Army to get smart

The military has a new mission - education.

The SA National Defence Force plans to launch a defence academy to ensure that all officers of the rank of captain or above have a degree.

The establishment of a policing college was announced last year.

The defence force has an academy in Saldanha, affiliated to the University of Stellenbosch.

But last week, speaking on the state of the defence force, its chief, Lieutenant-General Vusumuzi Masondo, said: "Our current military academy lacks the capacity to supply the requirements of the SANDF. "

Defence Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula told parliament last month that the SANDF had to establish its "own fully fledged defence academy".

Masondo said: "We want to offer courses that are relevant, specifically to the army - be it engineering or other highly technical subjects."

Masondo said that by 2020 all officers in the SANDF would have to have a recognised tertiary educational qualification.

Asked when the academy would be launched, Masondo said there were no definite "time-frames".

"It is still in the planning phase, but it will happen."

Masondo described engineers as "a vital asset in any defence force".

Army engineers are being used in Eastern Cape to build bridges and roads for impoverished communities that are cut off during the rainy season.

Institute for Security Studies senior researcher Andre Roux said: "[ In] other militaries, to become an officer you have to complete a military degree. In the SANDF only a small number of officers are graduates.

"By professionalising, you have a military practitioner who can work in the international environment whose actions are recognised [as capable]."