#4
What Can Stand Against Us?
Singapore Armed Forces
Part 1 - Man and Machine
Part 2 - Man and Machine
Singapore Navy
Our Defining Moments
Go Beyond Horizons
Singapore Air Forces
Guardians Of the Skies
SAF's Special Operations Task Force
These videos have shown the capabilities of Singapore Military Power to withstand any sort of potential threats. It also gains Singaporean's confidence in the Armed Forces that the country's protection is in their hands.
When the SAF first started in the 1960s, the most urgent focus for what they now call the 1st Generation SAF was to provide for Singapore's basic defence. The 2nd Generation SAF, from the early 80s to late 90s, saw the upgrading and modernising of our Army, Navy and Air Force. Post-9/11, there was a shift in the security landscape, which widened to include non-conventional threats such as terrorism and piracy.
Resource constraints and the emergence of advanced warfighting technologies also drove the SAF to rethink their development trajectory. To meet new security challenges effectively, the SAF embarked on a 3rd Generation transformation journey in 2004 and continues today to upgrade its capabilities into an advanced networked force.
Today, the SAF is respected as a strong and professional armed forces. The SAF has developed leading-edge capabilities, networked together as an integrated fighting system.
Signing off,
Remus
References: (Click on the links below)
Cyber Pioneer TV
MINDEF
#3
Military Defence - Over the Years
How has Military Defence kept our nation safe from external threats over the years?
The forefathers of Singapore realised that, to defend
ourselves when attacked, or more importantly, to deter foreign intervention and
prevent our country from being attacked, we need a strong Military Defence.
This is the reason why the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was built up. Being a
conscript armed force, the SAF requires all male Singaporean citizens and
non-first-generation permanent residents who have reached the age of 18 to
enrol for national service. The SAF depends not only on these Regulars, but
also on its NS men, NSFs, and their families. When a conscript completes his
full-time service, he is considered to be “operationally-ready” and it is his
responsibility to keep fit, train seriously and keep up-to-date with the latest
military doctrines and equipment. While the men do their part, the women of the
country are expected to provide the much needed encouragement and support.
Singapore is among the list of countries with a national
service exceeding 18 months and a reservist obligation lasting up to age 40 for
enlisted men and 50 for officers. Until June 2004, it had a mandatory national
service period of 30 months.
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total
Defence of the Republic of Singapore, as well as the military component on the
Ministry of Defence. It comprises of three branches, the Singapore Army, the
Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), and the Republic of Singapore Navy
(RSN), where they work together to protect the nation’s interests, sovereignty,
and territorial integrity from external threats.
The fundamental tenets of Singapore’s military defence
policy are deterrence and diplomacy. Over the years, the military has developed
extensive links with the armed forces of other countries. The emphasis on
international peace-keeping and relief operations has also increased in recent
years, such as the peace-keeping operations in East Timor and the Persian Gulf.
Singapore is part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements
together with the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Malaysia. This
was aimed to replace the former defence role of the British in Singapore and
Malaysia, where it obliges members to consult in the event of an external
threat against Singapore and Malaysia.
Furthermore, Singapore has increased its defence budget over
the years. The Ministry of Defence’s total expenditure in the financial year
2012 was said to be $12.28 billion, seeing an increase of 4.3 percent over the
previous year. The defence expenditure constituted 24.4 percent of the government’s
total spending in 2012, which made the ministry the biggest beneficiary of the
budget allocation. The city-state’s defence budget is also expected to hit
$12.32 billion by 2015, meaning that Singapore has the biggest defence budget
in Southeast Asia, and the seventh largest in Asia. Over the years, this money
has been used for the purchase of military equipment, maintenance of equipment
and camps, and the salaries and allowances of the nation’s soldiers with the
sole aim of being prepared in the event of an external threat.
Viyshnu (120868W)
MB1202
References: (Click on the links below)
#2
How has technology helped to advance Singapore's Military Defence today?
Singapore’s Military Defence is run by the Singapore Armed
Forces. The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is made up of 3 segments – Singapore Army,
the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy. When
Singapore achieved independence, it did not have a large military force. The
military was commanded by British officers and only involved two infantry troops.
Of which, most of them were non-Singaporean residents. Singapore then discreetly
sought help from Israel to help build a strong defence force just like the
Israel Defense Forces. The Singapore Defence forces learned many different
tactics such as the jungle warfare. Since there are vast jungles in our
neighboring countries like Malaysia, this tactic may come handy during wars. Big
equipment like the tanks were introduced to Singapore’s army even before
Malaysia had them. This significantly helped the army to become an operative
force.
Technology has become a huge part of our lives and most
importantly in advancing military equipment. SAF uses the ‘force multipliers’.
Force multiplication refers to a set of traits which ideally makes a force more
powerful as compared to a force without the traits. Basically, it increases an
item or a group’s efficiency. In the olden days, research and experiments were
carried out to seek ways of applying technology into building superior weapons
and a stronger force. Currently, the people behind today’s advanced military
forces are the engineers and scientists who work with the Military of Defence (MINDEF). These people dedicated their
time and effort to research and development (R&D) and setting up
experiments. SAF created the Murai Urban
Training Facility (MUTF) to enhance the forces’ urban operations competence.
Soldiers train in MUTF which looks like a typical town. This is to provide them
with a realistic environment for training. In Sept 2008, the Advanced Combat Man
System was revealed. This new system helps the SAF to provide the forces with
network capabilities on the field. Although this project costs SGD$100 Million just
to maintain, it will be very useful during war period.
The various military manufacturing industries:
PRIMUS: Self Propelled Howitzer
Bionix II: Infantry Fighting Vehicle
MATADOR : Unguided Short Range
Anti-Armour Weapon
PEGASUS : Light Weight Howitzer
SAR 21: Singapore Assault Rifle
Formidable-Class Stealth Frigate –
Warships designed with stealthy features, equipped with advanced combat systems
and with longer endurance
Signing off,
Chindhoo~ (MB1203, 124587M)
Reference: (Click on the link below)
Wikipedia- Singapore Armed Forces
#1
Food For Thought
Helloooo fellow blog readers,
Since we are doing this project to understand our nation and the importance of Military Defence in Singapore, just thought that i should add an opinion it.
Our country's turning 49 this year and it is still going strong and steady. Despite being a little red dot on the globe and being vulnerable to disasters, i feel that Singapore has been very blessed to have neighboring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia to shield us from natural disasters like the death threatening Tsunami. The ugly side of Singaporeans is that some of us are impatient and they don't queue orderly, in the MRT or even for food. However in countries like Japan, when the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami hit them severely, many of them maintained the dignity to patiently queue for their resources.
Despite the tragedy, some of the survivors stayed back to search for their loved ones or helped to clean up the debris caused. My point is here not to criticize Singapore but to say that some people here are selfish and it makes me wonder if our people will help others in times like this. In my opinion i feel that people here do take things for granted. We live in a safe country where crime rates are low, guns are illegal, drinkable water from our taps, good infrastructure and yet we tend to complain over the smallest matters like haze, floods and train breakdown or that buses don't arrive on time. We are so complacent, many people think that we are pampered.
On the other hand, it is good of the Government to encourage schools to regularly practise safety drills as it might come handy in the future. Our little island may be very protected now, but nothing lasts forever, therefore everyone should understand the importance and benefits of being alert while a drill is undergoing. It may seem unfair that it is mandatory for men to go through National Service for two years, and women don't, but whatever comes out of it, is only contributing to the safety of our country. I feel that one should not see NS as a job, but for the love of our country. Just like how we want to protect our mothers, we should feel the same for our country, after all we are born and bred here (most of us).
''We'll be marching onWith pride and gloryBecause we love our landAnd want it to be free''
Signing off,
Chindhoo ~ (MB1203, 124587M)
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