South African Air Force (SAAF) Chief Lieutenant General Carl Moatshe says more emphasis needs to be placed on African co-operation in the continental military aviation sector to deal with threats of terrorism, organised crime, maritime vulnerability and instability, and to avoid becoming mere instruments of geopolitical power politics.
Delivering the keynote address on the final day of the Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) Conference at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, Moatshe says sovereign decision-making begins with awareness, as the state cannot secure what it cannot see.
He says, “Strategic awareness gives nations the freedom to make decisions based on their own understanding of events, not solely on information, systems or priorities controlled by others.”
Moatshe notes that the foundations of air power are changing, and that artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, drones, and cyber vulnerabilities that have driven decision-making are transforming both warfare and security.
He says, “No African state can independently generate a full spectrum of coverage across every border, coastline, disaster zone and conflict-afflicted area. He pointed out that regional co-operation is not a luxury but is a practical requirement for security and resilience.”
As an example of an integrated, regional approach, Moatshe sketches the scenario of a major regional flood or emergency on the continent.
He says in such an instance, “space-based observation provides early warning, identifies affected populations, and a communication network is created”.
Moatshe says, “There is a common operational picture, medical support, evacuation of people, movement of food and water, unmanned systems survey damaged infrastructure in inaccessible parts, while civilian agencies, armed forces, industry and communities work from the same trusted information pictures and the response becomes faster, more accurate. This is what integrated air and space power looks like when it is designed around African needs rather than institutional service….”
In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, he says South African air power is widely perceived as pivotal in such incidents, but the strategic question is whether the country is organised, equipped and sustained to fulfil that expectation.
Moatshe says, “We must also confront physical realities such as budget constraints, maintenance demands, and scarcity of skilled personnel. Under these conditions, capabilities cannot be judged by acquisition announcements; they must be judged by readiness, utility and sustainability. An unaffordable system is not a capability, but a liability.”
‘IMPROVING EXISTING SYSTEMS’
For South Africa, he suggests the solution could be integrating and improving existing systems, strengthening research capability, using space and maritime domain awareness more effectively, building local maintenance and production capacity, and investing in sovereign research and development.
Moatshe emphasises, “We should seek trusted international partners, but partners must have decision-making and operational autonomy and not conceal their dependency beneath the language of development.”
At the continental level, he says Africa needs aviation and space solutions that can be developed, maintained locally and integrated responsibly, adapted incrementally and supported by skilled African institutions.
“Africa also needs pilots, engineers, data analysts and specialists in drone operations, space lawyers and policy makers. If Africa is serious enough about its aerospace sovereignty, then universities, military academies, technical colleges, research institutions and industry must be treated as one ecosystem.”
Moatshe says the future will not be secured by technology alone. “It will be secured by people who understand technology and can sustain and adapt it. Africa does not need to reproduce the military models of other regions.”
RELATED VIDEO | Thousands of aviation enthusiasts flock to Waterkloof Air Base for spectacular airshow:
