Scientia Militaria - South African Journal of Military Studies

Editorial

2025-06-20T07:37:01+00:00

Cyber Hygiene: The Case of the SANDF

2025-06-19T12:17:35+00:00

The landscape of cyberspace is growing at an incredibly fast pace, and it has penetrated deep into every aspect of society. In order to address this issue, the current study took a unique approach of focusing on cyber-hygiene practices among senior South African military officers, which is a largely understudied subject in the South African armed forces domain. The study was guided by the securitisation theory, which emphasises that the military plays a key role in orchestrating a “security move”. The South African National Defence College was selected as the site of importance where senior military officers undergo educational training. The military is considered a unique population, and is therefore often overlooked. The aim of the study was to explore how military officers in particular conceptualise cyber hygiene and how cybersecurity behaviour is practised in the context of the South African National Defence Force. The study utilised a qualitative approach, and conducted ten semi-structured interviews. It was found that cybersecurity awareness was key in the formation of cyber hygiene and locating potential cyber threats. These factors play a role in the development of security behaviour that is able to identify vulnerabilities in the system and within their own behaviour. Cultivating cybersecurity in the organisation was found to be challenged by knowledge and experience relating to cyberspace usage. The study also found that senior military officers practise cyber hygiene by taking appropriate security procedures to protect themselves and the organisation; however, organisational challenges prevent the full application of this practice.

Bullying in the Military: Implications and Remedies

2025-06-19T12:17:35+00:00

While it is not part of the profile of a soldier to bully other soldiers, the nature of the military and its status as a social institution make soldiers vulnerable to the events of bullying. Such vulnerability comes about because of the structural inequalities – especially hierarchical relationships – that characterise military service. It bears emphasising that soldiers operate in a unique and robust environment with a rigid and uncompromising hierarchical rank structure with specified roles and career fields. Soldiers however do not forfeit basic human rights, and should therefore be protected from treatment that degrades their sense of self-worth. The study on which this article reports, examined the possible impact of bullying in the South African National Defence Force, while also considering legal remedies available to victims of bullying. To this end, a review of relevant literature and discussions with some soldiers and defence civilians who were located in various bases throughout the Republic of South Africa were undertaken. It was concluded that bullying exists in the South African National Defence Force, and if left unchecked, may hamper morale, military discipline, and the operational effectiveness of the defence force.

Navigating Human Capital Challenges: Understanding the Decline in White Members of the South African Navy

2025-06-19T12:17:35+00:00

The concept “human capital” refers to ‘the accumulation of competencies, knowledge and skills needed to perform a task’ as defined by John C Groth and Gregory M Hebb. This implies that, to a degree, the effectiveness of an organisation depends on the quality and effectiveness of its employees. The Republic of South Africa is a sovereign democratic state founded on the values of human dignity, the achievement of equality, and the advancement of human rights. As part of the public sector, the Department of Defence is expected to transform in order to ensure inclusiveness of all race groups. The objective of the South African National Defence Force Human Resource Strategy 2010 is to ensure compliance with the overall government intent of transformation. This strategy aims to establish an ‘efficient, effective and economical human resource composition of the right quality and quantity’ for the Department of Defence. In line with the South African National Defence Force Human Resource Strategy 2010, the South African Navy pursued recruitment interventions favouring the appointment of black personnel in order to address inequalities of the past in terms of demographics. This led to fewer white youth being inducted, resulting in a predominantly black South African Navy. To investigate this challenge, the current study adopted mixed research approach (qualitative and quantitative). The qualitative research comprised a literature review on human capital, the transformation process in the South African National Defence Force, the demographics of the country, and interviews with serving white recruits in the South African Navy. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey (quantitative research) targeting white youth was administered in Gauteng, a province in South Africa, to obtain data.

Private Military Force as Strategy to Counter a Hybrid Threat Posture: A Conceptual Framework

2025-06-19T12:17:35+00:00

The international community is currently facing a diffuse, shifting, and controversial set of security challenges. On the one hand, hybrid warfare creates both conceptual and strategic challenges to a state, as conventional military forces are simply not designed to operate in a legal “grey zone”. As a result, certain ways and means, which are essential for the successful prosecution of an armed conflict, must be forfeited. On the other hand, there are significant self-restricting political and legal partitions inherent in the modern strategic landscape, as the international community does not want an easy recourse to war. By having to remain below these political and legal thresholds, a disconnect is however created between the policy ends of a state and the strategic effect of its armed forces. The combined effect of these challenges suggests that there is no suitable policy for dealing with hybrid threats, making the international community particularly vulnerable to exploitation. What is clear is that a more sophisticated, complex, and politically charged strategic response is required to counter a hybrid threat posture – one that effectively links policy ends to the ways and means of achieving those ends. Throughout history many different entities – besides statutory militaries – have fought wars: families, ethnic groups, business enterprises, and private military forces. Today, by virtue of the extensive expertise embedded within the private military industry, private military forces strategically influence both the process and the outcome of conflicts. The objective of the subsequent research was therefore to suggest a conceptual framework for private military force to counter a hybrid threat posture. The collective findings of this follow-up research suggest that, if private military force is theoretically coherent; is underpinned by a realistic political dimension; is tailored to a creative and non-linear concept of operations; and is adequately equipped and supported by a state, then the concept of private military force as strategy to counter a hybrid threat posture is a compelling notion. Please note that “subsequent research” or “follow-up research” refers to research done after the primary research. This follow-up research provided additional information, which is reflected in this article.

Boko Haram: At the Intersection of Regional Security Complexes, Islamism and Gender Dynamics

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

Boko Haram has been in existence since 2002. In its more than two decades, it has been the scourge of the region bringing death, destruction and displacement to vast swathes of Nigeria and neighbouring states. Despite strenuous efforts on the part of the Nigerian state, neighbouring countries and the international community, the carnage and breadth of human suffering have grown in intensity as Boko Haram and its offshoots have continued to extend their tentacles into new territories. Despite intense rivalries between Boko Haram and its Islamist rivals, and counter-terrorism efforts, the extremist challenge posed has escalated. Why is this so? Three factors contributed to this failure. First, the research on which this article is based, found that the phenomenon of Boko Haram needs to be understood beyond the borders of Nigeria – as part of a dynamic regional security complex. Second, because analysts under-played the importance of Islamist ideology, the nature of the beast was misunderstood. Policy measures undertaken, based on this misdiagnosis, were then bound to fail. Third, counter-terrorism efforts have also failed due to an important omission – failing to see the relationship between misogyny and extremism.

How Environmental Factors Affected Escaped Allied Prisoners of War in the Abruzzo and Molise Regions, Italy, 1943

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

The current study centred on the journey of a party of three Allied prisoners of war (two New Zealanders and one South African), who escaped from the Prigione di Guerra (PG)78/1 camp (henceforth referred to as PG78/1) at Acquafredda near Roccamorice. In this article, the researcher discusses the environmental conditions they faced on their epic journey to British lines near Campobasso. In particular, the bioclimatological factor was examined, as well as other factors, such as river depth, animal presence, and terrain. The literature review employed for the current study comprised memoirs by escaped prisoners of war, popular histories, and recent studies by South African scholars. A mixed-method methodology was adopted, as meteorological data were obtained from the Italian Meteorological Service (Agenzia ItaliaMeteo, henceforth referred to as “ItaliaMeteo”), from enquiries made to a number of organisations, and during a fieldtrip conducted in the Abruzzo and Molise areas of Italy. The meteorological data provided were excellent; indeed, the study stands by these data. River depth and wildlife were not judged to be major impediments. Enquiries to organisations yielded excellent information, and the fieldtrip provided outstanding context and understanding. It was concluded that the escapees were very fortunate with the timing of the Italian surrender in terms of weather extremes as well as the fact that the local people, the Abruzzesi, went out of their way – at great risk to themselves – to assist the escapees.

General Jan Smuts and his First World War in Africa, 1914–1917 (David Brock Katz) & Botha, Smuts and the Great War (Antonio Garcia and Ian van der Waag)

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

Prisoners of Jan Smuts: Italian Prisoners of War in South Africa in WWII (Karen Horn)

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

Smuts and Mandela: The Men Who Made South Africa (Roger Southall)

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

Comrade and Commander: The Life and Times of Joe Modise (Ronnie Kasrils and Fidelis Hove (eds.))

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00

Guilty and Proud – An MK Soldier’s Memoir of Exile, Prison and Freedom (Marion Sparg)

2025-06-19T12:17:36+00:00