Union Defence Force
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Revision as of 13:49, 1 February 2009
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| Service branches | South African Army South African Naval Forces South African Air Force South African Military Health Service |
| Commander-in-Chief | Queen Elizabeth II (de jure) |
| Minister of Defence | Mosiuoa Lekota |
| Chief of the Defence Staff | General Pakalitha Tsele Mokoma |
| Military age | 18 years of age for voluntary military service |
| Conscription | no |
| Available for military service | Males age 16-49: 22,423,192 (2008 est.) Females age 16-49: 22,189,806 (2008 est.) |
| Fit for military service | Males age 16-49: 17,572,553 (2008 est.) Females age 16-49: 15,910,845 (2008 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | Males age 16-49: 957,578 (2008 est.) Females age 16-49: 949,257 (2008 est.) |
| Active personnel | 442,000 |
| Reserve personnel | 217,500 |
| Budget | USD $92.7 billion (2008) |
| Percent of GDP | 5% (2008) |
The Union Defence Force, commonly referred to by its acronym, UDF, is the name of the armed forces of South Africa. Equipped with a vast array of modern equipment, commanded by able tacticians, and committed to high standards of excellence both on the battlefield and off, the UDF is widely regarded as the finest military on the continent, and one of the best in the world.
Organization
The Governor-General, as the Queen's representative, is the de jure (but not de facto) Commander-in-Chief of the UDF with:
- Chief of the Defence Staff (General Pakalitha Tsele Mokoma)
- Chief of the Army (Lieutenant General Ken Walls)
- Chief of the Air Force (Lieutenant General Abel Mawere)
- Chief of the Navy (Vice Admiral Mhlobo ka Tshiwo)
- Surgeon General (Lieutenant General Patrick Nyembezi)
- Joint Forces Commander (Lieutenant General Mompati Masire)
Staff Divisions under the Chief of Defence Staff include:
- Personnel
- Intelligence
- Operations
- Logistics
- Finance
Other Support Services commands include:
- Inspector General of the UDF (Major-General Tebogo Merafhe)
- Chaplain General of the UDF (Major-General Inonge Sikatana)
Personnel
- Permanent Forces - Active members
- Citizen Forces - Fully trained part-time members
- Commando Forces - Fully trained members
- Special Forces
- Service Volunteers - Non-permanent full time members
- Auxiliary Service
- Reserve Forces
