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CHIEF OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE, GENERAL HECHTER,
AIR ATTACHES AND HONOURABLE REPRESENTATIVES FROM OUR SADC PARTNERS,
SENIOR OFFICERS OF THE SAAF,
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

It is my privilege to welcome you all to this Sir Pierre van Ryneveld Air Power Symposium.

We are honoured by your participation here today.

The theme of this conference - "Air Power in Southern Africa, a Collective Asset, its Challenges and Opportunities" - is particularly relevant.

The end of apartheid and the birth of a new democracy in South Africa heralds a new dawn for our continent.

With South Africa being welcomed back into the community of nations, we are keen to make our contribution to a better world.

In Africa, we can now join with our regional and continental partners - our brothers and sisters who gave us such unstinting support in the struggle for democracy - to play a dynamic and responsible role in promoting Africa's cause.

This spirit of renewing old ties and forging new links is part of a general revival of Africa - a vision of an African Renaissance that has inspired President Mandela and his Deputy Thabo Mbeki.

Defence, and air power in particular, can make a significant contribution to this new era.

This may sound like a paradox to some who might question how Defence can be part of a Renaissance.

I submit that development and progress cannot come about without the fundamental prerequisites of peace and security.

The role of Defence is, therefore, to underwrite that peace, ensure that security, and guarantee stability.

In other words, it must reinforce the Renaissance so that we can build continental confidence and promote mutual prosperity.

This we must do in a spirit of partnership and co-operation, working as partners to add lustre to the prospects of this great continent.

The task of rebuilding Africa will be multi-faceted, involving government, business, NGO's - both African and foreign - and the people of our continent, in a collective effort of unprecedented scale.

It will involve a new opening up of our hinterland, new discoveries of natural resources and the responsible management of all we have at our disposal.

This time, however, it will be for the benefit of all our people, using modern technology to bring to them the advantages of development.

Regional co-operation will be vital in co-ordinating development and in creating and maintaining the conditions in which that development can take place.

In this respect much has been done and is still being done to improve the capacity of the OAU and SADC to manage and resolve conflict peacefully and to work collectively towards a more stable and peaceful environment.

Focussing on the theme of this conference, we must ask ourselves how air power specifically can contribute to the realisation of our Renaissance.

Air power plays a dual role, civilian and military - contributing to development and contributing to the stability that makes development possible.

Air power has unique advantages in aiding development.

It enables rapid, direct transport between main centres and allows access to areas poorly linked to surface transportation networks, thereby oiling the wheels of commerce and bringing services to people in remote areas.

It gives access to areas cut off by the disruption of surface transportation, bringing relief to people suffering natural disaster.

It provides the means of aerial surveying and exploration, enabling the responsible exploitation and management of natural resources.

It is a versatile and powerful tool, and while it cannot replace surface based activities, it is an invaluable complement to such means.

As vital and irreplaceable as these non-military applications of air power may be, they will avail us little if conditions of stability and peace have not been established as a pre-condition for development.

As to the role of military air power, it means being able:
to defend ourselves against aggression;
to project peace into troubled areas through international peace support operations, and
being able to provide credible assistance to neighbours in need.

Military air power allows transportation in high-risk areas where civilian aircraft cannot be used and it provides sophisticated surveillance capabilities to monitor the movement of people and compliance with cease-fires.

And, if needs be, it provides a rapid, pin-point response against aggression and the violation of cease-fires and other agreements.

It therefore provides a powerful restraint on actions that would disrupt the peace and threaten the process of reconstruction.

No peace support operation will succeed without troops on the ground, and without the force multiplier effect provided by air power.

Air power is, and will remain, a vital component of a balanced military force, both in defence and in security building.

None of this has any aggressive intent.

Our Defence policy, as spelt out in our historic White Paper on Defence and National Defence Review, confirms a continuum of non-violent measures aimed at promoting security, with the direct application of military means as a last resort.

This policy together with our vision of an African Renaissance - with South Africa playing an active and responsible role in building peace and security in Africa - provides a basis upon which we can determine our air power needs.

In this regard, several major Air Force requirements are high on the list of Defence Force priorities - particularly the replacement of fighter and trainer aircraft and light utility helicopters.

The endorsement by Cabinet and Parliament of the Defence Review does not, however, constitute blanket approval for the acquisition of equipment.

While it confirms the requirement for broad capabilities and enables the initiation of vitally important acquisition programmes, individual programmes will still be subject to the prescribed levels of approval and determined by, among other concerns, the financial value of the project.

Severe financial constraints mean that we are often hard pressed to maintain the military capabilities required by the tasks we are called upon to perform.

We are not alone in feeling that pressure.

Air power, notwithstanding its versatility and high impact, is expensive and few states in the region will be able to afford extensive air capabilities.

Regional Defence co-operation will thus assume increasing importance.

One of the challenges is the possibility of structuring our air capabilities in a complementary fashion.

The question is whether air power can lead the way towards a degree of military integration across a broader front, thereby truly becoming a collective effort.

Following Cabinet and Parliament's endorsement of the Defence Review, our government is considering long term strategic packages that are being offered to us by major international powers.

These will enable the acquisition of quality equipment at competitive prices and under favourable conditions.

It opens up opportunities for technology transfer and co-operation in production, which will benefit local industry and expand our technology base, thereby strengthening the foundations of air power in South Africa.

Offset and counter trade agreements will also benefit our economy, thereby supporting our GEAR strategy and contributing to development in South Africa.
Defence acquisition will thus be a matter not only for the Department of Defence, but will have to be carried out in close collaboration with the Departments of Trade and Industry, and Finance.

New opportunities are opening up and new demands are being made on our resources - with the security and development of our country and our continent as the major objective.

The challenges and opportunities of air power in all of this are very real indeed.

I hope that this conference will address these issues in full, and that it will set the stage for the deployment of this vital resource in pursuit of the ideal of an African Renaissance.

The presentations by our distinguished guests and the subsequent panel discussion will shed significant new light on the subject.

Our objectives are to achieve a modern, balanced, technologically advanced defence force for the 21st Century.

A defence force that is representative of our population, and that has the correct values, attitudes and equipment for Africa's Renaissance.

I wish you very success in your important deliberations, and decare this conference open.

I thank you.

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