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SA Army Signals Formation

The mission of the SA Army Signals Formation is to provide secure Signals higher order user systems to the landward forces of the SA Army and specialist services to the DOD. The Vision is to ensure that the SA Army achieves information superiority enabling an effective landward defense for a democratic South Africa enhancing national, regional and global security.

Since its establishment in 1923, the role of the South African Corps of Signals has been to provide professional, specialist signal services for the South African Defence Force. In October 1984, the South African Army Signal Formation came into being. Two years later in September 1986, the then Minister of Defence, General M.A. Malan, SSA, SD, SM, officially opened the Military Base Wonderboom, providing the South African Army Signal Formation, and therefore the South African Corps of Signals with a state of the art facility, specifically designed to fit their unique requirements.

The mandate of the SA Army Signals Formation is derived from C Army mandate and is as follows. The mandate of the SA Army Signals Formation is to provide Signals Support to Combat Ready Land Forces for:

• National Defence and Deterrence, and if this fails, to win any war swiftly and decisively.
• Promoting peace and stability both inside the country and externally.
• To contribute to the development and upliftment of South Africa, its people and the African Continent.

Initially the units stationed at the Signal Formation were, 2 Signal Regiment, 3 Electronic Workshop, 5 Signal Regiment and the Headquarters Unit. However, in line with the South African National Defence Force's rationalisation programme it was decided to centralise all facets of signals training at the SA Army Signal Formation and in December 1997, the School of Signals and 1 Signal Regiment (is now situated at Rooiwal) were moved from Heidelberg to the South African Army Signal Formation and 4 Electronic Workshop (now known as 4 Signal Regiment), relocated from the Cape to Pretoria.

In the late 1990s, as part of the Department of Defence’s transformation process, the Department of Defence decided to group various environments together, elements, which it felt belonged together such as the environments of telecommunication, information technology (IT), registries, documentation services, libraries and electronic warfare, in other words, all forms of communication. This in turn led to the establishment of the Command and Management Information Systems Division (CMIS Division) on 1 April 1999, its task being to deliver the products and services required by a modern defence force.

The Command and Management Information Systems Division, which included personnel from all services (Army, Air Force, Navy and Military Health Services) was set the challenge of providing products and services to its clients within the Department of Defence, while keeping abreast of relevant changes in this, the Information Age. As part of this new Command and Management Information Systems Division, the Corps of Signals left the command of the South African Army and was totally incorporated (personnel and all equipment) into the Command and Management Information Systems Division.

On 28 March 2008, certain elements of Command and Management Information Systems Division migrated back to the various Services and Divisions. The South African Corps of Signals returned to the command of the South African Army as from 1 April 2008, to be known as the South African Army Signal Formation. Its aim is to provide combat ready Signals User Systems Capabilities to the South African Army and specialist services to the Department of Defence. As part of the migration, hundred and ninety members (190) of the Command and Management Information Systems Division (all services) remained behind to continue the work of the Command and Management Information Systems Division.

The three thousand six hundred (3,600) South African Corps of Signals personnel (Army) returned to the South African Army as members of the South African Army Signal Formation. Hundred and forty (140) members of the South African Navy returned, to be incorporated back into their service, while two hundred and fifty (250) South African Air Force members returned to the South African Air Force.

In today’s modern army the South African Army Signal Formation provides integrated electronic warfare, command and control and general telecommunication services to satisfy the many and diverse requirements of the South African Army and its designated clients. SA Army Signal Formation also provides operational electronic equipment with related support services, temporary operational supply of power, training in and the provision of computer support and specialist maintenance of support services during operations undertaken by the South African Army and its designated clients and specialist services on request to the Department of Defence.