section_path: Government and politics/Military
section_name: Military
paragraph_text: Military
  
  The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was created in 1994 as a volunteer military composed of the former South African Defence Force, the forces of the African nationalist groups (uMkhonto we Sizwe and Azanian People's Liberation Army), and the former Bantustan defence forces. The SANDF is subdivided into four branches, the South African Army, the South African Air Force, the South African Navy, and the South African Military Health Service. The SANDF consists of around 75,000 professional soldiers as of 2019. In recent years, the SANDF has become a major peacekeeping force in Africa, and has been involved in operations in Lesotho, the DRC, and Burundi, amongst others. It has also served in multinational UN Peacekeeping forces such as the UN Force Intervention Brigade. In 2022 the nation spent US$3.069 billion on its armed forces which is about 0.86% of the nation's entire GDP. Over the years, defence expenditure has been cut as the nation currently faces no external military threats.
  
  The South African Army is the largest branch of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), focusing on land warfare. Established in 1912, it is one of the oldest armies in Africa and has a long history of involvement in peacekeeping missions, counter-insurgency operations, and regional defence.
  
  The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the aerial warfare branch and is responsible for protecting the country's airspace, supporting ground forces, and conducting humanitarian and peacekeeping operations. It operates around 230 aircraft including helicopters, fighter jets, combat drones and training jets, notable aircraft of the SAAF include the advanced JAS-39 Gripen multi-role fighter jet and the South African-made Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter. Established in 1920, the SAAF is one of the oldest air forces in the world.
  
  The South African Navy is the naval warfare branch and is responsible for protecting the country's vast coastline, securing maritime trade routes, and conducting peacekeeping and anti-piracy operations. The South African Navy operates a modern and well-equipped fleet of vessels, some of the key naval assets include the Valour-class stealth guided-missile frigates and the Heroine-class attack submarines making the South African Navy one of the most capable navies in the African Region. The South African Navy is headquartered at Simon's Town Naval Base, the largest naval facility in Africa, located near Cape Town.
  
  The South African Military Industry is the most advanced on the African continent and one of the most advanced in the world. As of 2020 South Africa is the world's 24th largest arms exporter, the only nation in Africa. The Military industry is made up of several key companies that specialize in various aspects of military manufacturing, ranging from aerospace and shipbuilding to armored vehicles and weapon systems as well as missile and radar systems. Some of the main companies in South African military innovation include, Armscor, Denel, Paramount Group, Milkor, Sandock-Austral and BAE Systems South Africa.
  
  South Africa is the only African country to have successfully developed nuclear weapons. It became the first country (followed by Ukraine) with nuclear capability to voluntarily renounce and dismantle its programme and in the process signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1991. South Africa undertook a nuclear weapons programme in the 1970s. South Africa is alleged to have conducted a nuclear test over the Atlantic in 1979, although this is officially denied; de Klerk maintained that South Africa had "never conducted a clandestine nuclear test." Six nuclear devices were completed between 1980 and 1990 but all were dismantled by 1991. In 2017, South Africa signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.