The NDF And The National Budget

Budgeting involves a process that starts with brain-storming on what goals are to be achieved, with how much. It then evolves into budget formulation, debate, allocation and implementation/utilisation.

The process that deals with scarce resources has been and will continue to be a topical issue that generates hot debates. This is because money remains a scarce commodity that everyone needs to satisfy human wants and the fight over these scarce resources will continue unabated. However, the notion of scarce resources, in my view, is a healthy situation that prevents us from squandering them. It is also this scarcity that create room for realistic planning before the cake is cut for different sectors for utilisation.I have been meticulously following the debate of our National Budget in Parliament with keen interest for many years. That is so because the military leadership will continue to have a big stake in the budget. During the debate this year, some Votes were passed without much controversy and some after thorough scrutiny. The defence budget is one of those that was passed with ambivalence. Intensive debate is clear testimony that our democracy is being respected and through this transparence and accountability are strengthened. The process of allowing different opinions is part of democracy as enshrined in our Constitution.Based on these premises, the centrepiece of my discourse is on the Defence Budget. I am aware that the comments I make on what happened before the budget was passed may be perceived from certain quarters as biased. But it is my conviction and hope that these comments are not targeting anybody as they are general in nature.Fundamentally, the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) where the biggest portion of the budget is allocated, exists by virtue of the supreme law of the Land of the Brave.Chapter 15, Article 118 of the Namibian Constitution stipulates the establishment of the NDF and its mission. Simply put, the NDF is established by Act of Parliament to defend the territory and national interests of Namibia. The most critical questions are how to defend the territory and what are those national interests?Defence allocations across the globe have always been controversial, largely because it is regarded as a non-productive sector. But people forget the defence force is a public good from which everyone benefits. That makes it force a sine qua non for every nation-state, most of which consider development, defence and security as non-de-linkable facets. This means no development without security and this is brought about by having established a sustainable defence force that must be capable and able to deal with the emerging defence and security situations. As development is indispensable, so are defence and security mechanisms. From the foregoing, the NDF is eligible to be considered as a national pride as opposed to national liability.Every budget allocation to any sector is done with a clear purpose. It is through goal setting and financial quantification that a national cake can be cut without discriminating against any sector.While cognisant of the fact that there are developmental sectors, we must not forget that for development to flourish, it is also linked to some other sectors without which development cannot take place. The amount allocated to whatever sector is not what is important. What is more important is how much was allocated after a goal was set for what purpose.Imagine how much money has been put in the education system yet there is still public outcry. It is natural that we do not need to argue why so much is allocated to education. That is so because education means development in the final analysis. But the question remains, why an outcry after 20 years? It is my conviction that in order to ensure budget perfection for the realisation of set goal/objective, one needs to pause a little bit and do a thorough, unbiased goal setting and budget analysis.Turning back to the NDF as a public good, as a professional organisation mandated with the defence of the country, the Minister of Defence and entire military leadership are faced with a daunting mission. This Constitutional mission is as complex as it is an implied and long awaited mission without a set D-Day. A very simple question is, what is meant by defending the territory and national interest of Namibia? Interpreting and translating that mission into tangible action, one needs to plan. Until a realistic and measurable interpretation is made in clear terms, that Constitutional mission will remain vague. The military leadership of the NDF has interpreted and translated that implied mission and on this the Ministry of Defence bases its budget.This budget estimate is always presented after goals/objectives have been identified and financially quantified. Among those goals/objectives are the welfare of soldiers in terms of feeding, dress, accommodation and up-keepg. Their training, education and development are other important components costing large amounts.The structures of defence differs from country to country. The mission, geo-location and perceived threats may be the determining factor of those structures. So the NDF is structured with three components to be able to defend this country on land, in airspace and sea.Defence is a public good that everyone needs despite the fact that it has been considered as a non-productive sector. But the NDF will go in history having contributed much in revenues to the national coffers. As the independence of Namibia came under the auspices of the United Nations, the country started paying its dividends by participating in Peace Support Operations soon after Independence – in Cambodia in 1992, Angola from 1996 to 1999, in Liberia from 2004 to 2007, and more. These are remarkable milestones that must make this nation walk tall among other nations as the sons and daughters of the soil have placed Namibia on the world map within a short time after independence. The participation of the NDF in Peace Support Operations wasn’t free as our participation came with substantial reimbursements.It is only those who have the operational capacities in terms of well-trained soldiers and appropriate equipment who can be assigned to such missions. Because of reimbursements, such missions also become lucrative and competitive as they generate much needed revenues into national coffers.Apart from NDF support for Peace Support Operations, it has also assisted needy people during natural calamities including droughts and floods. All of this is enough evidence to dispel the notion that the NDF is non-productive.Historically the NDF has paradoxically been equipped mainly with obsolete weapons donated by Swapo, the erstwhile liberation movement. These weapons are older than all the soldiers who operate them today, as the majority, if not all of them, are remnants of World War II. From an operational view point, they were meant for guerrilla warfare as opposed to conventional warfare. These weapons need to be phased out if the NDF is to live up to the expectations of this nation. One must also bear in mind that the world of technology is moving fast and those who are lagging behind will never be able to catch up with the advanced developments. The same goes for defence forces.The most fundamental question is how to move forward and equip the force with modern weapons systems to be able to occupy its rightful place within the global village of communities. The only panacea to address these dilemmas and predicaments and make this force a credible one that is ready to defend the territory and the national interests of Namibia, is by allocating a budget for that purpose.Some of the arguments during the budget debates were that the NDF is costing a lot at the expense of other important sectors. Some went on to ask why Namibia should spend so much on defence when we have no enemies. On the first argument, the NDF was not established at the expense of other sectors. It is just taking its rightful share from the national cake. On the issue of having no enemies, that is true. I for one want the situation to continue as it is because I fully understand the destructive consequences of war.As one would not be able to train and qualify a doctor when a patient is already in the theatre for an operation, the same is true that one would not be able to train and qualify a soldier/pilot/sailor/technician when the enemy is already occupying part of your territory. Force preparedness is a precautionary measure to avoid war and ensure peace and stability.Today we are proud to have trained soldiers/pilots/sailors who are national assets readily available for the defence of this nation.We are living in a world where operations other than war are taking precedence. The current continental development is for Peace Support Operations. The continent is hard at work putting in place peace support structures across its five regions.Both the African Union and SADC have crafted set objectives and goals that must be achieved within a given timescale. However, those set objectives and goals cannot be realised without dedicated budget allocations by nation-states. In this regard, the realisation of peace and stability in the continent is therefore, tagged with high prices that nation-states will have to bear. It must be emphatically stressed that, what Namibia pays towards force preparedness, is what the rest of the nation-states across the continent are paying as well.Based on SADC Defence Pact, SADC Member States are advocating the concept of collective security as individual nations are no longer able to secure their nations single-handedly. Namibia is part of those structures and can therefore not escape the notion of the financial burden-sharing.The sustenance of the Defence Force is cumbersome. Yet, its mission and readiness must not be compromised at the detriment of a nation. Any defence force squarely depends on the nation’s economic and financial capability to fund it.Whilst I am aware of the scarcity of financial resources, I am also mindful of the need to have a defence force that must stand ready to withstand particularly the turbulences of the 21st century which are more complex than those of the 20th. I also know well that the trend of scarce resources is a phenomenon that will haunt us for the rest of our lives. So exercising high financial prudence remains important. Similarly, there is no substitute for the defence force should one intend to invest in the peace and stability of a country and its people.The establishment of the NDF is not for pleasure. It is by law of nature for the security of communities. From time immemorial, communities had the desire to live in secure environments. That was only made possible by putting in place security mechanisms to defend their territories and communities against would-be aggressors. It is therefore a fait accompli that the trend and desire for a secure environment continues and so is the problem of scarce resources. What is important is to exercise high standard of fiscal discipline, financial prudence, transparence and accountability. The principle of value for money must be fundamental.* Major General Denga Ndaitwah is the NDF Chief of Staff Operations.

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