South African Defence Force

For South Africa's post-apartheid military, see South African National Defence Force.

The South African Defence Force (SADF) was the name of the South African military from 1957 to 1994. It replaced the Union Defence Force (UDF) in 1957. The SADF, in turn, was replaced by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1994.

South African Defence Force
Founded	1957
Disbanded	1994
Service branches	South African Army South African Navy South African Air Force South African Medical Service
Headquarters	Pretoria, Transvaal, South Africa
Personnel
Conscription	(white males) 17-65 years of age
Active personnel	(1986) 82,400
Expenditure
Budget	$3,092 billion USD
Percent of GDP	4.1
Industry
Domestic suppliers	ARMSCOR
Foreign suppliers	Belgium France Israel Rhodesia Switzerland United Kingdom United States
Related articles
History	South African Border War Namibian War of Independence Rhodesian Bush War Angolan Civil War Mozambican Civil War Soweto uprising Bophuthatswana coup d'état

The South African Defence Force had four branches: the South African Army, the South African Navy, the South African Air Force, and, the South African Medical Service.

The SADF implemented conscription of white South Africans. However, black, Indian, and Coloured South Africans could serve in the SADF as volunteers.

Within South Africa, the SADF was used to suppress opposition to apartheid, often directly supporting the South African Police. South African military units were also involved in the Angolan Civil War an the side of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi. The SADF was also deployed during the related South African border and Namibian independence wars.

Nuclear weapons

South Africa was the only country in Africa to have nuclear weapons, but these weapons were destroyed by the South African government during the transition to democracy. South Africa has not built nuclear weapons since.

Integration

With the a multiracial democracy introduced to South Africa in 1994, the SADF was merged with the defence forces of several formerly "independent" homelands, as well as the ANC's Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), the PAC's Azanian People's Liberation Army (APLA), and the self-protection units of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IPA). The new South African military became known as the South African National Defence Force.