The Armed Forces: Instrument of Peace, Strength, Development and Prosperity
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The UNDP (2006) defines development as a condition that creates “an enabling environment for people to enjoy long, healthy and creative lives”. Total development encompasses enhanced social status, improved economic standing, promising educational attainment, uninhibited freedom of expression and improved health status. A nation responsive to its development aims to find solutions to human needs and to offer alternative ways to promote self-sustainability. For such a nation, economic development is a condition by which individuals and society at large enjoy a good quality of life, are free, have opportunities for upward mobility, and are able to improve their material circumstances. Humanity has responsibility to make development sustainable, i.e. to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This malleability allows programmes of environment or development; communities; the military; government establishments, civil societies and industrial and commercial institutions to each project their interests, hopes, and aspirations onto the banner of sustainable development. Industrialisation, a measure of economic development, is the process of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial one. An agrarian society is a society that depends on agriculture as its primary means for support and sustenance. Industrialisation is a part of a wider modernisation process, where social change and economic development are closely related with technological innovation, particularly with the development of large-scale energy and metallurgy production. Positive work ethics, absent in most developing countries, particularly in the African Region and major parts of the Middle East, combined with skills in quickly adopting new technologies and scientific discoveries are likely to boost production and improve income levels; leading to increased markets for consumer goods and services and tended to expand and provide a further stimulus to industrial investment and economic growth. Attempts to industrialise through the armed forces may be able to create economic development for developing nations. India and People's Republic of China harnessed the human and material resources available within their armed forces and were successful. It is essential to examine some of the factors that may promote economic development and their respective methods of application towards development by specific countries; although there can be no one path to economic development for all countries as development is influenced by various factors such as historical background, economic resources, political climate, government policies and infrastructure. Information and communication technology offers important advantage towards achieving the desire to maintain and/or enhance competitive and comparative advantage through the promotion of economic development, to provide education for all, and to broaden access to social services. In the global information economy, information and knowledge are the key factors of production. The Government of the Republic of South Africa recognises that economic development strategy must be able to give expression to national goals of economic development and improvement of quality of life for all citizens through: i. Achieving mastery of technological change in the economy and society. Economic growth and wealth creation are based on innovation and require the establishment of new technology missions aligned to quality of life goals and economic and industrial strategies. ii. Increasing investment in the nation's science base. An effective human resource strategy will require new approaches and investments on both supply and demand sides. On the one hand, a highly targeted approach towards increasing excellence in mathematics and the sciences among black matriculants and young women is a critical requirement. On the other hand, new centres of excellence must be established in order to draw young people towards careers in scientific research and to ensure that such careers are sustainable and productive. iii. Creating an effective government science and technology system responsible for a regulatory framework affecting all institutions with research and development as a primary mandate. This strategy embodies a clear operational distinction between the integrative department responsible for the “global” management of science and technology across government and line departments with sector strategies that necessarily involve research and development. The integrative Department of Science and Technology will be responsible for a regulatory framework affecting all institutions with research and development as a primary mandate, whereas the line departments will set objectives and budgets for the institutions within this framework. iv. Enhancing productivity in the public sector. There needs to be developed a system of assessing the productivity level of each research institution, research department, research unit and research individuals. Most developing nations, particularly African nations blame their economic and political woes on their respective erstwhile colonial masters. However, while productivity was a major criterion for promotion during the colonial administration god-fatherism and/or ability to “boot-lick” determines promotion and employment in the post-independence administration. The availability and mobilisation of resources is a sine qua non for real capital formation and, hence, national development. Sustainable development can only be achieved if resources are efficiently mobilised and transformed into productive activities. Mobilisation of the national economy can thus be said to be the process of preparing for and carrying out such changes in the organisation and functioning of the national economy as are necessary to provide for the most effective use of resources in a national emergency. The American people learned during the World War I that the possession of vast material, financial and industrial resources was not a guarantee of ability to produce military material in volume great enough to meet war needs. Notwithstanding the persistence, devotion and commitment of the personnel of the War Industries Board and other government agencies staffed by specialists in science, in industrial production, in material supply, and in transportation, the actual production of effective arms and ammunitions fell far short of requirements. The US Congress' Office of Technology Assessment in their publication “Redesigning Defence” outlined desirable characteristics for the military sector and the defence industrial base. To improve system performance, aspiring nations should foster actions that contribute to achieving these desired characteristics for each of the sectors involved in defence industries capability utilisation and conversion.
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About the Book
Across the ages, technological developments have been accelerated by the military. This results from the fact that able-bodied vibrant youths are generally involved and are also exposed to high-tech training prevailing at their times for assignments (defence and security) that are essential but not desired. They form the Armed Forces for the nations. Such brilliant military officers like Caesar and Napoleon made their marks; and, in contemporary times, the Armed Forces of United States, France, Britain, Australia, etc are making remarkable contributions to technological developments. Such infrastructure as the Internet, the GPS and the cell phones are products that have significant military contributions. This book scans across the major regions of the world, highlights the efforts of representative countries in the regions and observes that nations that have harnessed the efforts of their Armed Forces have progressively developed. It is also observed that developments in America and Europe, though not entirely dependent on their Armed Forces, have been greatly affected by their efforts. In Asia, such countries as the People's Republic of China, Brazil, India, Pakistan and Singapore utilise the human and material resources within the Armed Forces for national growth and cohesion. Development effort is least in the African Region, except South Africa and Egypt; notwithstanding the high potentials as exhibited by Nigeria's Armed Forces. Although attempts to industrialise through the Armed Forces may be able to create economic development for developing nations, such factors as historical background, economic resources, political climate, government policies and infrastructure are equally important. Economic development programme of an aspiring country should: i. promote education and access to knowledge ii. aspire to economic self-sufficiency in economic power iii. allow and promote private sector and foreign participation in defence production, research and development iv. commit itself to the establishment and support of defence industries v. indigenise defence programmes, establish a balance between military and economic development and vi. mobilise the nation's economy through technology partnership with the private sector and foreign investors.
About the Author
Engr. Joseph Babatunde Fagoyinbo was born on January 16 1947 in Iyin-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. After his primary and secondary education, he studied agricultural engineering at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), Nigeria and later a Master of Engineering degree in environmental engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. He was at Fondation de L'eau, Limoges, France and Moscow State University, Moscow, USSR for advance programmes in water production and hydrology respectively. He taught variously at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti (November 1981 - October 1986); National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna (November 1986 - March 1999); and the Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA, on part-time basis. He was employed as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, NDA in 2000 and was head of the Department (October 2006 - February 2009). He functioned as the coordinator for the Cadets' Industrial Work Experience Scheme (2000 - 2002) organised for on-site industrial exposure, project conception and planning, design, construction/ installation and operation and management for engineering cadets. He served the Academy variously in committees on: Military Science and Technology; Centre for Computer Aided Design and Information Technology; Workshops in Operations Research; Review of Examination Regulations 2004/2005, 2006/2007; Academic (Representing Faculty of Engineering (2004/2006); Appointment & Promotion; Research Monitoring (2005/2006); and Academic Programmes (2007/2008). In 2005, the Academy Provost commissioned him to design and work out modalities for the commencement of short courses and workshops on defence and security. Engr. Fagoyinbo has carried out private investigations and commissioned studies on human resources utilization and management for effectiveness in both the military and civilian sectors; and also on data management in the water resources sector; harnessing and management of natural resources in floodplains and wetlands. He has over 26 articles and published seminar/conference presentations. He is married with four sons.