The SA National Defence Force (SANDF) on Friday conceded in the Pretoria High Court that its policies preventing HIV positive people from employment, foreign deployment and promotion in the armed forces, were unconstitutional.

It agreed to formulate a new health classification policy within six months.

This followed an application before the court to force the SANDF to change its policies preventing people with HIV from being deployed externally, from being given promotions as well as from getting a job in the armed forces.

Instead of opposing the case further, the defence force agreed to formulate a new policy.

The court ordered that its discriminatory policy be set aside and a new health classification policy be formulated.

The application was brought by the AIDS Law Project, acting on behalf of the SA Security Forces Union (SASFU) and individual members of the SANDF.

Source: polity.org.za

Two South American naval ships have collided in South African waters, according to reports reaching Engineering News Online on Friday.

The two ships are believed to be Uruguayan naval frigates undergoing joint military exercises off Cape Town. The two Uruguayan frigates involved are the ROU Uruguay and the ROU Comandante Pedro Campbell, both formerly units of the Portuguese Navy.

The two frigates were only recently acquired, second-hand, from Portugal, and sailed straight to South Africa from the European country to participate in this year’s edition of the Atlasur series of naval exercises.

Atlasur is normally biennial, and involves South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, with the function of host rotating between these countries.

The two ships were part of the Portuguese Comandante João Belo class, and each displaces 2 250 t, is armed with two by 100 mm and two by 40 mm guns and anti-submarine torpedo tubes, and has a top speed of 26 kts.

Although originally built in the late 1960s, they were significantly modernised in the 1990s, receiving new radar, sonar, electronic countermeasures and data-link systems.

According to unconfirmed reports, the Uruguayan frigates will be repaired at South Africa's naval dockyard in Simon's Town to enable them to continue to take part in the joint south-south naval exercise.

Once the exercise has been completed, further repairs will be undertaken in South Africa to allow the ships to return to Uruguay.

Ships have been damaged during exercises in the past, the HMS Leopard once being damaged by the SAS Pietermaritzburg.

Source: Engineering News

Johannesburg - A union representing South African soldiers is to take the country's armed forces to court on Thursday for alleged discrimination against HIV-infected personnel, it said Wednesday.

The South African Security Forces Union (Sasfu) is accusing the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) of discriminating against HIV-infected people by refusing them employment, promotion or deployment to foreign posts.

"They have got a policy of mandatory testing. Being HIV-negative is a pre-requisite to gain employment in SANDF," said Sasfu deputy president Charles Jacobs.

He said that after being employed, members of the military had to undergo mandatory HIV testing once a year during a health assessment, and every time they applied for a promotion or deployment overseas.

Jacobs said South Africa was the only country in the world whose military operated under these "unconstitutional" policies.

With 5½ million HIV infections in a population of 48 million, South Africa had the world's worst Aids problem and, according to Nonkosi Khumalo, a researcher with the Aids Law Project (ALP), up to 35% of defence force personnel was infected in 2004.

Read more at: News24.com

Capetonions can board the visiting Indian and Brazilian warships, as well as the South African ships, when they berth in the V&A Waterfront from 09 – 11 May 2008. These ships are in South Africa as part of the inaugural tri-nation IBSA (Indian, Brazil and South Africa) government initiative.

The fleet has just concluded a very successful series of exercises in Western Cape waters. Some of the exercises included surface gunnery shoots, anti-air warfare exercises, replenishment-at-sea (RAS) approaches, Officer-of-the-Watch maneouvering and boarding exercises (simulations of how to board vessels suspected of illegal activities). Although the recent spate of bad weather made the sea conditions less than pleasant, the professionalism of the sailors of all the ships was more than up to the task. The sailors are looking forward to some time off this weekend to explore Cape Town.

All the ships will be open to the public from 0900 – 1400 on Saturday and Sunday. The people of Cape Town are invited to go on board the vessels and to interact with the sailors of the three countries. There are no costs involved, but members of the public are kindly asked to refrain from carrying dangerous weapons when they visit the ships.

The Indian Navy’s INS MUMBAI (a destroyer) is a very large, impressive vessel and is nearly 160m long. Although the INS KARMUK (a corvette) is smaller, it is still armed to the teeth with 16 surface missiles and an armoury of other offensive weapons. Both the Brazilian ships, BNS INDEPENDENCIA and BNS DEFENSORA, are impressive ships that are about the same size as our own VALOUR CLASS frigates, SAS AMATOLA and SAS ISANDLWANA.

The fleet will be departing the V&A Waterfront on Monday 12 May and will then proceed to sea for a further series of more advanced exercises. During this phase the fleet will split in two, with an Indian, Brazilian and South Africa ship in each force. Then the two forces – red vs blue – will conduct a series of Battle Exercises during which they will simulate a war situation where the forces try to “kill” each other. This Battle Exercise will be a culmination of all the exercises that occurred this week and is a very good means of preparing sailors for war scenarios in peace time.

Source: SA Navy

Capetonians have until Friday to go on board one of the world's tallest and fastest sailing ships belonging to the Argentinean Navy.

Called the Ara Libertad, the vessel is currently in Cape Town until 2 May for a six-day goodwill visit as a guest of the City of Cape Town and the SA Navy.

"Libertad is Spanish for 'freedom' - and the visit of this magnificent vessel coincides with South Africa's Freedom Day celebrations," said Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille, who will visit the vessel on 1 May.

Built in Rio Santiago in 1958, the Libertad was incorporated into the Argentinean navy as a training frigate in 1963.

It weighs 3 765 tons and measures almost 104 meters in length and 14.3 meters across the beam.

Her 27 sails span 2 700 meters squared of sail surface and her main mast is 52 meters tall.

The Libertad is the pride and joy of the Argentinean navy, said Captain Gustavo Díaz Durán, Military Attaché of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic.

"Since the Libertad maiden voyage in 1963, it has travelled over 800 000 nautical miles and visited 513 ports in 69 countries," said Captain Diaz Durán.

She established the world record for a trans-atlantic crossing between Canada and Ireland by sailing 2 059 nautical miles in 8.5 days, he said.

The commanding officer, Captain Juan José Iglesias, is a veteran of the Falklands War of 1982.

Under his command are 310 men and women including 26 officers, 90 midshipmen, 186 warrant and non-commissioned officers, and eight junior naval officers from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, India, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru and South Africa.

"This year, Sub-Lieutenant Thandeka Snail, 24, from the South African Navy will be the first black woman to participate in this world-renowned training course," said Captain Diaz Durán.

Cape Town is the first stop on the vessel's eight month around the world trip.

Libertad is currently berthed at Quay 2, V&A Waterfront, next to the Table Bay Hotel.

Members of the public will be able to visit the ship from 2pm to 6pm on 30 April, and again from 3pm to 5pm on 1 May.

As from 2 May, the frigate will continue on to another 16 ports before returning to Buenos Aires on 6 December.

The ports include Port Louis (Mauritius), Port Victoria (Seychelles), Mumbai (India), Malaca (Malaysia), Manila (Philippines), Shanghai (China), Pusan (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Apra Harbour (Guam), Noumea New Caledonia (France), Sydney (Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Papeete (Tahiti) and the Isla de Pascua (Chile).

Source: BuaNews

Louis Vosloo has taken some pictures of the SA Navy Festival 2008.

German Navy Hamburg, currently on visit due to Exercise Good Hope III - Image: Louis Vosloo

German Navy Berlin, currently on visit due to Exercise Good Hope III - Image: Louis Vosloo

New submarine S102 in dry dock beside the decomissioned S98 - Image: Louis Vosloo

The helicopter carrier Jeanne d'Arc (R97), accompanied by the anti-submarine warfare frigate Georges Leygues (D640) docked in Table Bay Harbour this morning.

The South African stopover is the sixth during the Training Squadrons six-month long Atlantic and Indian Ocean voyage. The main mission of the Jsquadron is to provide practical experience to cadets during their officer training course of four years.

The French Training Squadron for Naval Officers (Groupe École d'Application des Officiers de Marine, G.E.A.O.M.) took to the sea on 15 December 2007 from the port of Brest for its 43rd six-month mission. The Squadron has visited New York, Fort de France and Port of Spain in entral America, Salvation Islands off the coast of French Guiana, Rio and Luanda before arriving in Cape Town.

The Squadron will sail again on 19 March for the Comoros, Dar es Salaam, Mombasa, Djibouti, Suez, Instanbul, Barcelone and Casablanca before finally arriving back in Brest on 4 June 2008.

Georges Leygues (D640) - Image: Dean Wingrin

There are 124 cadets on board, amongst them 12 women, representing 16 nationalities including one South African: Sub-Lt Wilhelm Neuland. Neuland joined the Jeanne d'Arc in November 2007 and will remain with the ship until June.

Although no formal large-scale excersices are planned with the South African Navy (SAN), the Squadron is planned to conduct a one-day excersice with a SAN frigate.

The Jeanne d'Arc is commanded by Captain (N) Hervé Bléjean and the Georges Leygues by Commander Guillaume Chové.

The Jeanne d'Arc is 182m in length and has a top speed of 28 knots. There are two 100mm anti-air and anti-surface warfare guns on board, as well as six Exocet MM38 missiles. Also on board are two Alouette III (347 and 100)and two Army Gazelle (CWT and CXF) helicopters.

The Georges Leygues is a F70 type destroyer and was specifically designed for sea warfare. She joined the Training Squadron for Naval Officers in June 1999, and is presently deployed, alongside the Jeanne d'Arc to train cadet-officers. It has a length of 139m and carries L5 torpedoes, Simbad/Mistral missiles and Exocet MM38 missils on board. although capapble of carrying a Lynx, no helicopter is carried while conducting the training cruise.

Read more at: saairforce.co.za forum

"AIRCRAFT closing, starboard side," Lieutenant Ewald Engelbrecht shouted while standing in the doorway to the bridge of the SAS Amatola yesterday. He pointed at a Tornado fighter aircraft from the German Luftwaffe as it roared past the South African warship, marking its position for the officer who gives steering orders.

As a bridge watch keeper on the Amatola, Engelbrecht is primarily responsible for keeping an eye on a radar screen and making sure the SA Navy frigate stays clear of other ships in the area.

"I keep the anti-collision plot, but at the same time we're all responsible for our own lives," he said.

Spotting fighter jets closing in on the Amatola and two German warships wasn't a life-or-death matter yesterday. The incoming South African and German air force jets were taking part in combined naval exercises.

Officials invited journalists aboard the Amatola, one of the ships participating in the month-long Exercise Good Hope III yesterday, to watch.

Ships, fighter aircraft and helicopters from Germany's armed forces arrived in Simon's Town last month and are taking part in manoeuvres with South African naval and air personnel.

The combined forces have two weeks of missile firings, air defence exercises and war games ahead of them before leaders from the two navies sit down to discuss their forces' performance.

On board the Amatola yesterday morning, officials said the exercises were developed to test each country's combat readiness and foster co-operation. Dieter Haller, the German ambassador to South Africa, said that there was a great need for militaries to work alongside each other as part of international forces.

"The world is not one of peace, unfortunately. There is always a need for international peacekeeping missions. I think what we are seeing in these days is a very important step for South Africa and Germany." Haller also said the combined military exercises were symbolic of the larger partnership between the German and South African governments and economies. Deputy Defence Minister Mluleki George said the exercises would ensure the armed forces were able to fulfil their constitutional mandate to protect the country, as well as provide humanitarian aid.

Source: Cape Times (via saairforce.co.za)

Two pictures of Köln firing missiles during Exercise Good Hope III.

It is said that Köln had three hits out of three shots while Hamburg also fired three shots but had no hits.

Missile firing from Köln on 28. or 29. Feb 2008 - Image: NavyWife

Missile firing from Köln on 28. or 29. Feb 2008 - Image: NavyWife

Source: navywife.blogg.de

Pictures of Exercise Good Hope III from aboard SAS Amatola are available thanks to Dean Wingrin:

SAS Amatola leaving Table Bay Harbour - Image: Dean Wingrin

F220 Hamburg - Image: Dean Wingrin

F220 Hamburg - Image: Dean Wingrin