I have been following with keen interest the discourse around the defence budget and should say the analysis and comments aired by fellow Namibians have been disturbing, hence the need to contextualise the defence budget.
Depending on the conceptual inclination of those commenting, the number is either ‘too high’ or ‘too low’. Nevertheless, it is with despondency that I note the lack of deep analysis of the defence budget, as well as the defence force.
The dominant narrative, however, has been that the budgetary allocation for the defence sector is unwarranted.
For example, the editorial of the local Namibian Sun newspaper dated, February 26, 2016 squealed in its headline: “No more soldiers and guns please.” The editorial continued to ask sarcastically, “How do we uplift Namibian society if we cannot feed, clothe and school our children? Are we to do this with military parades, weapons and police officers?” This was in reaction to the allocation of the 2016 Defence Budget.
The defence budget is an important issue that needs an unbiased analysis. Allow me to share some thoughts on why the defence budget and the defence force are indispensable for Namibia. The defence budget is the portion of the discretionary national budget allocated to the Ministry of Defence for any military related expenditure.
This defence budget pays the salaries, training, and healthcare of uniformed and civilian personnel, sustains arms, equipment and facilities, funds operations, and develops and buys new equipment. Additionally, the defence budget funds all three services of the Namibian Defence Force (NDF): the army, air force and navy.
It is common knowledge that Namibia is a sovereign country. In simplistic terms a country is an area of land controlled by its own government. Therefore, for government to control its territory there are essential elements of national governance that need to be put in place, such as a defence force.
The Namibian Defence Force was established at Independence in 1990 as one of the elements of national power.
The role of the NDF is to protect and defend the territorial integrity of Namibia. The defence force cannot fulfill this constitutional mandate if it is underfunded.
It should be mentioned here that maintaining a defence force to ensure peace and stability in the country comes at a high price. A modern defence force is an expensive national undertaking, as it requires highly trained personnel, sophisticated weaponry and communication systems to detect and prevent potential acts of aggression.
The international security architecture continues to evolve and Namibia cannot afford to be caught napping. The world has become more dangerous and the threats to nations’ stability and interests are on the increase.
No government can allow part of its country to be in control of an armed group or terrorists, as is happening elsewhere. Therefore, the country should be prepared for such threats, hence the need for a defence force.
Positive spillover of the defence budget
Defence spending should not be blamed for the social ills in our society. The defence budget has possible areas of spillover that include direct and indirect stable employment for a substantial number of people and its associated spending effects, income support to thousands of families through pensions and the multiplier effects of considerable spending on civil works and other infrastructure.
On the other hand, if defence expenditure is displacing resources from spending on development, the trade-off for society needs to be work. A thoughtful element in any such undertaking is the resolve of the ‘most desirable’ level of defence spending in Namibia.
Notwithstanding, the country will continue to face security and development problems. This is where the broader issues associated with defence expenditure come in, separate from the size of the defence budget.
Additionally, defence research and development can help the broader economy by promoting innovation and new technology. To this end, Namibia has done exceptionally well, and proudly so. Namibia has a small military industry, where locally designed and developed military products, such as the world-renowned mine-protected vehicles: the Wer’ Wolf MK II; MK III upgradeable multi-purpose vehicle, military communication system, such as the Leopard I&II Wideband Military Radio and Cheetah III Wideband Portable Military Radio, to mention just a few, are contributing to the economy of the country.
These local military technology and innovations are sought-after at international markets, thus contributing to the country’s GDP. Nonetheless, with reduced financial resources this may not be realised.
Consequences of cuts in defence budget
There are some concerns that the defence spending is wasteful. However, what we should understand is that eliminating waste, fraud and abuse is accomplished through vigorous oversight in parliament and not through defence budget cuts.
Defence budget cuts seriously undermine the capabilities, readiness, morale and modernisation of the NDF.
Moreover, continuing to cut the defence budget invites greater danger to national security, as the men and women in uniform will not be able to execute their constitutional duties with shrinking resources.
The defence budget is not as large as it is alleged to be, in net terms. Moreover, the defence budget has certain important positive spill-over effects on the wider economy. Nevertheless, the defence budget suffers from lack of parliamentary debate, accountability and civilian oversight.
* Dr Vincent Mwange writes in his private capacity as a Namibian citizen.