Stop buying low-quality military equipment – Geingob tells NDF

President Hage Geingob has called out the military for procuring low-quality military equipment and for indiscipline, while highlighting the pertinence of their well-being.

Geingob as the commander-in-chief addressed the Namibian Defence Force (NDF) during the defence parade at the Grootfontein Military Base.

“The lack of adequate financial resources should not lead to the situation where quality is traded for quantity, by procuring large numbers of low-quality military equipment and hardware simply because they are affordable.

“This move is tantamount to compromising national security,” Geingob said.

The defence ministry in February received N$6,3 billion, which was increased with N$42,8 million during the midterm budget. The ministry annually receives one of the largest budget allocations.

Budget documents show that the NDF also spent N$453,8 million on the acquisition of operational equipment, machinery and plants.
In terms of indiscipline, Geingob told members of the NDF to “nip [it] in the bud” and to be professional.

“I am informed that there are several cases of indiscipline being reported in the NDF. Some of these cases have appeared in the media. It is imperative that we summarily nip these types of incidents in the bud,” he said.

He told military personnel to work with their financial constraints, while also calling on them to to stay abreast of technological developments.

“Challenges of constraints in terms of human capital and financial resources continue to impact negatively on government programmes.

“It is a fact of life that resources will never be sufficient, and not even those countries with larger economies have all the resources in the world to deploy as they see fit,” he said.

A few paragraphs later in his 24-page speech, Geingob insisted that the NDF cannot operate without advanced technology.

“The NDF cannot afford to be left behind in this endeavour. Therefore, there is a need to stay abreast of technological developments and ensure that the defence force develops competent soldiers who are able to handle and operate ‘smart’ military technologies,” he said.

The majority of the ministry’s allocation goes to personnel expenditure (N$4,18 billion), with remuneration alone standing at N$3,5 billion.

Their development budget stands at N$300 million.

In his budget motivation, defence minister Frans Kapofi said the increase in prices of food and fuel negatively affected the defence budget.

“The cost of utilities went beyond the budget allocation, so did the unplanned salary increments,” Kapofi told the National Assembly in February.

He elaborated on the impact of the economic downturn on the NDF.

The deployment to the SADC Mission in Mozambique was not budgeted for, as well as other attendant activities that were carried out.

“The mitigation of the flood situation in the Ohangwena and Oshana regions all bit into our budget. As a result, our training activities had to be curtailed,” he added.