Chief of the Air Force Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano.(Christopher Szabo)
Tags:
The South African Air Force (SAAF) commemorated its achievements today in a scaled-down manner in keeping with budget constraints at its annual Air Force Day Parade held at Air Force Base Swartkop outside Pretoria.
In his address, Chief of the Air Force Lt Gen Carlo Gagiano noted that the parade was different because he needed to highlight austerity measures taken in the Air Force. In stark contrast to previous parades which showcased the full flying power of the SAAF, the only flying aircraft where two Agusta 109 helicopters bearing flags as part of the salute flight.
Despite challenges faced by the SAAF, Lt Gen Gagiano praised the commitment and the achievements of members of the air force during 2011. Some of the highlights included Exercise Winter Solstice, an annual exercise with the main aim of training and evaluating all spheres and capabilities within the SAAF, which was held during extreme winter conditions in the Eastern Cape.
He noted the contributions made to joint disaster relief and humanitarian assistance doctrine made by Exercise Blue Cluster. This exercise included nine Southern African Development Community members and was the latest in a string of joint and multinational SADC compatibility, interoperability and capability-building exercises held since 1997.
General Gagiano also highlighted the SAAF’s participation in peace support operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In December last year, about 12 aircraft from the Air Force were involved in supporting the DRC’s election process. This involved delivery and collection of election materials and personnel all over the sprawling central African country. More than 600 hours were flown for this purpose in both rotary and fixed wing aircraft.
The recent floods in Mpumalanga also pose challenges which will require priority attention
Despite the successes in the past year, the Chief of the Air Force noted the challenges with regard to capabilities that still lay ahead. He pointed out that if these were lost, in such areas as maritime surveillance, VIP transportation, light air transport and crucial night fighting capabilities, they would be difficult to regain.
The recent floods in Mpumalanga, which caused extensive structural damage at Air Force Base Hoedspruit, also pose challenges which will require priority attention. Gagiano said the damage could be as high as 36 million rands and repairs would be tackled by the SANDF’s works regiments. 15 Squadron, which undertakes relief and rescue operations is based at Hoedspruit.
In a global context, financial challenges are not unique to the SAAF. The Australian Defence Force, which has similar constraints, provided the SAAF with a model for its Project Safer SAAF which covers health and safety elements with regard to airworthiness. This could be the last such parade for General Gagiano as Chief of the Air Force as he is expected to retire later this year. He assumed the post in 2005, making his the longest-serving chief of the SAAF since the advent of democracy in 1994.
