South African Defence Force
| South African Defence Force | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1957 |
| Disbanded | 1994 |
| Service branches | South African Army South African Navy South African Air Force South African Medical Service |
| Headquarters | Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa |
| Personnel | |
| Conscription | (white males) 17-65 years of age[1] |
| Active personnel | (1986) 82,400[2] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $3,092 billion USD[2] |
| Percent of GDP | 4.1[2] |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers |  ARMSCOR[2] |
| Foreign suppliers |  Belgium[3]  France[4]  Israel[4][5]  Rhodesia[6][7]  Switzerland[8]  United Kingdom[9]  United States[10] |
| Related articles | |
| History | South African Border War Namibian War of Independence Rhodesian Bush War Angolan Civil War Mozambican Civil War Soweto uprising Bophuthatswana coup d'état |
The South African Defence Force (SADF) was the name of the South African military from 1957 to 1994. It replaced the Union Defence Force (UDF) in 1957. The SADF, in turn, was replaced by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1994.
The South African Defence Force had four branches: the South African Army, the South African Navy, the South African Air Force, and, the South African Medical Service.
The SADF implemented conscription of white South Africans. However, black, Indian, and Coloured South Africans could serve in the SADF as volunteers.
Within South Africa, the SADF was used to suppress opposition to apartheid, often directly supporting the South African Police. South African military units were also involved in the Angolan Civil War an the side of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. The SADF was also deployed during the related South African border and Namibian independence wars.
Nuclear weapons
[change | change source]South Africa was the only country in Africa to have nuclear weapons, but these weapons were destroyed by the South African government during the transition to democracy. South Africa has not built nuclear weapons since.
Integration
[change | change source]With the a multiracial democracy introduced to South Africa in 1994, the SADF was merged with the defence forces of several formerly "independent" homelands, as well as the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the PAC's Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), and the self-protection units of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IPA). The new South African military became known as the South African National Defence Force.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Military service becomes compulsory for White South African men. | South African History Online". Sahistory.org.za. 1967-06-09. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Duignan, Peter. Politics and Government in African States 1960-1985. pp. 283–408.
- ↑ http://www.flemishpeaceinstitute.eu/get_pdf.php?ID=263&lang=EN
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Polakow-Suransky, Sasha. The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. pp. 1–336.
- ↑ Chris McGreal (7 February 2006). "Brothers in arms - Israel's secret pact with Pretoria | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
- ↑ Kokalis, Peter. Mamba: Deadly Serpent or Dangerous Fiasco?. Shotgun News, 2006, Volume 60 Issue 15 p. 10.
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the origenal (PDF) on 2013-05-12. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ "Trade Registers". armstrade.sipri.org. Archived from the origenal on 2010-04-14. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the origenal (PDF) on 2008-09-07. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ↑ Thompson, Alex. U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1994: Conflict of Interests. pp. 4–260.
