Suchergebnisse

Numerous studies have examined how armed forces have adapted their organizational and force structures to become more cost-effective, flexible, and deployable. However, comparatively few studies have looked at how these systemic influences affect attitudes toward military employment. With reference to findings of a survey conducted among middle-ranking officers in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Germany, the attitudes of officers toward their current employment is examined within a comparative context, by referring to the impact of organizational restructuring on their careers and on commitment to military service; issues relating to pay, service, and work conditions; trust in military leadership's ability to defend their interests; and the perceived need for some form of independent representation. The study concludes that the present discontent within the ranks is creating a kind of professional or institutional disunity, which may necessitate a revision of how employee relations are managed within armed forces.

The impact of HIV/AIDS on health, development, and security is nowhere more daunting than in southern Africa, where many claim that it has the potential to destabilize the entire region. In this article, the impact of HIV/AIDS on southern Africa, the factors contributing to the rapid spread of the disease, and how it is affecting the armed forces are highlighted. As an important regional economic and military power, how South Africa and more specifically, the South African armed forces manage the impact of the disease is of national and regional, if not global, concern. The various policy, human rights, human resources, health, and educational challenges facing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) are discussed with specific reference to its impact on operational capacity and capability. Should the SANDF be unable to manage the disease efficiently, there may be a profound effect on peace and stability in the entire region.

Based on a survey conducted in Nov. 1996 among serving officers of different ranks in all arms of the SANDF, this article examines the attitudes of officers towards peacekeeping and combined military operations. The diversity of opinion shows that there is unequal support for such future military missions among the various components of the SANDF. Concludes that future commitments of soldiers will depend upon the will of politicians to provide the necessary resources, and upon clear policy direction as to how this is to be done