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Singapore Army
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The Singapore Army (; ) is the land force and one of the three services of the Singapore Armed Forces.
Singapore Army focuses on leveraging technology and weapon systems as "force-multipliers".
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The Singapore Army (; ) is the land force and one of the three services of the Singapore Armed Forces.
Capabilities
The Singapore Army focuses on leveraging technology and weapon systems as "force-multipliers". It has some of the most advanced military hardware in the South-East Asia region. The Singapore Army is capable of conducting amphibious operations with a highly developed logistics force, across all three services of Army, Navy and Air Force, as seen in the relief work in Aceh after the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.
Aside from hardware, the Singapore Army heavily invests in its "software". Largely made-up of tertiary-educated conscripts and professional regulars, the army has a good breed of soldiers, able to receive high levels of training, both in theory and practice.
To equip all soldiers with practical fighting experience, large-scale exercises, up to Division level are conducted several times a year, exposing almost every fighting unit to full-spectrum, full-scale war scenarios. Some of these exercises also involve the Air force and Navy, in order to familiarise its troops with its combined arms, tri-service operations. Due to space constraints, such exercises are usually conducted overseas unilaterally. Bilateral training and exchanges are also common between friendly nations. The Singapore Army also professionally conducts "tough, realistic and safe training in order to fulfill the Army’s mission."
The Singapore Army is currently undergoing the transformation into a 3rd Generation fighting force. The SAF's evolution into its 3rd Generation involves combining advances in technology and training while using networking to integrate the tri-services into an integrated fighting force. This will provide even greater operational-readiness and flexibility during war and peace time.
Organisation
The Army is headed by the Chief of Army (COA), currently Major General Neo Kian Hong. Assisting him are the Chief of Staff-General Staff (COS-GS), Brigadier General Hugh Lim U Yang, and the Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command. There are also six functional departments and an NS Affairs Department (NSAD) dealing with National Service issues, collectively known as the General Staff and an Inspectorate. The six functional departments handle personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics, plans and training respectively. Each department is headed by an Assistant Chief of the General Staff (ACGS). Also advising the COA are the Senior Specialist Staff Officers (SSSOs): Infantry, Guards, Armour, Commando, Artillery, Engineers and Signals.
Classification by Branches
The army consists of the following Combat Arms, which are integrated with one another to form the Divisional and Non-divisional assets:
These are bolstered by Combat Service Support Units which consist of the following:
- Army Intelligence
- Army Medical Services
- Army Maintenance and Engineering Support
- Army Supply and Transport
- Singapore Armed Forces Ammunition Command
Classification by divisional and non-divisional assets
Combined-Arms Divisions
The main components of the Army are its 3 active Combined-Arms Divisions:
3rd, 6th and 9th Div. They include both active and reserve units, all of which can be mobilised in phases.
Each division comprises:
- 1x Armoured Brigade (4 Armoured Battalions, 1 Engineers Company, 1 Signal Company, 1 Reconnaissance Company
- 2 to 4x Infantry Brigade (3 Infantry Battalions, 1 Engineers Company, 1 Signal Company, 1 Reconnaissance Company)
- 1x Signal Battalion
- 1x Artillery Battalion
- 1x Combat Engineers Battalion
- 1x Air Defense Battalion
3rd Singapore Division
Organization:
- HQ 3rd Singapore Division (Jurong Camp I)
- 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade (Bukit Panjang Camp)
- 5th Singapore Infantry Brigade (Tanjong Gul Camp)
- 24th Singapore Infantry Brigade (Maju Camp)
- 30th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade (Keat Hong Camp)
- 3rd Division Artillery (Amoy Quee Camp)
- 30th Battalion, Singapore Combat Engineers (Jurong Camp III)
- 46 SAR (Sungei Gedong Camp)
- 3rd Signal Battalion (Jurong Camp I)
- 3rd Division Support Command (Kranji Camp III)
Motto: "Foremost and Utmost"
6th Singapore Division
Organization:
- HQ 6th Singapore Division (Mandai Hill Camp)
- 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade (Mandai Hill Camp)
- 9th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 76th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 54th Singapore Armour Brigade
- 6th Division Artillery
- 6th Division Command Support
- 6th Division Engineers
- 6th Divisional Air Defence Artillery Battalion
- 6th Signal Battalion (Mandai Hill Camp)
Motto: "Swift and Deadly"
9th Singapore Division
Organization:
- HQ 9th Singapore Division (Selarang Camp)
- 10th Singapore Infantry Brigade (Pasir Ris Camp)
- 12th Singapore Infantry Brigade (Mandai Camp II)
- 23rd Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 56th Singapore Armoured Brigade (Selarang Camp)
- 431 SAR, 432 SAR, 433 SAR, 465 SAR
- 9th Division Artillery
- 9th Division Engineers
- 9th Divisional Support Command (Selarang Camp)
- 9th Signal Battalion (Selarang Camp)
Motto: "Forging Ahead"
Other Divisions
21st Division
The 21st Division is essentially a Rapid Deployment Force composed of the Guards. They are an elite group of Infantry trained for rapid deployment in both Amphibious and Heli-bourne Assault. Naturally the Armoured and Artillery component of this is assumed to be lightweight and comparatively manuevarable. Therefore one can assume that the division includes lightweight artillery such as the SLWH Pegasus as well as fast-travelling vehicles such as the Light Strike Vehicle and possibly the Bionix IFV. However not much is known about this Division except that it employs the Rapid-Deployment and Forward-Defence Military Doctrines.
Organization:
- 7th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 1st Guards (amphibious), 2nd Guards (No longer active), 3rd Guards(heli-bourne)
- 13th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 15th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 42nd Singapore Armoured Regiment
- Divisional Artillery
- 21st Signal Battalion
- 21st Divisional Support Command
- 18th Divisional Air Defense Artillery Battalion
- 1 x Combat Engineers Battalion
Note: Of the 13th and 15th SIB, 1 brigade is heli-bourne and the other is amphibious
Guards Motto: "Ready to Strike"
2 People's Defence Force
The People's Defence Force initially epitomized Singapore's resolve to take charge of its own defences in the early years of independence. Since then it has grown, and today 2 PDF is responsible for the 24/7 protection of key installations and for coordinating military resources to assist Homefront agencies in civil emergencies, with the HQ manned round the clock to provide an effective and efficient response to incidents island-wide.
Organization:
- HQ 2 PDF (Clementi Camp)
- HQ 21 Singapore Infantry Brigade (Bedok Camp)
- HQ 22 Singapore Infantry Brigade (Nee Soon Camp)
- HQ 26 Singapore Infantry Brigade (Mandai Camp)
- HQ 27 Singapore Infantry Brigade (Jurong Camp III)
- HQ 29 Singapore Infantry Brigade (Kaki Bukit Camp)
- HQ 32 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 2 PDF Training Centre (Clementi Camp)
- 6 Singapore Infantry Regiment (Maju Camp)
Motto: Steadfast We Stand and Steadfast We Will Deliver
25th Division
A NS reservist command. There are suspected divisions such as the 25th Division, which are entirely made up of former conscripts in reserve status. Little are known about these Divisions.
Organization:
- 11th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 14th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 63rd Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 65th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- Possible 25th Divisional Support Command (Unknown)
- Possible Armoured Elements (Unknown)
- Possible Artillery Elements (Unknown)
- Possible Air Defence Elements (Unknown)
- Possible Signal Elements (Unknown)
32nd Division
Tim Huxley, writing in the book "Defending the Lion City", wrote that 'the reorganisations of 1991 and 1995 left one armoured brigade, 4 SAB, outside the divisional structure, prompting speculation that it had been earmarked to form the core of a planned mechanised formation, sometimes referred to as 32nd Division. However if this division was indeed established during the 1990s, at the end of the decade's end it remains under wraps.'
Non-divisional units
- 1x Active Commandos Battalion (1CDO - 1st Commando Bn) and
1x Reserve Commando Battalion
Motto: "Honour and Glory"
- Unknown number of elite "Special Operations Forces (SOF)" trained by United States Special Forces Operational Detachment- DELTA Force and Naval Diving Units whose members undergo training conducted by the United States Navy SEALS.
Motto: "We Dare"
- 1x Aggressor Company - Under TRADOC/ATEC, this Company bases itself on the Aggressor Orbat and varies slightly from the normal Infantry Company, with a platoon specialising in Armour Simulation using normal vehicles. They are the Red Force for ATEC evaluations. Also known as OPFOR.
- 1x Medical Response Force Unit (MRF) - Counter Chemical and Biological Warfare Unit (Approximately Large Company Sized) Composed of 3 platoons of specially trained Combat Medic Specialists.
Motto: "Against All Adversity"
Photo Gallery
Equipment
See also
In popular culture
Television programs
Films
Books
- Tim, Huxley. Defending the Lion City: the Armed Forces of Singapore. Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty LTD, 2000. ISBN 1-86508-118-3.
External links
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