Having lots of millionaires in Singapore helps.



The Singapore Armed Forces (abbreviation: SAF, Malay: Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura, Simplified Chinese: 新加坡武装部队) comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The SAF is formed largely out of conscripted soldiers and reserve forces. It is capable of mobilising over 300,000 reserves and has an active force of 50,000 for the defence of Singapore.


History

Singapore's military role stems from its strategic geographical location, an asset exploited by local settlers and foreign colonists alike. Archaeological excavations have discovered remnants of forts and other forms of military fortifications in pre-colonial Singapore. Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of modern Singapore, selected Singapore in 1819 to establish a new colony with the security concerns of British interests in the Far East in mind against the Dutch. Thus, Singapore played an active role in British military interests for decades, particular in the years leading up to the world wars.

At the time it achieved independance in 1965 however, Singapore's military consisted of only two infantry regiments, commanded by British officers and made up of mostly non-Singapore residents. The small nation, surrounded by its much larger neighbors needed a more formidable force. To that end, Singapore secretly contacted Israel, which sent military advisers who helped Singapore set up a defence force modeled in part after the IDF.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_Armed_Forces

I dunno but i heard that Singapore's airforce is mainly based in Phoenix Arizona. anybody got a clue on that? Why Arizona? goddam far away innit?

Umm,how about our airforce in Udonthani of Thailand ?

post some pics please..

i heard Singapore has it's air force based elsewhere, cause of the lack of space here. If i'm not wrong, a major part is with the Australians as well. I think honestly, our military bases are a bit away, 'cause the competition between Singapore and her neighbouring countries i.e. indonesia and Malaysia, and all that tension would make it a risky political maneuver. No offense meant to anyone. what do you think?

I think Australia, France, US and some Asian countries as well I think

Lacking space of its own for military training, Singapore may station much of its air force in Australia over the next few years as the two governments expand their defense cooperation.
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Officials said Tuesday that Australia was making final details of an arrangement that would enable Singapore to send up to 12 Super Puma helicopters to an army aviation base in northeastern Australia.
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They said that Canberra had also approved in principle a plan for about 20 Singaporean A-4 Skyhawk fighter bombers to be based in Australia, although a location had yet to be agreed on.
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In 1994, Singapore moved its air force flying training school to Pearce, in Western Australia, stationing 29 jet trainers and 150 servicemen there to take advantage of good year-round weather. Singapore also conducts armored corps training in northeastern Australia, storing tanks and armored personnel carriers there between exercises.
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Since the island-state is small, it is short of land and airspace for military training. As a result, Singapore sends its armed forces to train on a regular basis in a number of countries, including Brunei, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia and the United States.
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Analysts said that Australia, a vast island continent, was a particularly important training partner for the air force because of its proximity and abundant airspace. Darwin, in northern Australia, is only five hours flying time from Singapore.
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Since it left the Malaysian federation in 1965, Singapore has adopted a "poison shrimp" policy by building up forces to deter attack and warn any potential aggressor that an attack would be met by counterblows.
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Western military analysts say that Singapore's air force is probably the strongest in Southeast Asia. It includes 17 U.S.-made F-16 jet fighters, with 18 more on order; 75 locally upgraded Skyhawks; 38 F-5 fighters; four Hawkeye E-2C airborne early warning planes, and 20 Super Puma armed helicopters.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/1996/01/17/singa.t_1.php






http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/cannon.htm






http://www.f-16.net/news_article695.html

I always thought that alot of the Singapore Air force go to Colorado for their training. Cause a couple of guys i know in the airforce go there for their training. or is that merely like an extension/ extra training?

Nice thread. Singapore's armed forces is fairly sophisticated. They like to be lean and mean. Found these pictures, would like the share. Republic of Singapore Air Force


The RSAF Roundel

F-16C of the 428th Fighter Squadron firing an AIM-9 Sidewinder.


U.S. Army soldiers board an RSAF Super Puma on the flight deck of the USS Rushmore during Excercise CARAT 2001.


A Singaporean CH-47SD lands on the flight deck of the USS Rushmore during Exercise CARAT 2001.


Four RSAF F-16 C/Ds taxi down the runway at Korat, Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) Thailand, during Exercise COPE TIGER 2003.

if I am not wrong, F5 and Skyhawk were decommissioned this year

'Poison Shrimp' policy????? What's that????

Poison shrimp is when the shrimp warn potential predator with it colourful body or something that it's poisonous..Damn,I learnt that in social studies...Gonna fail,if i keep forgetting it,lol.

thanks for the explanation.

i think the 'poison shrimp' policy should be called 'belachan policy' -- it might be helpful to deter not only with dangerous bright colors but also stinky rotten-to-the-core warning signs! hohohoho!!

Singapore is trying to replace these fighter planes for sometime, but I am not aware if they have already been replaced or not.

haha, hey, i like belachan. maybe one can say that it's a belachan policy cause only some can tahan it, and fewer really enjoy it? just a thought

don't forget to include the RSAF arsenal, 20 units of AH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopters. acquired in 2 batches in 1999 and 2001.

it's like a "eat the shrimp and you'll die too" thing - a doomsday mechanism of sorts.

^Israel and North Korea use this ideology as well

what other policies are there to apart from the 'shrimp' policy??

Well, the United States primarily employs the "forward defense" policy - or the belief that having an offensive-natured pre-emptive war waged in a location well outside your area of concern is way better than being in the receiving end of a well thought-through enemy attack.

China and Russia among others, I believe is currently dwelling in the thoughts of the "porcupine" policy. This strategy banks on the concept that violence is irrational when mutual destruction is assured.

Defensive policies are pretty much relative and dynamic. Usually, a country's defensive strategy is mainly dependent on all major situational threat assessments.

How does SG's poison shrimp policy work if say it faces an attack from possible invaders?

It is same as Kuwait. Make allies with big and powerful countries. Ally yourself with the USA. You are a rich country USA will surely help you. Just a small burden, you need to finance USA's help.

An attack on the Lion City by reasonably sized military force has the great probability of delivering a catastrophic breakdown of Singapore's initial defenses. In theory, all the technology in the world can not protect a small island if it is dealt with a carefully-planned, saturated, multi-theatre military attack.

As this harsh scenario is not unexpected, it is also not beyond a measure of control.

This realization has influenced Singapore's military planners to relocate a good part of their military's hardware to bases outside their country. Doing such, sends out a strong deterrence as a technologically-edged, Singaporean counter-attack would surely be devastating to any large metropolis or base of power.

If Malaysia for example, starts a new territorial expedition and invades Singapore, those Singaporean F-16s based in the United States would then automatically go into carefully-trained plan in how to deliver one of those 2000-pound smart bombs to Mr. Badawi’s bedroom porch.

Ergo, the Poison Shrimp.

ahhhhhhhh.....interesting... this sounds really sexy...those Singaporean F-16s based in the United States would then automatically go into carefully-trained plan in how to deliver one of those 2000-pound smart bombs to Mr. Badawi’s bedroom porch. what about indonesia? the same strategy? howabout these attacks that are coming from further beyond?

why wouldn't msia or indonesia basically do an economic boycott on SG? would it not work as much since we have leapfrogged our immediate neighbors for trade with further shores?

some things are better left unsaid.

www...why????

would it stir up a controversy??

because curiosity killed the cat.

Pray do tell,we won't eat you up,sweetie.

but satisfaction brought it back

Poison shrimp.... is there any...? all I know is poisonous mushroom or frog......
Poison and Pungent Belacan might do the trick.....
Btw, who wanna attack Singapore anyway....? Indonesia....? Malaysia? C'mon you just being paranoid......

If we bombed and sacked Singapore, where do Indonesians will shop (for riches) and work (for maids).....?
And we all know who are behind you.... USA (maybe including Israel) and Aussies..... You can keep your island, we have plenty already, believe me...., it's not worth a war for us.....

No, never heard of poison shrimp until this thread appeared... i think i much prefer Udang kerupuk (Fried Shrimp Policy) instead of Belacan policy...

You Majjy, may not think of an invasion of SG, but somehow SG behaves like it is an Israel -- with Chinese on the end of the stick..

Even if Indonesia do not see any need to attack, i think if the opportunity presents itself, it would love to annex the island as its own, based on historical claims like it was a trading outpost since the ancient times of the Srivijaya empire... That is why SG children never know anyuthing about the history of this region, because such a history can open up nationalist sentiments and if a demagogue arises ... who knows... we may have an Indonesia that is hell bent on empire building... right?

why talk about war when there is harmony within the region. Only a few problems here and there but its being resolved slowly

Wars are fought because of purpose and reason. Our realities are in a constant rhythm of change. As such, a country’s defensive assets must always be ready for any eventuality that circumstance may bring.

History has witnessed the horrifying ramifications of what an unplanned war brings. With that said, Singapore, just like any other country, is expected to be prepared with anything that fate throws at it.

In an effort to parse this though, a country’s defensive doctrine would be heavily influenced on where their military force is at its strongest.

For the reason that Singapore’s military is in a bad disadvantage when it comes to troop and equipment count, their war strategy would most probably lean on the psychological part of the spectrum.

Similar to America’s “Shock and Awe” campaign, the Singaporean tactic would most likely put a premium on its world-class air and commando assets to inflict maximum damage on high value, never-center targets. This would be carried under the goal of ending the war the soonest time possible as prolonged battle would surely take a heavy toll and drain out Singapore’s limitedly-numbered trained resource pool.

Securing air and sea lanes would also be a top priority as a supply blockade has the ability to force Singapore to desperately capitulate in the face of hunger and starvation.

Singapore sadly, does not have the numbers to warrant prudence in the occupation of a new territory. The last thing that Singapore would want to be in is in an unforgiving asymmetric guerilla battle. As demonstrated in Iraq, no amount of technology can help fight a determined and invisible enemy. Singapore would need the troop and staying power to influence change and mend ties with the occupied populace.

The Singaporean defense forces must learn how to totally maximize the advantages that they possess. They must also learn to efficiently use these against an enemy that could have already calculated these strengths into their equations.

These probabilities however, are just a produce of my bored thoughts, and should no way be stored in the factual part of your perceptive logic.

I hear frens from NS tell me that the strategy of singapore military is not to fight at homeland but to find outside...but if homeland is bombed ....what is left to wat is called home?

whatever the strategy in the art of war, nobody benefits.

For me, if war strikes in any country for that matter.....the economy of both parties would be reversed by as much as 10 years

the way we see things, always depends on how we look at them.

Yeah I agree with you....

Somewhat I think the most unthinkable thing what the govt did was to insist that a bomb shelter room must be constructed in each HDB housing estate......

I cant believe nobody question the rational of doing so.

guess it is mainly with the idea of "knowing your counterparts best will to be staying with them to know it all"

To be onest. If any one attack Singapore, they would win at the first turn, but they will be fu-ked. I have alot of explanation for it.

I was one of those non residents with the Singapore Army.....and they were then far better trained and more professional than the Malaysian Army. Some of the best Singaporeans went to Israel and were Commando trained........and others went to Brunei to the Britsh Jungle Warfare School at Seria and were trained by the British (SAS) = SPECIAL AIR SERVICE

why did u choose to go to the SG army when u are a non-resident?

I was put on loan service and was given the option to either work with
the SAF or the MAF.....having previously worked with the SAF and MAF,
I decided to work with the SAF, at that time they were better trained and
more professional.

and now? is the SAF still as better and professional??

I have no personal recent knowledge of the SAF..... so it would be unwise for me to comment.....

Singapore ‘leases’ IAF base for 5 yrs
Josy Joseph
Wednesday, October 10, 2007 08:49 IST

NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday signed an agreement with Singapore which will allow the island nation’s air force personnel to train at the Indian Air Force base in Kalaikunda, West Bengal, for the next five years.

Singapore is one of the world's smallest countries, with its 704 square km territory scattered across 60 islands. The country's location affords it a great geo-strategic significance. But to take advantage of that, Singapore needs a well-trained military. And India is expected to play a crucial part in fulfilling that demand.

According to Tuesday's agreement, Singapore Air Force fighters will train at the IAF base at notified times.

Although Singapore has already carried out such training missions in India, New Delhi has never 'leased' out its military installations to foreign countries on a long-term basis.

A brief government statement announcing the agreement did not mention the terms of payment.

Defence officials said a deal to train the Singapore Army in select Indian Army bases is being considered.

The agreement to lease Kalaikunda was signed by India's defence secretary, Vijay Singh, and Singapore's permanent secretary of defence Chiang Chie Foo. Chiang is leading a delegation to India for the fourth 'India-Singapore Defence Policy Dialogue'.

"During the dialogue, both sides expressed the need to intensify cooperation," the statement said. "The regional security aspect, from Indian and Singaporean perspectives, were discussed."

Source - http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1126618

If the US decides not to be involved, how can F16s fly all the way from US to Singapore? They will be drowned in Pacific, not even close to Hawaii.

Btw, I heard that singapore is planning to buy some F15s to bolster its airforce. Maybe in response of Malaysia and Indonesia Sukhoi squads arrival.

Air to Air Refuel with RSAF very own KC-135R stratotanker. RSAF has done it several times flying across ocean pacific with a few stop over. Dont get this impression that they will be flying practically horizontal/along the equator across the ocean.

There's no room for error should SAF decided on an offensive measure over defensive one. Which means there's no such thing as 1st turn win by the adversary. The procurement of G550s CAEW Awacs is to prevent pre emptive strike during a period of political uncertainty. The radar installed on the G550 gulfstream is a capable of detecting activities far beyond her shore, a counter offensive would have been launched before a single bomb is dropped or a missile is launched.

Its a fact that RSAF has invested in the F-15SG with an initial 12 and subsequently 8 + 4 = 12 more. there are speculations that RSAF might decide to increase the total number of F-15SG to 80 planes over the decade. However any future decision on this acquisition lays on the date of order and delivery for RSAF F-35s.

this is another good product of the govt effort in brain washing the ah beng and ah seng in NS....whatever you believe whatever you fight.....juz give me one bomb explode in east coast beach for instance....the whole economy collapse...everybody run

and if so, SG go to war in another country.....whats the point of winning when there is nothing left to come back for

bro....what had the govt done for you for free all this years.....everything Pay n Pay....you wont see your medisave till you die

Some of you might have seen these before but for those who have not seen these, please take a look ... Leopard 2 (Video)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxdEtyxa7Ao


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMa9MhSSqzk


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uVXZS6oEhg

Singapore to buy Himars artillery systems
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September 13, 2007
U.S. eyes $330 million artillery sale to Singapore
By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department said on Wednesday it was tentatively planning to sell Singapore advanced Lockheed Martin Corp artillery rocket systems that could cost as much as $330 million.

Singapore has asked to buy 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System launchers complete with nine medium tactical vehicle 5-ton trucks, communications sets and 32 XM31 Unitary High Explosive GMLRS rockets, the Pentagon told Congress.

The system, known as HIMARS, is designed to defeat artillery, air defenses, trucks, light armour and personnel carriers.

It would give Singapore a highly effective military capability critical to deterrence and national defense, the Pentagon's Defense Security and Cooperation Agency said. It said the total value could be $330 million if all options were exercised.

HIMARS supplements traditional canon artillery by delivering high-volume firepower in a short time against time-sensitive targets, the notice to Congress said.

"The proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a friendly country that has been, and continues to be, an important force for economic progress in Southeast Asia," the notice said.

On Aug. 24, the agency told Congress that Singapore was also seeking up to 84 precision-guided bombs for its F-15 fighter jet fleet as part of a military package valued at up to $200 million.

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HIMARS