. Phase 2, in 2009–10, will include the establishment of three Pretoria-based commands, Land, Support, and Training, and ten brigades (Contingency, Armoured, Mechanised, and seven Motorised) which will incorporate regular and some reserve units.

In 2011 under Phase 3 the two division HQs and their divisional troops will be established. The Mechanised Division, the core deterrent force, will be headquartered at Mafikeng, with an armoured brigade at Bloemfontein, a mechanised brigade at Kimberley, and a motorised brigade at Potchefstroom. The Mechanised Division will be the primary home defence formation and the Motorised Division will provide troops for peacekeeping operations. Its HQ will be at Pretoria, with brigades at Polokwane (formerly Pietersburg), Nelspruit, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Finally in Phase 4 from 2011 onwards the remaining reserve units required for the army's combat force will be rejuvenated.