While South African soldiers are dying in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it appears that nobody in our own democratic republic’s government is paying much attention.
It is not clear why our troops are in the DRC. Tactically, their presence has been described as “mission impossible”. They have no artillery or air support, inadequate vehicles and minimal logistics capability. On Tuesday, we heard they were surrounded, unable to treat their wounded or receive supplies or reinforcements.
None of this should be a surprise. The defence budget has declined in real terms for 25 years. The air force is in effect grounded and the navy has hardly a vessel to put to sea. Budget caps on recruiting mean the average age of riflemen in the infantry corps is 34 — 10 years higher than the international norm. The average age of infantry corporals, the “junior” leaders, is 46.
In 2015 the government’s own defence review said: “There must be either a greater budget allocation or a significantly scaled-down level of ambition and commitment. Even with an immediate intervention, it could take at least five years to arrest the decline and another five years to develop a limited and sustainable defence capability.”
Ten years have passed and things have only become worse. This amounts to deliberate neglect of our national interest and our military professionals.
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