South Africa

摘要

The executive president of the Republic of South Africa is nominally the commander in chief of the country's armed forces. The command structure has undergone some reforms since 1997, largely to ensure civilian oversight by the legislature. The head of the military is the minister of defense, backed up by the deputy minister of defense. Under the purview of the Defence Ministry is the Department of Defence, which is headed by the secretary for defense, a civilian director general who has five divisions reporting to him. The head of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is also the government's chief military adviser. The military is divided into the three main forces (Air Force, Army, and Navy), as well as the Defence Intelligence, Military Health Services, and Joint Operations divisions.