South African Defence Force

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South African Defence Force
Military manpower
Availability
(males age 18-49)
(females age 18-49)

14,140,421
13,647,395
Fit for military service
(males age 18-49)
(females age 18-49)

6,856,027
6,616,981
Military expenditures
Dollar figure $112.585 billion
Percent of GDP 8.9%

The South African Defence Force (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag), commonly referred to by its acronym, SADF, 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 SADF is widely regarded as the finest military on the continent, and one of the best in the world.

Organization

The State President is the Commander-in-Chief of the SADF with:

  • Chief of the Defence Staff - overall senior command officer
  • Chief of the Army
  • Chief of the Air Force
  • Chief of the Navy
  • Surgeon General
  • Joint Forces Commander

Staff Divisions under the Chief of Defence Staff include:

  • Personnel
  • Intelligence
  • Operations
  • Logistics
  • Finance

Other Support Services commands include:

  • Inspector General of the SADF
  • Chaplain General of the SADF

Personnel

  • Permanent Forces - Active members
  • National Servicemen - Called up for 2 years national service and generally fully trained for operational duty within the space of 12 months
  • Citizen Forces - Fully trained part-time members
  • Commando Forces - Fully trained members
  • Special Forces - Includes the Civil Cooperation Bureau
  • Service Volunteers - Non-permanent full time members
  • Auxiliary Service
  • Reserve Forces

Four armed services

Four armed services make up the forces of the SADF:

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