Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an exponential growth in the use of private military and security companies. Few have debated the long-term consequences outsourcing of security holds for the military profession. The first section of this article outlines the evolution of military outsourcing. From here the focus shifts to how outsourcing affects the armed forces’ ability to retain the monopoly over their “own” knowledge and skills base, and how it affects their autonomy, corporateness, and service ethic. The implications that this has for the armed forces and the military profession are deliberated. The conclusion is reached that extensive growth and use of private security have affected the intellectual and moral hegemony of the armed forces as providers of public security. The long-term implications of this in terms of the social structure and the identity of the military profession are not yet fully realized.

The South African military has adopted an assertive affirmative action campaign to ensure that women are represented across all ranks and branches. This has brought about new tensions in terms of gender integration, related to issues of equal opportunities and meritocracy as well as the accommodation of gender difference and alternative values. The argument is made that the management of gender integration from a gender-neutral perspective cannot bring about gender equality, as it obliges women to conform to and assimilate masculine traits. This affects women’s ability to function as equals, especially where feminine traits are not valued, where militarized masculinities are privileged and where women are othered in ways that contribute to their subordination. Under such conditions, it is exceedingly difficult for women to bring about a more androgynous military culture espoused by gender mainstreaming initiatives and necessary for the type of missions military personnel are engaged in today.

Climate change is a global threat, affecting the food security and food sovereignty of many depending on agriculture for their livelihoods. This is even more pronounced in Kenya, given their over-reliance on rain-fed crops and the frequency of floods and droughts in the country. Through qualitative interviews, this study set out to establish how climate change not only affects the food security, production and consumption of rural women farmers in Kakamega County, Kenya, but their response to climate shocks. Using resilience theory as a lens, we established that women use different pathways to mitigate the effects of climate change on their livelihoods. The study found that initially women adopt coping strategies that are reactive and not sustainable, but soon adapted their farming strategies, using their indigenous knowledge to exercise some control over both their food security and food sovereignty. Besides this, they use their human and social capital to expand their networks of support. By linking up to other organizations and gaining access to government support, they are able to challenge patriarchal relations that perpetuate poverty and inequality and bring about more transformative and sustainable responses to climate change.

Numerous studies have examined how armed forces have adapted their organizational and force structures to become more cost-effective, flexible, and deployable. However, comparatively few studies have looked at how these systemic influences affect attitudes toward military employment. With reference to findings of a survey conducted among middle-ranking officers in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, and Germany, the attitudes of officers toward their current employment is examined within a comparative context, by referring to the impact of organizational restructuring on their careers and on commitment to military service; issues relating to pay, service, and work conditions; trust in military leadership's ability to defend their interests; and the perceived need for some form of independent representation. The study concludes that the present discontent within the ranks is creating a kind of professional or institutional disunity, which may necessitate a revision of how employee relations are managed within armed forces.

This article examines the politics of race and gender in the South African armed forces since 1994. The first section provides an overview of the changing racial profile of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Thereafter the challenges which the integration of former enemy forces and affirmative action have posed in terms of changing power relations, professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness are discussed, before providing a brief overview of the different approaches to diversity management. The focus then shifts to gender and the debates on gender equality. The implications of the changed gender/racial profile are sketched, before moving on to some of the more contentious issues of sexuality, authority relations, leadership, sexual harassment and gender-based violence. The final section examines some of the difficulties women face whilst deployed on peacekeeping missions and how the unique needs of women in this patriarchal environment continue to be overlooked. The final section looks at how gender mainstreaming initiatives are being managed. For the SANDF finding the right balance between demographic representivity for the sake of redress and political expedience, and efficiency for the sake of military effectiveness continues to be an ongoing challenge.