What are the existing security threats for Botswana?

Richard Moleofe | Friday March 4, 2016 12:26

For every country, internal security considerations are at the top of their priority list. Therefore, external threats are secondary.

I have always argued that Botswana’s reasons for new arms procurement are not necessarily based on security consideration, but rather on what certain individuals can get as cuts on such defence deals. Military hardware is very expensive by the nature of the industry.

Hence the contracts are always shrouded in mystery and tainted with corruption. The defence industry is one industry with the highest level of corruption where heavy bribes roll.

And what has prompted Botswana to make such a decision to spend so many billions of its development budget on defence? In this episode I will attempt to make an overview of the security situation in Southern Africa. And the outcome of which will support or not support the purchase of such armaments.

What your neighbours have in their inventory is often used as a reason for purchase of your own arms. Beginning with our neighbour to the south, we can never have sufficient financial resources to match their level of development. The South African Air Force was established in 1920 and stands to be one of the oldest in the world.

South Africa has the strongest air force in Africa south of the equator while Egypt occupies the number one spot in all of Africa. Egypt has developed their air force so much from the military aid they receive from the US.

South Africa boasts of several military jets that play deferent roles from fighter, attack and interception. Their latest purchase of the SAAB Gripen has given the edge of leading because the aircraft is multi-rolled as it can be used both as a fighter and an interceptor. The purchase of the 26 aircraft was also engulfed in a lot of controversy.

Through Denel, the country has in the past manufactured several of their own jets. These ranged from the Impala to the Cheetah, which was a technological modification of the French Dassault Mirage III. Denel has created a world class attack helicopter called the Rooivalk. This aircraft is so superior that the South African government has pledged to deny Denel the exports of such to any one of their neighbours.

The previous repressive government in South Africa invested heavily in the manufacture of arms because of the political climate they had created. Security was always their top priority and they spent endlessly.

There was absolutely no reason for such expensive upgrades in the inventory of the air force because what they had at the time of independence was much superior to what their neighbours possessed.  What they have achieved is to create an arms race.

Angola is the second superpower in Southern Africa. The purchase of the Swedish Gripen by SAAF triggered an arms race as Angola hastily arranged to order 18 of the SU-30K from China. This is one enviable fighter jet from Asia. It has superb performance in the air. Remember that Angola has gone to war with South Africa before. And it seems they do not want to leave anything to chance when it comes to their security.

Angola has approximately 348 aircraft in their inventory and this includes the Brazilian Super Tucano which some media houses have suggested that it is in the list of possible suppliers for BDF. What I found interesting in my small research is that Angola has more helicopters than South Africa.

From what others have suggested, that Botswana is opening a can of arms proliferation by procuring fighter jets, could be true when one takes into account the case of Angola and South Africa. More countries are going to spend a lot in bridging the gap in their air forces.

Zimbabwe has an air force with limited capability. They are mainly depending on the aging Soviet MiG 23s as a multi-role jet. Otherwise the rest are advanced trainers that are not necessarily good as fighters. It seems Zimbabwe is more focused on a future low intensity counter-insurgency conflict.

Zambia has a few serviceable MiG 21 that have been around since the days of Kaunda. They have been beefed up in the last few years by the Shenyang J-6 light fighter. Also in their inventory lie several utility helicopters.

On a similar note, Namibia has not invested heavily on fighter jets. They are still relying on the old MiG 21s which they hastily bought around the time they had a border conflict with Botswana. Beside this, they have a few other fighter/trainers. However, Namibia has not invested enough on helicopters when one takes the vastness of their country into consideration.

At the moment Botswana uses the Canadair CF5(CF5-A) in a fighter role. The aircraft is more suited as an interceptor than a fighter. If we had our priorities right, the argument for new fighter jets would be appropriate. But as long as we are experiencing the current level of unemployment and things falling apart in the areas of health and education, we cannot invest in fighter jets.

It is said, “True air power requires the ability to strike outside one’s borders at short notice.” This is true and beyond reproach. As for the moment, we as a nation cannot afford fighter jets in same class as F16s, which is what I regard as true air power. We therefore need to wait until our economy allows us to have that in our defence menu rather than buy something like T-50s as an interim measure.

Military aviation experts say, “…without tactical and strategic transport there is no such thing as an expeditionary capability for a fighter squadron.” This statement is rightly placed for BDF. They need to build their capacity in the area of air transportation. BDF has a desirable transportation squadron envied by many and this is what they need to keep improving.