Teaching green soldiering in the

1
Teaching green soldiering in the South African
Department of Defence - the Geography
Connection H.A.P. Smit J.A. Jacobs Military
Geography Subject Group School for Geospatial
Studies and Information Systems Faculty of
Military Science, University of
Stellenbosch Military Academy Saldanha South
Africa
2
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY ACADEMY
3
THE SOUTH AFRICAN MILITARY ACADEMY

• THE FACULTY OF MILITARY SCIENCE OF THE
  UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH
• CORE BUSINESS
• The Academic, Professional and Personal
  Development of selected young Officers for the
  South African National Defence Force and members
  of other Defence Forces

4

• THE MILITARY VERSUS THE ENVIRONMENT
• war is inherently destructive
• popular image of the military as being
• environmentally unfriendly seems justified
• environmental concerns eventually filtered
  through
• to the military

5

• ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN
  DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
• 1977 - first instruction to the Defence Force
  to care for the environment on its
  properties
• 1978 - first South African defence policy
  regarding the environment
• National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)
  of 1998
• An Environmental Implementation Plan (EIP) for
  Defence(February 2001)
• Environmental Review Forum(ERF) busy drafting
  an EMS for Defence for completion in 2003

6

• GREEN SOLDIERING
• Military Integrated Environmental Management
  (MIEM),or "Green Soldiering"
• What is "Green Soldiering?"
• "a way of life in the military where all
  military activities are carried out in an
  environmentally sustainable way
• Aim of Green Soldiering
• to ensure the environmentally sustainable
  management of military activities and
  facilities"

7

• PRESENT SITUATION
• Environmental Implementation Plan for Defence
  published in 2001
• Environmental Review Forum is currently
  developing the Environmental Management
  system to be completed in 2003
• Committed, experienced people drive the whole
  process

8

• WHO ARE GOING TO IMPLEMENT THESE NEW POLICIES AND
  PLANS ON THE GROUND?
• Capacity gaps identified
• Environmental Education and Training is not a
  formalised practice in the Department of
  Defence (DoD)
• Environmental issues addressed on an ad hoc
  basis
• At present curricula are being developed by the
  DoD to fill this gap and prepare soldiers and
  their leaders for Military Integrated
  Environmental Management

9

• THE MILITARY GEOGRAPHY CONNECTION
• lack of environmentally literate soldiers
• courses at civilian institutions lack
  important military content
• Department of Military Geography
• identified in 1999 the need for a course to
  empower students with environmental knowledge
  and skills
• to assist with the efficient implementation of
  Military Integrated Environmental Management
  in the DoD

10
UNDERGRADUATE COURSE MILITARY CONDUCT AND THE
ENVIRONMENT

• Basic concepts and theoretical approaches
  regarding the man-environment system
• A global perspective Agenda 21
• Environmental problems, their causes, and
  sustainability
• Ecological principles
• Human population and water resources
• Environmental quality and pollution
• Land use, biodiversity, and conservation
• Environment and society
• South African environmental law an overview
• Military actions and the environment

11
HONOURS COURSE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND MILITARY
CONDUCT

• Environmental Philosophy
• Principles of Environmental Planning and
  Management
• Environmental Management An Introduction
• The Rise of Environmental Concern
• Renewable Resources
• Non Renewable Resources
• Control of Environmental Quality
• Integrated Environmental Management
• Environmental Evaluation
• Introduction to Idrisi GIS
• Resource Economics
• Development of an Environmental Approach in the
  SANDF
• Environmental Implementation Plan for Defence

12
MASTERS PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE
DEFENCE

• MILITARY INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
• Legal requirements.
• Economic appraisal of the environment.
• Tools and techniques for military environmental
  management.
• ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN MILITARY
  OPERATIONS
• War
• Force preparation
• Peacekeeping
• Base environmental management
• Support Operations other than War
• SUSTAINABLE MILITARY TRAINING AREA MANAGEMENT
• Ecological concepts of sustainability
• Integrated training area management (ITAM)
• CLIENT BASED INDEPENDENT RESEARCH

13

• SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL COURSES
• 62 students have completed the graduate course
• two students have completed the honours course
• this year a further six candidates will complete
  the honours course
• of these six, two have already been offered
  posts in the Environmental Services branch of
  the DoD

14
MILITARY GEOGRAPHY