Military aviation is pivotal for Africa’s security: SAAF

South African Air Force (SAAF) Chief Lieutenant General Carl Moatshe says more emphasis needs to be placed on African co-operation in the continental military aviation sector to deal with threats of terrorism, organised crime, maritime vulnerability and instability, and to avoid becoming mere instruments of geopolitical power politics.

Delivering the keynote address on the final day of the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Conference at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, Moatshe says sovereign decision-making begins with awareness, as the state cannot secure what it cannot see.

He says, “Strategic awareness gives nations the freedom to make decisions based on their own understanding of events, not solely on information, systems or priorities controlled by others.” Moatshe notes that the foundations of air power are changing, and that artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, drones, and cyber vulnerabilities that have driven decision-making are transforming both warfare and security.

He says, “No African state can independently generate a full spectrum of coverage across every border, coastline, disaster zone and conflict-afflicted area.

He pointed out that regional co-operation is not a luxury but is a practical requirement for security and resilience.” As an example of an integrated, regional approach, Moatshe sketches the scenario of a major regional flood or emergency on the continent.

He says in such an instance, “space-based observation provides early warning, identifies affected populations, and a communication network is created”.

Moatshe says, “There is a common operational picture, medical support, evacuation of people, movement of food and water, unmanned systems survey damaged infrastructure in inaccessible parts, while civilian agencies, armed forces, industry and communities work from the same trusted information pictures and the response becomes faster, more accurate.

This is what integrated air and space power looks like when it is designed around African needs rather than institutional service….” In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, he says South African air power is widely perceived as pivotal in such incidents, but the strategic question is whether the country is organised, equipped and sustained to fulfil that expectation.

Moatshe says, “We must also confront physical realities such as budget constraints, maintenance demands, and scarcity of skilled personnel.

Under these conditions, capabilities cannot be judged by acquisition announcements; they must be judged by readiness, utility and sustainability.