12 Oct 2009: ISS Seminar, Pretoria: Managing and Reforming the Defence Sector
Managing and Reforming the Defence Sector, Pretoria, 12 October 2009
Hosted by the Security Sector Governance Programme (SSG)
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Contact details
Dr Naison Ngoma – Programme Head
Security Sector Governance Programme
[email protected]
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Stephen van Neel - Senior Researcher
Security Sector Governance Programme
[email protected]
Tel: + 27 12 346 9500
Fax: + 27 12 460 0998
https://www.issafrica.org
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The transformation of the security sector has become one of the fundamental requirements in consolidating the process of democratisation in many countries. It gives leverage to democratically elected political leadership over the security sector and ensures proper oversight, control and governance of this sector in broad and the defence in particular. This could be the reason why so many militaries over the world have undergone reforms and continue to do so. This process became known as the security sector reform and has given impetus to extensive research and resulted in a wide range of literature on the topic. This has particularly been noted in the last decade of the previous century and the first period of the new century.
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Although democratisation has been sited as a reason for reforms undertaken in the security sector, it is not the only driver of this process. Another significant factor is the changing strategic environment that influenced militaries to reform. The military is no longer viewed as the only priority or in some cases even a priority at all and consequently has had to be balanced with other sectors of society in the sharing of scarce financial resources. The question is – how do we align and balance the defence sector with other sectors in an era where state security has been overtaken by the notion of human security? It is in this scheme of things that defence transformation is an issues that needs to be subjected to broad discussion.
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In 2000, the ISS published a monograph by Dr. David Chuter entitled Defence Transformation – A Guide to Issues (ISS Monograph No 49). This publication focused mainly on the experiences from Southern African armed forces. The South African experience in particular presented an interesting and perhaps complex process. However, this process has been regarded as one of the most comprehensive and successful transformation processes. It is about ten years since this monograph was published. Cognizant of the ever-changing environment, it is time for yet another discussion to take place, particularly taking into account the contemporary environment. This is the rationale of Dr. Chuter’s effort to produce a new book on defence transformation.
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The book shares the broad structures of the previous publication but also deals with a number of new subjects and developments. In his book, he reiterated the importance of a well-functioning security sector and identified it as a pre-condition for stability in any state to ensure economic, political and social development.
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Under the auspices of the Security Sector Reform Programme (SSG) the ISS will hold a seminar entitled Managing and Reforming the Defence Sector. The seminar seeks to discuss new findings on the discourse of defence and reforming the defence sector and the manner this contributes to the enrichment of the discourse on defence transformation.Â
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Keynote Speaker: David Chuter
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Discussants: Mr T. Motumi – Acting Secretary for Defence, Department of Defence and Military Veterans – South Africa
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Major General (Retired) Len Le Roux
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Dr Naison Ngoma – Head of Programme, Security Sector Governance Programme
Facilitator: Stephen van Neel – Security Sector Governance Programme
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Date: Monday 12 October 2009.
Time: 11h00 (seminar starts); 12h30 (light lunch).
Venue: ISS Conference Room, Block C, Brooklyn Court, 361 Veale Street, New Muckleneuk, Pretoria.
Parking: Brooklyn Mall and ABSA Court.
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RSVP: Ms Millicent Mlaba
Telephone: (012) 346 9500
Fax: (012) 460 0998
E-mail: [email protected]
Seminar Documentation
