South African Defence Force

"SADF" redirects here. For other uses, see SADF (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with the current South African military, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

South African Defence Force
Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag (Afrikaans)
Official emblem
SADF ensign, 1981–1994
Founded1957
Disbanded1994 (reorganised into the SANDF)
Service branches South African Army
 South African Navy
 South African Air Force
South African Medical Service
HeadquartersPretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Leadership
State PresidentSee list
Minister of DefenceSee list
Chief of the SADFSee list
Personnel
ConscriptionWhite males between 17–65 years of age (1957–1993)[1][2] (2 years compulsory)
Active personnel82,400 (1986)[3]
Expenditure
BudgetUS$3.092 billion[3]
Percent of GDP4.1 from 1966–1980
9.25 in 1987[3]
Industry
Domestic suppliersARMSCOR[3]
Foreign suppliers Belgium[4]
 France[5]
 Israel[5][6]
 Rhodesia (until 1979)[7][8]
  Switzerland[9]
 Australia[10]
 United Kingdom[11]
 United States[12]
Related articles
HistoryRhodesian Bush War
South African Border War
Angolan Civil War
Mozambican Civil War
Bophuthatswana coup d'état
RanksSouth African military ranks

The South African Defence Force (SADF) (Afrikaans: Suid-Afrikaanse Weermag) comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Force was officially succeeded by the SADF, which was established by the Defence Act (No. 44) of 1957. The SADF, in turn, was superseded by the South African National Defence Force in 1994.[13][14][15]

  1. ^ "Military service becomes compulsory for White South African men. | South African History Online". Sahistory.org.za. 9 June 1967. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  2. ^ "South Africa Ends Conscription of Whites. | New York Times". nytimes.com. 25 August 1993. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  3. ^ a b c d Duignan, Peter. Politics and Government in African States 1960–1985. pp. 283–408.
  4. ^ "Belgian Arms Exports Five Years after the Regionalization of Competences: Facts and Figures". www.flemishpeaceinstitute.eu. 10 December 2008. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
  5. ^ a b Polakow-Suransky, Sasha. The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. pp. 1–336.
  6. ^ Chris McGreal (10 March 2006). "Brothers in arms — Israel's secret pact with Pretoria". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  7. ^ Kokalis, Peter. Mamba: Deadly Serpent or Dangerous Fiasco?. Shotgun News, 2006, Volume 60 Issue 15 p. 10.
  8. ^ "Data" (PDF). edoc.vifapol.de. 2011.
  9. ^ "Trade Registers". sipri.org.
  10. ^ Hutchens, Gareth (29 January 2018). "Australia unveils plan to become one of world's top 10 arms exporters". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
  11. ^ Dunne, J.P. (2006). "The making of arms in South Africa" (PDF). The Economics of Peace and Security Journal. 1 (1). doi:10.15355/epsj.1.1.40. ISSN 1749-852X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2012.
  12. ^ Thompson, Alex. U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Apartheid South Africa, 1948–1994: Conflict of Interests. pp. 4–260.
  13. ^ "Final Integration Report: SANDF briefing | Parliamentary Monitoring Group | Parliament of South Africa monitored". Pmg.org.za. 9 November 2004. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  14. ^ "SOUTH AFRICA: SA Women: Hard Time in Military — News Library — News & Events". PeaceWomen. 24 November 2010. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  15. ^ "South Africa Military Profile 2012". Indexmundi.com. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2013.