INTRODUCTION

The area of human resources within the SA Army faces many challenges brought about by the transformation process currently under way. This impacts directly on such pertinent issues as staffing the Army and the training of it's human resources.

Some of the key areas which must be addressed in the medium-term include

achieving representivity at all levels while maintaining morale;



meeting the human resources requirements of the Army within the allocated budget;



executing an effective personnel development plan amidst financial constraints and overextended training facilities; and



the development of a balanced Full-Time and Part-Time component within the 'one force concept'.

This article will highlight the extent to which the transformation of the Department of Defence has impacted on the management of the Army's human resources and will continue to do so in the medium term, and will address staffing and training as practised in the past, the changes currently under way and the vision for the future.

IMPERATIVES FOR CHANGE

Within the human resources environment, the most important imperatives for change include:

the integration of statutory and non-statutory forces into the SA National Defence Force;



new roles and tasks for the SANDF, such as peace support operations, nation-building and support to other government departments;



the requirement to introduce equal opportunity and affirmative action programmes to ensure representivity;



the importance of maintaining morale and high standards of competence within the context of right-sizing to an affordable force which maintains the necessary core capability; and



the abolition of the system of conscription and the introduction of a truly voluntary defence force.

These imperatives have necessitated a major reconsideration of the SA Army's strategies for staffing its structures and the training and development of its human resources in terms of both the Full-Time component and the Part-Time component.

STAFFING

Sources for Human Resources

The system of national service which was in place up to 1993 ensured a regular flow of trained manpower to both the Full-Time and Part-Time components. This source also ensured regular and sufficient feeding of staff to the Part-Time component, particularly the conventional units. A balanced mix of leader group and troops was also possible, due to the large numbers available.

The Full-Time component also recruited untrained members into the regional battalions and many of the supporting structures, so that at the time when the transformation process was initiated in 1994 and the integration of the various different forces became a reality, the Full-Time component was already moving towards representative numbers of all population groups. The leader group was, however, still largely white, as was the flow of national servicemen to the Part-Time component.

Since 1994, however, the newly introduced system of Voluntary Military Service generated large numbers of black applicants to undergo the twelve month initial training period. This system was primarily designed to feed the Part-Time component with trained human resources. The realities of budget constraints, and the relatively small intakes, have resulted in a fairly large proportion of these trained persons being recruited into the Full-Time component and thus this system has not materialised as a source of recruitment for the Part-Time component.

Flexible Service System

At around the same time as the introduction of the voluntary military service system to replace national service, the SANDF developed the short term service system for the Full-Time force with the aim of developing this into a flexible service system in which Full-Time members could be accommodated in various different contractual service periods.

The advantages of such a system have been proven in other countries and allow for much more flexible staffing strategies in which force levels of the Full-Time component can be adjusted according to requirements over a fairly short period, while ensuring a sufficiently large pool of trained people on reserve.

The fact that the flexible service system has only been introduced recently, has resulted in an imbalance in the composition of the Army's human resources with the long term service component being currently far too large and the short and medium term service components being too small. This situation must be managed in the medium term to bring about the envisaged ratio of personnel in the various service terms (see Figure 1).

Integration of the Various Forces

The integration of the various statutory and non-statutory forces brought about an influx of some 24 000 personnel to date. While this influx has contributed significantly towards improving the representivity of the SA Army, it coincides with the imperative to down-size, and managing this situation in the medium term is one of the major challenges facing the SA Army's human resources practitioners (see figures 2 to 5).

Based on current planning for the revised structures of the SANDF, it will have to reduce its members in the medium term from its present strength in the Full-Time component of some 105 000, to approximately 70 000. The SA Army will have to adjust its numbers accordingly.

The Part-Time Component

The revision of structures in the SA Army has also had an effect on the Part-Time component. Although the number of volunteers in the Part-Time component who have signed the new service commitment have already reached almost 43 000 and there are many more trained members who have yet to sign, many of the units, particularly in the conventional force formations, are significantly understaffed. The territorial units and particularly the commando units, are in a much better position with regard to staffing levels and some units are almost at full strength, although many are still understaffed in terms of their establishment tables. Progress has been made to make the Part-Time component more representative, but the leader group remains essentially white.

Staffing Challenges

In the medium term, the SA Army faces several major challenges in terms of its staffing strategy and the management of its human resources in order to bring about the changes envisaged as part of the total transformation process. Some of these challenges are:

the necessity to reduce the total force levels of the SA Army to affordable numbers in terms of the ratio between personnel expenditure and capital expenditure: the retention of expertise and experience and core capability during this process is of vital importance, as is the maintenance of morale;



the necessity to reverse the current ratio of personnel in the long term service and medium and short term service systems. Until this occurs, the aim of the flexible service system cannot be realised;



although the composition of the Full-Time component is already broadly representative of the community, there is an imperative to increase representivity in the leader group and particularly at middle to senior management levels. Empowerment of people to move into these positions by means of accelerated training and career advancement is of prime importance.



the staffing of the Part-Time component in the current financial climate will remain a major challenge in the medium term. Budgetary constraints presently preclude a system of training human resources exclusively for the Part-Time component, particularly for the conventional force, and these units will need to recruit from the pool of trained personnel on reserve, the former non-statutory forces and the former Full-Time component source in the short to medium term. As this strategy has not yet been tested as a viable means to provide human resources to the Part-Time component, it will need to be thoroughly evaluated and revised if necessary. In the short to medium term, the conventional force units will need to focus their efforts on recruiting and maintaining a strong and effective leader group;



the territorial force, specifically the commando units have been relatively successful in recruiting and training members locally and will need to continue this strategy in the medium term. A viable means of providing well-trained junior leaders to these units is a matter which must receive attention; and



support of voluntary military service by business is not yet evident and the soon to be announced support body to be established by business and labour is to be welcomed.

Meeting the Challenge

The SA Army is acutely aware of its responsibility to meet these challenges in the context of the transformation process and has plans in place to address all the current issues.

The empowerment of people to progress into the middle and senior management levels by means of identifying and 'fast tracking' the high performers from both the previously disadvantaged groups and the Part-Time component is one of the Army's priorities. Other objectives, such as the correction of ratios of personnel in the different service terms are, of necessity, longer term objectives.

Although the challenge is great, the vision is clear: to provide an integrated, representative, motived, affordable and professional volunteer Army.

TRAINING

The transformation process in the SA Army, together with the changes in the personnel 'mix' and the integration of the various forces, have necessitated that the Army re-evaluate its approach to training to ensure that it is current, applicable and appropriate to the changing circumstances and requirements.

The integration of the various forces since 1994 has placed an additional work-load and strain on training personnel and facilities and, in some cases, has led to a reduction in the availability of facilities and personnel available for the presentation of normal scheduled training, especially for the Part-Time component.

It was foreseen that this additional burden on the training capability of the SA Army would persist until at least 1998. Due to this situation, the Army put plans in place to relieve the situation as far as possible, within budgetary constraints and the availability of personnel, and the training requirements of integration and normal personnel development and force preparation are, to a large extent, now being effectively met, especially for the Full-Time component.

Due to the relatively different circumstances prevailing in the Full-Time and Part-Time components, the approach in terms of adjusting to the requirements during transformation was considered from both points of view and adjusted as necessary.

Training Approach

In the past, the approach to training for both the Full-Time and Part-Time components was not radically different and had a strong emphasis on functional (corps) related training with the primary focus on force employment (operational) objectives. A strong emphasis on written evaluation and a broad general training approach in order to qualify many people to the same standard, were the norm.

In the context of transformation and without sacrificing operational standards and requirements, the approach has shifted to a greater balance between individual development and force employment objectives. More emphasis is being placed on outcomes-based training to enhance individual competence. There is also a shift in focus to requirement driven training aimed at qualifying specific members to occupy specific posts and this will also necessitate a greater degree of effective individual career planning.

Specifically in terms of the Part-Time component, the approach is to make as little intrusion as possible on the member's civilian career, while still maintaining standards, and methods of achieving this, such as distance education, computer-based training, etc., are being investigated. Staff courses which take cognisance of civilian qualifications of Part-Time members are also being considered.

Evaluation

While the current approach is, more inclined to objective driven training and a strong theoretical base with the achievement of set pass marks, as in the past, the vision for the future is a shift towards evaluation of performance, retraining/refresher training and a competence-based approach with the practical demonstration of capability rather than theoretical excellence as the criterion, where practically feasible and desirable. In order to obtain employer support for the Part-Time component, it will also be necessary to demonstrate clearly how leadership and management skills have been enhanced during Army training.

Duration of Training

Training courses for both the Full-Time and Part-Time components have tended to be protracted residential courses with the methodology based on labour-intensive practices and 'low-tech' training aids.

The additional training requirements brought about by transformation have seen a limited swing to the use of technological means to overcome the limitations and the use of computers, simulators and a measure of decentralisation in the presentation of formal training.

The SA Army envisions, within budgetary constraints, that continuous residential training will be replaced, wherever practically feasible, with distance education, pre-study material and a modular approach with self-paced learning to ensure success. Greater use of simulators and computers will also facilitate decentralisation and reduce costs. Plans are already in place to modularise Part-Time component training courses and the guideline is that continuous or residential phases of training should not exceed three weeks.

Integrated Training

Where conventional and territorial forces were previously independently trained for different applications, the SA Army envisions a greater degree of joint training in the concept of land battle. Joint training in terms of the other arms of service must also be more widely practised to promote the 'one force concept' of operations.

Expanded Training Opportunities

The international acceptance which South Africa currently enjoys has also opened up many opportunities to participate in international training and exercises and to keep abreast of international developments and trends to ensure that our knowledge and doctrines are updated and applicable. The current emphasis on peace support operations and the inclusion of this in current training at various levels is a prime example of this trend.

Specifically with regard to the Part-Time component, the SA Army has a major challenge in making training accessible, attainable, exciting and stimulating enough to attract volunteers to the Part-Time force. The development of the capability, including the availability of equipment, to present training on a decentralised modular basis to Part-Time Force members will be a major contributor to the success of the voluntary system.

While there are many challenges to be met in developing the SA Army's vision in terms of its training capability, not least of which are budgetary constraints, the Army is determined to implement its new approach wherever and whenever practically feasible and progress is already being made on a number of fronts.

CONCLUSION

The transformation of the SA Army within the broader transformation of the SANDF has particular challenges for the Army as the largest employer of human resources. The impact of transformation is, for this reason, also greater in the Army.

The visible changes which have already occurred are evidence of the Army's commitment, within the transformation process, to meet the challenges, while maintaining a cost-effective, efficient and well-prepared capability.

The vision and the challenges in terms of staffing its structures and training and developing its human resources is a task to which the SA Army is equal in every respect.

ENDNOTES

Edited version of a paper read at the The SA Army and Transformation, conference organised jointly by the Institute for Security Studies, the SA Army and the Hanns Seidel Foundation, NG Chruch Conference Centre, Pretoria, 26 March 1997.

Figure 1: Comparison between service components in the FSS



Figure 2: Race distribution in the full-time force: SA Army (excluding civilians)



Figure 3: Total recruited to VPTF system per race and gender as at 28 February 1997



Figure 4: Race representivity: SA Army 2LT - LT Gen as at 28 February 1997



Figure 5: Race representivity: SA Army PTE - WP1 Gen as at 28 February 1997