The Implication of International Co-operation in the South African Area of Maritime Interest

Vice Admiral Robert C Simpson-Anderson, SD, SM, MMM
Chief of the South African Navy

A paper presented at a conference on South Africa and International Naval Co-operation on 9 August 1994 at the Nassau Centre, Cape Town, jointly hosted by the Institute for Defence Policy and the South African Institute of International Affairs.

Published in African Defence Review Issue No 19, 1994

INTRODUCTION

Maxi van Aardt (1993), of the Department of Political Studies at Rand Afrikaans University, in a paper entitled In Search of a More Adequate Concept of Security for Southern Africa, argues that "the conventional approach to security lacks an ethic of care and responsibility with regard to both the marginalised groups in society and to the earth and its resources".

She states that "the ideal is to find a way in which such a perspective of care and responsibility might become a wider social imperative, more conducive to solving mutual problems among states". Furthermore, "the real security issues facing the sub-continent will only be solved or managed if security is treated in interdependent terms" and that "a more integrated approach might be achieved by rethinking the conventional conceptualisation of security against the background of increasing interdependence, connectedness and need among southern African states".

This is an excellent point of departure from which to address the topic in the regional sense, but South Africa also has maritime interests beyond the region and co-operates reasonably extensively with countries beyond the region.

SCOPE

The subject will be discussed under the following headings:

The maritime interests of the RSA.

Determinants for the scope of co-operation.

* The SA Navy's history of co-operation.
* Existing co-operation.
* Future co-operation.
* Co-operation with the littoral states of the region.



Conclusion.

Whether perspectives based on these and other factors tend to stress or ?reduce the strategic importance of the Cape Sea Route, it remains an issue, and this in itself is significant.

Maritime Economic and Commercial Interests

The maritime economic interests of the RSA can be discussed under the following headings:

Trade

Exploitation of Marine Resources

Protection of the Marine Ecology and Conservation of the Marine Environment.

A second area of co-operation is that relating to the Southern Ocean. The Department of the Environment maintains an Antarctic research station (the SANAE Base) and weather stations on Gough and Marion Islands, as well as 2 automatic weather stations on the South Sandwich Islands of Zavadovski and Southern Thule. This affords the Navy and the civilian authorities involved a unique opportunity to co-operate with their counterparts whose countries also have Antarctic interests, notably the French, the British, the Argentineans and Chileans. It has on occasion also been assisted by the Germans and the Russians.

A third area is that of naval control of shipping exercises for the South Atlantic. The aim of naval control of shipping exercises is to provide participating countries with practice in the naval and civil control of shipping, an activity which is of utmost necessity in any war zone. South Africa annually participates in such an exercise with a number of South American countries.

Then there is the standing tri-annual exercise with the Argentinian Navy. The SA Navy participated in exercise ATLASUR with the Argentinean Navy off the coast of Argentina for the first time in 1993. This is set to become a standing exercise which will be conducted every 3 years with the venue alternating.

Future Co-operation

Regional Naval Co-operation in the South Atlantic Ocean

This idea did not gain momentum until 1986 when Brazil mooted the establishment of a Zone of Peace and Co-operation of the South Atlantic (SPCSA)*. A resolution was adopted at the 41st session of the UN General Assembly declaring this Zone to promote co-operation for social and economic development, protection of the environment and conservation of resources. Member states of the Zone have since been expressing the hope of welcoming a non-racial democratic South Africa into the community of South Atlantic States. It is hoped that the SA Government will become an active member of this enterprise in the not too distant future. If so, the SA Navy would undoubtedly be in a position to make a valuable contribution towards the ideals of the Resolution. (Editors note: South Africa has subsequently joined the SPCSA)

Regional Naval Co-operation in the Indian Ocean

Other than the prospects for trade in the Indian Ocean Rim, there are other areas of possible co-operation, such as the exchange of shipping information, the protection of the environment, research, and provision of facilities for repair, rest and recreation. There is also the possibility of regular combined exercises and co-operation with such navies with respect to search and rescue in the area.

Co-operation with the Littoral States of the Region

As indicated before, future co-operation in the region is the main focus of this paper. "Region" is taken to mean the littoral states and the Indian Ocean island states south of the Equator, with the possible inclusion of Nigeria and Kenya.

The Interdependence of the Members of the Region

Although accurate figures are hard to obtain, it is clear that now that South Africa is normalising its internal politics, the interdependence among neighbouring countries, and particularly their dependence on the "economic engine of Africa", will increase. Trends in commercial traffic flow since 2 February 1990, when the then State President, F.W. de Klerk, took the first dramatic step towards the new South Africa clearly illustrate this. (Appendix).

This dependence will most certainly be reflected in the arena of mutual security. The potential for internal conflict in this region is high. Interdependence tends to make the problems of one state the problems of its neighbours. The most recent Military Balance (1993/94) by the International Institute for Strategic Studies confirms the problems in Sub-Saharan Africa:

For the last 12 months, Sub-Saharan Africa has been the region (in the world) most plagued by conflict and instability. There is a growing feeling amongst Africans that their problems are considered to be less serious than elsewhere in the world. While the UN has devoted some attention to the problems of Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda and Somalia, "peacekeeping" efforts have not resulted in definitive conflict resolution. The OAU has revived discussions about creating its own peacekeeping forces and work directly with the UN to solve regional conflict, but this (with the exception of the case of Rwanda) has not yet borne fruit. (Beukes, June 1994)

Resources could be a further source of conflict. Two of them are fishing and water. Foreign fishing fleets are plundering marine resources and presenting a severe challenge to famine-stricken and agriculturally depleted African states. Access to ports will remain crucial in the quest to increase exports, a goal that is emphasised by donor-driven structural adjustment programmes (Breytenbach, 1994). Because of the lack of maintenance and the instability experienced by a large number of coastal states, the ports of South Africa will remain of vital importance to many of the land-locked states to the north of the RSA.

Any peacekeeping efforts or military co-operation in Sub-Saharan African and island states would require not only land forces, but the use of maritime forces as well. In this regard the high accessibility of a large number of Sub-Saharan countries through naval diplomacy or naval projection of power should be borne in mind.

Naval Co-operation

Naval co-operation in this region presents a challenge to the SA Navy in that most littoral states only have limited coast guard navies. The thrust of the RSA's efforts toward co-operation should thus be to help establish naval capability where it does not exist and to assist in the improvement thereof where it does. The greatest demand will therefore be in the field of training and this has a direct implication on the Navy's capacity to train, especially given the need of the country's own population in this regard.

The acquisition of suitable ships presents a similar problem. Given the acute foreign exchange problems of most countries in the region, nothing more than the rudimentary is possible in the medium term. These fledgling navies would essentially remain coastal services and would therefore require modest but sturdy workhorses for coastal and fisheries patrols. At present the SA Navy is the only contiguous sea navy, with global reach on a limited scale, in the region. The RSA does, however, have a similar requirement for coastal patrol vessels at the bottom end of the scale. The opportunity for a local build programme which could achieve significant economies of scale by providing ships for Africa, therefore presents itself.

The next step would be the maintenance of these navies and the provision of facilities to make them self-sufficient. The ultimate goal would be a high degree of inter-operability with the option of a linked command, control and communication system which would enable the navies of the region to communicate directly to present an immediate and combined response to contingencies that may arise, especially with regard to the safety of life at sea.

To this end the need for interoperability would be paramount. Forces made up of units from different countries have tremendous problems operating with each other in terms of language, manoeuvering instructions, the control of helicopters, air direction, logistic support and particularly security measures involving aspects such as communications security and emission control.

General Maritime Co-operation

Obvious areas of general maritime co-operation in the region which present themselves and where the SA Navy could and should play a significant role are those areas of activity aimed at water space management and the enforcement of state authority. Examples are:

Assistance with the protection of marine resources, notably fishing.


The protection of the marine environment and ecology.

Pollution control, including oil spills and the dumping of toxic wastes at sea.

Disaster relief, which has specific implications for the Navy's sealift capability.

The combating of piracy, drug smuggling and illegal immigration.

Safety of life at sea.

Hydrography.

The support of scientific research.

Modern coast guard and naval vessels require sophisticated support facilities as well as technical expertise and training. Sheer cost could prohibit the duplication of facilities of this nature. Sharing these costs and the existing facilities would represent a more efficient use of scarce resources.

CONCLUSION

Co-operation amongst countries promotes ties of friendship, peace and prosperity. In this regard a challenge still exists in southern Africa and since South Africa is the country with the best developed navy and naval/maritime infrastructure in the area, its Navy could play a meaningful role in the creation of structures for the purpose. It could and should also assist its neighbours as and when necessary, an investment in effort which would undoubtedly have a binding political effect on the countries in the region and yield enormous dividends in terms of mutual security in years to come.

The Implications of Maritime Co-operation

A Co-ordinated National Strategy

The major implication is that the effort to co-operate cannot and should not be initiated by the Navy on its own. It should be a combined effort by all departments and authorities involved as part of a co-ordinated and integrated national strategy.

This strategy should in the first instance strike a balance between South Africa's own needs on the one hand, and its policies and responsibilities regionally and internationally on the other. Should the RSA assume some form of leadership role in the region, the utmost care should be taken to defuse any lingering threat perceptions there may be. The strategy should therefore guide agreements and subscriptions to international bodies, organisations and commitments.



The strategy should also involve the role players in potential trade rims. The guiding aim would be to co-operate toward improved welfare and prosperity, stability, peace and security, the protection of the marine environment and its resources and the safety of life at sea.

Implications for the SA Navy

Such a co-ordinated national and outward looking strategy would have the following implications for the SA Navy:

A Balanced and Capable Navy. The Navy should be capable of fulfilling its primary role at any time. Diluting this capability in favour of international co-operation and the ability to render aid and assistance would be folly. This demands a Navy of credible deterrence and capable of defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country when required.



Reach and Seakeeping. The SA Navy has to be capable of operating in 3 oceans: the South Atlantic, the Indian and the Southern Oceans. It has to operate under some of the most extreme weather conditions in the world over long ranges. It is essential, therefore, that it should have the reach and seakeeping ability to do so.



Flexibility and Size. The Navy has to fulfil a wide variety of roles and tasks in time of war and in time of peace. In respect of the latter the following demands have to be met; locally to meet the country's own requirements, or regionally or even further afield, as the Government may deem necessary:

* Assistance with the protection of marine resources, notable fishing.
* The protection of the marine environment and ecology.
* Pollution control, including oil spills and the dumping of toxic wastes at sea.
* Disaster relief.
* The combating of piracy, drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
* Safety of life at sea.
* Hydrography.
* The support of scientific research.
* The support of the Government's diplomatic initiatives.



Any number of these might need to be conducted simultaneously. The Navy should therefore be adequate in size and have the built-in flexibility with the required range of capabilities in its portfolio.



Inter-operability:

* Not only does the Navy have to co-operate with the other state departments, with the other Arms of the South African National Defence Force, but also with foreign navies. These include the navies of the region as well as those further afield. The Navy therefore has to strive to achieve and maintain a sufficient degree of inter-operability with all its partners, whether locally, regionally or on distant peacekeeping missions.

* In the regional context, there should be regular face-to-face contact amongst the region's navy chiefs to pave the way towards combined operations, which in turn should lead to the creation and maintenance of regional work groups on aspects of common interest, such as hydrography. The navies should have open communication lines amongst each other and conduct regular exercises on those aspects that are of common interest.



Membership of the Professional International Maritime Community. In pursuing the Government's objectives, the SA Navy could and should enable the country to retain its membership of the professional international maritime community. The RSA should therefore pursue links with countries whose navies could assist in furthering its professional abilities, maintain and renew its technological base and contribute to its operational readiness.



Infrastructure. Likewise, the SA Navy must have sufficient infrastructure, notably in terms of command and control, communications and intelligence. It should also have sufficient training capacity in order to export training where required as well as the necessary depth in its logistics support infrastructure.

Africa as an Equal Partner in the World

The nations of the region should work toward a common vision for the future of "Africa for Africa". South Africa is the developed world's gateway to Sub-equatorial Africa, and the sea, that barrier-free highway, the key to unlock it. Recognition of this fact and of the leading role that South Africa and its maritime community could and should play, would go a long way towards Africa's development and ultimate equality as a world partner.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Beukes, T, Research Material provided by the Institute for Maritime Technology, Simon's Town, June 1994.

Breytenbach, W, Types of Conflicts in southern Africa and Mechanisms for their Resolution, published in Prospects for Progress: Critical Choices for Southern Africa, 1994.

Esterhuysen, P (ed.), Fair, D and Leistner, E, South Africa in Sub-equatorial Africa - Economic Interaction, Supplement to Africa Insight, volume 24, no 1, by the Africa Institute of South Africa, April 1994.

Esterhuysen, P (ed.), Africa at a Glance, published by the Africa Institue of South Africa, January 1992.

Groenewald, E P, South Africa's Maritime Interests and Policy, SA Navy, March 1994.

Saasa, Oliver S, The Effectiveness and Dependability of South Africa's Ports and Trade Routes, University of Lusaka, as published in Critical Choices, op cit.

Simpson-Anderson, R C, US Navy International Symposium on Sea Power, Newport, November 1993.

Soltynski, M, Research Material provided by the Institute for Futures Research, University of Stellenbosch, Bellville, July 1994.

Department of Foreign Affairs, South Africa's Future Relations with the Zone of Peace and Co-operation of the South Atlantic, June 1994.

Van Aardt, M, In Search of a More Adequate Concept of Security for Southern Africa, South African Journal of International Affairs, volume 1 number 1, 1993.

Van Niekerk, H, Figures obtained through the kind assistance of the Department of Transport Economics, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, July, 1994.

APPENDIX

SOUTH AFRICA’S TRADE WITH AFRICA (1990 AND 1992) R MILLION