South Africa and the Utility of Naval Power

This monograph, published by the Institute for Security Studies in February 1997, examines the strategic utility of naval power for South Africa in the post-Cold War era. It consists of several papers discussing the renewal of the South African Navy (SAN) fleet, the evolving nature of global security, and opportunities for maritime cooperation in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean rims. The document highlights the SAN's struggle with obsolete equipment and funding shortages while arguing that naval power remains a flexible, benign tool for diplomacy, humanitarian aid, and the protection of marine resources and economic interests.

• The South African Navy is currently hindered by outdated and obsolete equipment, which prevents it from effectively defending South Africa's 3,000 km coastline and its interests within the Economic Exclusion Zone (EEZ). This deficiency severely limits the Navy's utility as a tool for foreign policy.
• The South African Navy's core combat force requirements for its peacetime naval force include six strike craft, four corvettes, four conventional submarines, four mine hunters, four minesweepers, and 39 harbour patrol boats, supplemented by combat support ships and diving and hydrographic services.
• The South African Navy's concept of operations focuses on defending two critical maritime areas: Durban and Richard's Bay on the east coast, and Cape Town, Saldanha Bay, and Simon's Town on the west coast. This is achieved through a horizontal layered approach using harbour patrol boats, mine hunters, minesweepers, strike craft, and corvettes patrolling out to 200 nautical miles.
• In the post-1989 world, the focus of military force has shifted from 'against' what it is designed to be (deterring a specific enemy) to 'for' what it is designed to be (protecting widely defined national and international interests). The nation-state remains the principal actor on the international stage, and states will still use military force when core interests are in jeopardy.
• Navies are viewed as a flexible and benign form of power because they operate in international space, making them high-value diplomatic assets in a world seeking to avoid the coercive use of military force. Their utility extends to humanitarian relief, peacekeeping, and the protection of sea lines of communication.
• South Africa's naval capabilities are compared unfavorably to those of Latin American medium powers like Argentina and Chile. The document notes that South Africa's naval complement is similar to that of Uruguay, despite South Africa having a much larger population and coastline.
• The Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) initiative has focused primarily on trade and economic development. South Africa and other member states have generally resisted including security issues in the IOR agenda to avoid divisive conflicts, suggesting instead that security be handled bilaterally or in a separate forum, potentially modeled after the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
• Developing coastal states in Southern Africa, including Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, and South Africa, face significant burdens in policing their 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). In some cases, such as Angola, foreign vessels are estimated to take 80% of the total fishing catch due to a lack of enforcement capabilities.

APA

Evans, R., Edmonds, M., Simpson-Anderson, R., Mills, G., Botha, P., & Hara, M. (1997). South Africa and the Utility of Naval Power. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono9.pdf

Chicago

Evans, Rusty, Martin Edmonds, Robert Simpson-Anderson, Greg Mills, PJ Botha, and Mafaniso Hara. South Africa and the Utility of Naval Power. Institute for Security Studies, 1997. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono9.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Evans |first1=Rusty |last2=Edmonds |first2=Martin |last3=Simpson-Anderson |first3=Robert |last4=Mills |first4=Greg |last5=Botha |first5=PJ |last6=Hara |first6=Mafaniso |title=South Africa and the Utility of Naval Power |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=February 1997 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono9.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{evans1997south, author = {Evans, Rusty and Edmonds, Martin and Simpson-Anderson, Robert and Mills, Greg and Botha, PJ and Hara, Mafaniso}, title = {{South Africa and the Utility of Naval Power}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {1997}, month = feb, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/Mono9.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }