PCD VISITS TO SELECTED BASES IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN AIR FORCE Presentation to the PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE 12 March 2014 Major General C.A Masters.

PCD VISITS TO SELECTED BASES IN THE SOUTH

AFRICAN AIR FORCE

Presentation to the PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON

DEFENCE

12 March12 March 20 201414

Major General C.A MastersMajor General C.A Masters

Chief Director Air Policy and PlansChief Director Air Policy and Plans

AIM

The aim of this brief is to inform the Committee on issues and observations raised in the Committee Report

2

Introduction Infrastructure and Facilities Management of Movable Assets Skills Development and Retention Efficacy of Career Management Policies and

Practices SAAF Transformation Endeavours SAAF Grievances Skilled Demographic and Gender Represented

SAAF

3

SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

The challenges identified by the Committee are the Base level manifestation of the SAAF’s central problem.

Being, sustained underfunding has led to the loss of capabilities, an increasing maintenance backlog and constraints on our development and transformation goals.

SAAF Facilities maintenance requirement is Rbn3,4 – Last 5 yrs allocation to all bases Rm36,68 – 1,08%

Lack of a viable exit mechanism hinders rectifying the HR/Cap/Ops budget ratio – 38/37/25 and HR/Ops 61/39

Development of our people and the general maintenance of infrastructure comes from the Ops portion.

FY 14/15-HR deficit of Rm238, and Scarce Skills retention incentive increase is from Ops budget.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES

Facility upgrade and maintenance Prioritising process: Annually SAAF Bases prioritise requirements & forward to

DBSS DBSS recommends SAAF priorities to ACC SAAF registers AF priorities with C Log C Log prioritises DOD requirements and registers it with

the NDPW. – Rbn3,4 requirements with C Log DOD Initiatives

Created internal facility management capability to reduce reliance on NDPW.

Number of legal and coordinating arrangements still need to be formalised.

Base OC hindered by low staffing level; ageing work force. Utilisation of Military members limited because of regimental

& force preparation tasks.

MANAGEMENT OF MOVABLE ASSETS

AVAILABILITY OF VEHICLES Serviceability of vehicles at SAAF Bases range from 51

to 68%. Limited operating budget – inability to sustain Vehicle

Support Plan.

Inadequate accommodation as a result of the facility maintenance problems generate greater need for duty buses.

SAAF has prioritised and centralised duty buses

procurement.

MANAGEMENT OF MOVABLE ASSETS

DISPOSAL DELAYS:- Current delays are with non-military Category 2 Vehicles and Equipment and are all related to good governance decisions.

Micro-dotting of Vehicles DOD vehicles must be registered on e-Natis before they are

sold. DoT require micro-dotting before first registration on e-Natis. Although a DOD tender has been awarded – micro-dotting of

SAAF vehicles has not started yet. Review of Disposal Process

Review ordered by MCC to preclude fraud or corruption. Improved control measures of disposal process. Independent Alienation Approval Committee

Auctioneers Contract DCPB disapproved tender allocation and requested

investigation. BOI complete and Auctioneer will be in place by May

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT Pilot Development dependent on steady and regular

throughput of pilots from Basic Flying Training, through Squadron Operational Training to Operational Flying.

Pilot Instructors are sourced from Operationally Qualified Pilots.

Limited flying hours and a high force employment requirement leads to the reduced availability of Squadron Operational Training, therefor fewer available instructors.

Need for operational pilots to remain current. Funding deficiencies lead to prioritising operational flying

over training. Funding deficiency and the Airworthiness/Flying hours

ration.

Basic Flying

Training

Operational Squadron Training

Operational Flying

IDEAL THROUGHPUT

PRESENT THROUGHPUT

STAGNATION!

REDUCED OUTFLOW39 Already Qualified pilots at Mil Acad

59 Student pilots under trainingat CFS & Mil Acad

CAN BE RESOLVED ONLY BY ENSURING ADEQUATE FLYING

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION

SKILLS RETENTION Enough aviation artisans and technical officers for 80-90% of

posts. Only enough graduate engineers for 44% of posts. Retention of artisans and technical officers is stable – average

10 years experience – due to TCIP. Retention of engineers is problematic – recent per annum

resignation rate is 22%. Long-term employment contract for pilots has been the norm

for many years. The contract with relatively large financial liabilities and

reasonable remuneration has resulted in adequate retention of aircrew.

Resignation rate since 2010 has been at or below 5%

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION

LOSS OF OUTSOURCED TECHNICAL SKILLS To be a smart buyer, operator and maintainer of advanced

aviation systems, the SAAF needs its own sustained and independent technical/engineering capability.

SAAF developed “Own Capability Plan” in accordance with MCC directive.

Own Capability Objectives are to improve: Recruitment, education, training, development,

utilisation, motivation and retention of technical personnel.

Most of objectives are on track – even with the challenges of recent HR budget cuts.

Skills transfer from remaining Denel Aviation personnel is improving the utilisation of SAAF technical personnel.

Certain specialised skills provided by the AMG/SSA contract remain very scarce.

EFFICACY OF CAREER MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES

SANDF Career Management is governed by the Defence Act, the Military Disciplinary Code, the Military Disciplinary Supplementary Measures Act and Regulations derived from those Acts.

The SANDF Promotion Policy, Interim Instructions on Placements and the Transformation Policy guide the processes and procedures for Career Management in the SANDF.

CSANDF sets military criteria for course attendance and promotion. AF CM policy ensure compliance to SANDF regulatory framework. Functional Directors determine functional criteria for course and

promotion. SANDF promotion and career management decisions are based on

discretionary and non-discretionary criteria. Air Force Command Council in the interest of greater transparency

now require all discretionary decisions to be conducted in open forums.

CAREER MANAGEMENT TRIANGLE

DHRS

MEMBER-Commitment-Aspirations-Career

Questionnaire

LINE MANAGER/STUCTURE MANAGER(Director/OC/Supervisor)

-Manage SMCS-Service Delivery-Continuity-Operational Objectives-Career Interviews-Provide FD with Info-Post Person Profile of Posts

DHRS

Advice

-Regulatory Framework -Strategic Intent of Org-Management of InfoControl - HR PlansFacilitate/Administer-SMCS- PERSOL Actions- Staffing Common Posts

FUNCTIONAL DIRECTOR-HR Plan of Mustering-Succession Plan-Career Plans-Seniority List-Placement/Contract Boards-Submissions-Analyse Career Questionnaires

EFFICACY OF THE GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

SANDF members demonstrated little confidence in the previous grievances procedures and often appealed directly to the President or the Minister

With the implementation of the Individual Grievances Regulations 2010 non-compliance to military ethos has ceased.

Responsibilities are no longer abdicated at unit level. Officers Commanding are compelled to address grievances.

Members are more confident that their grievances will be addressed.

Due to Command and Control uncertainties there was a delay in grievances dealt with by the DOD Grievance Board. The process was suspended for an extensive period and this caused a huge backlog of grievances.

This has now been resolved, the backlog has been addressed and the process is administrated efficiently.

SAAF’S TRANSFORMATION ENDEAVOURS

SAAF unable to accelerate transformation to the extent equals SAAF Command’s commitment.

SAAF established directorate to drive transformation management.

The SAAF’s Transformation Action Plan focuses on Gender Mainstreaming, Flying Hours for Black and Female Junior Pilots, Eradicating Sexual Misconduct, Mentoring and Coaching, Reasonable Access for People with Disabilities, Youth Development, Fast Tracking and Alternate Exit Mechanisms.

DTM consultation with Base Command Councils to ensure proper mechanisms, processes and procedures to institutionalise TM and ensure BCC ownership.

While the interventions will help the pace of transformation, funding and lack of viable exit mechanism remain constraints.

SKILLED DEMOGRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF SAAF

AFRICAN ASIAN COLOURED WHITE Grand TotalCOMBAT AIRCREW 158 17 40 277 492COMBAT SUPPORT AIR SPACE CONTROL 250 11 58 188 507

COMMS OPERATIONAL 37 2 15 54TELECOMS 148 3 20 84 255ENGINEER 42 8 7 42 99

TECHNICAL TECH OFF 67 8 7 145 227TECH PERS AIR 1047 36 135 777 1995TOTAL 1749 83 269 1528 3629

Skilled Demographic Representation of SAAF

SKILLED GENDER REPRESENTATION SAAF

FEMALE MALE TotalCOMBAT AIRCREW 39 453 492COMBAT SUPPORT AIR SPACE CONTROL 174 333 507

COMMS OPERATIONAL 28 26 54TELECOMS 104 151 255ENGINEER 13 86 99

TECHNICAL TECH OFF 10 217 227TECH PERS AIR 206 1789 1995Total 574 3055 3629

Skilled Gender Representation of SAAF

SKILLED DEMOGRAPHIC AND GENDER REPRESENTED AIR FORCE

Skilled Demographic Representation per Acquisition Programme

Skilled Gender Representation per Acq Prog

SYSTEM CREWSAFRICAN

ASAIN

COLOURED WHITE TOTAL SYSTEM CREWS MALE FEMALE

A109 PILOTS 6 1 1 8 16 A109 PILOTS 15 1

 FLT ENG 8     6 14   FLT ENG 14  

  TECH 38 2 3 18 61   TECH 59 2

LYNX PILOTS 1     3 4 LYNX PILOTS 4  

  NAV 1   1 2 4   NAV 4  

 FLT ENG     1 3 4   FLT ENG 4  

  TECH 8 1 6 11 26   TECH 26  

GRIPPEN PILOTS 5   1 5 11 GRIPPEN PILOTS 10

  1

  NAV 1 1   1 3   NAV 3  

  TECH 21     26 47   TECH 43 4

HAWK PILOTS 3 2 1 13 19 HAWK PILOTS 19  

  NAV 2       1 3   NAV 2   1

  TECH 23   3 24 50   TECH 41 9

SUMMARY

AF Command Council correctly identified the SAAF’s central problem as “sustained underfunding which has led to the loss of capabilities, an increasing maintenance backlog and constraints on our development and transformation goals.”

The underfunding is exacerbated by the lack of a viable exit mechanism which prevents CAF from correcting the disproportionate HR/Capital/Operations budget allocation.

Solving the funding and exiting problems will have the greatest positive effect on SAAF development and transformation goals,

Transferring responsibility for facility maintenance from the NDPW to the DOD will improve the conditions of service of our members.

Any support that the Committee can provide in solving the funding and exiting challenges and the devolution of facility responsibility would be highly welcome.

Questions