The South African Military Academy (Faculty of Military Science) and the Royal Danish Defence College hosted the 4th International Conference on Strategic Theory over period 16 – 18 September 2015 at the Wallenberg Research Centre at STIAS in Stellenbosch. Themed The African Standby Force: Beyond 2015, the conference is the fourth event since 2009 co-hosted by these institutions in a conference series called "ON STRATEGY".
Threats to peace and security on the African continent with a particular emphasis on the African Union and its security structure, the African Standby Force (ASF), formed the focus of the conference.
The aim of the conference was to provide both a theoretical and a contemporary operational backdrop on matters of threats and responses to those threats with a particular focus on the African Union and the African Standby Force and its 5 regional brigades.
The first set of papers on Wednesday 16 September viewed the progress, standing and voids of the ASF in general, with the keynote speaker, Dr David Anderson (Warwick University) opening with a paper on the costs and responsibilities that the African Union face in this regard. Day one also offered a perspective on the rising maritime landscape off Africa to register with the audience how maritime security now features alongside landward threats and vulnerabilities.
Day two, (17 September) commenced with Dr Jakkie Cilliers of the Institute of Security Studies (South Africa) with a paper on "African Peace and Security: A view from the top" mapping out the terrorism threat in Africa in particular.
The subsequent papers were read by speakers from the five different regions and cover standby arrangements in West Africa (ECOWAS), Southern Africa (SADC), East Africa (EASBRIG), Central Africa (ECCAS & FOMAC) and the North Africa Regional Capability (NARC) standby arrangement. As such, the speakers' themes addressed African threat landscapes, institution building, and the constructive use of armed forces to prevent, stop and contribute to resolving armed threats. The latter forms an important locus of international academic attention, but one rising to unprecedented levels in Africa of 2015 and beyond.
The morning workshop on 18 September 2015 reflected upon the conference deliberations as well as the standing of ACIRC (African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis) and to have opinions expressed on taking the ASF beyond 2015.
Delegates and speakers from afar as Norway, Japan, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana, Gabon, Sweden, Denmark and the African Union in Addis Ababa participated in the event while several delegates and speakers from South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have also registered for the conference.
Article: Lt Col (Prof) Francois Freÿ
Photo 1 - Prof Schoonwinkel, Vice Rector Teaching and Learning at US, Prof M.S. Tshehla (Dean of Faculty Military Science), Danish Ambassador in SA, Me T.R. Thygesen, Commandant of the RDDC in Kopenhagen, S Adm Nils Wang.
Regter
foto: Two guest speakers. Left Dr JK Cilliers, ISS South Africa, Right: Prof DM
Anderson, University of Warwick, Engeland.
