DEFENDING the Lion City [Archive] - Page 3

RafflesCity

May 22nd, 2004, 02:25 AM

PM opens vital link in terror fight

Changi Naval Base strategically placed for the effort against common threats

22 May 2004

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By Lydia Lim and David Boey

CHANGI Naval Base is an important link in the regional security framework needed to combat the threat of terrorism, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong said when he declared it open yesterday.

The facility serves not just the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), but is also open to the navies of friendly countries, making it easier for them to work together to fight common threats.

It is also strategically located along vital sea lanes connecting the Malacca Straits and the South China Sea.

The base is the second naval facility here after Tuas, but is three times bigger at 86ha - the size of 132 football fields.

In a speech after an hour touring it, Mr Goh said: 'The ability of the base to support large-scale exercises and operations is invaluable to multilateral initiatives to enhance regional maritime security. We believe that Changi Naval Base can contribute to regional peace and stability.'

Yesterday's official opening provided the perfect occasion to showcase its state-of-the-art facilities and technology.

All work stopped briefly on the base, which has been operating for three years, as the RSN put on a show of its maritime defence capabilities.

There was a sail past, as 12 warships, a submarine and scores of small fast craft glided in a straight-line formation before guests gathered at South Breakwater Pier, where large warships dock.

Before 1,000 Singaporean navy officers and their guests, Mr Goh pulled a large lever resembling a ship's throttle to mark the opening of the base.

Built entirely on reclaimed land, the naval facility sits on the southernmost portion of land just off Changi Airport.

It makes extensive use of information technology and automation in its operations, training, security and support, said the Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Ronnie Tay.

It is also designed to make the best use of scarce resources, such as land, energy and water.

In his speech, Mr Goh gave numbers to show just how useful the base has become to navies of friendly countries.

Last year, almost 100 ships from 11 navies called there.

These included the navies of Asean countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia; navies under the Five Power Defence Arrangements, like those of Britain, Australia and New Zealand; and those from the United States, France, China, Japan and India.

Last month alone, the base played host to 17 visiting navies and their ships, which participated in the regional Mine Countermeasure and Diving Exercises.

Mr Goh emphasised the need for countries to work together to combat new threats from terrorists and the risks from weapons of mass destruction, a call made recently by two other ministers when they spoke on enhancing security in the Malacca Straits.

On terrorist networks, he said: 'They cannot be tackled effectively by countries acting alone. To fight this cross-border security threat, a concerted global response is required.'

He also warned that Singapore's security environment had become more complex and uncertain.

The Singapore Armed Forces must respond by transforming itself, he said.

It must exploit new technologies, update its operations and train its servicemen to perform at the highest level in this changed environment.

____________

Base sits on 86ha of reclaimed land; has a 6.2km-long wharf

Home to submarines, missile gunboats, landing ship tanks and, from 2007, stealth frigates

New technologies and innovative designs save space and cut manpower needs. Robots do most of the work at the warehouse

Environment-friendly features: rainwater for flushing toilets, wind turbines to power lights, seawater in air-con systems

A 45m-high Fleet Command office building, offering a panoramic view of the Singapore Straits

huaiwei

May 22nd, 2004, 06:12 AM

RSAF pilot dies while living out his dream

By David Boey and K.C. Vijayan

LIVING out his schoolboy dream, Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, took off on a routine night training flight in clear skies over the Arizona Desert at 8.41pm (US time) on Wednesday. He was training to become one of an elite few - an F-16 fighter pilot.

Forty-five minutes into the intercept mission, as part of a three-jet formation, it all went wrong. The constant chatter over the communications link went quiet. After another 15 minutes, search and rescue helicopter pilots from the United States Air Force (USAF) found the wreckage of Lt Loo's fighter in rugged terrain about 90 nautical miles south of Luke Air Force Base.

Yesterday morning, the Defence Ministry confirmed that Lt Loo died in the crash, which completely destroyed the aircraft. It is not clear at this time if he managed to eject from the unarmed aircraft before it went down near the Mexican border.

The former Victoria Junior College student had joined the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in June 1998 and obtained his wings in July 2001. He started training on the F-16s in January last year. His family members will be flying out in the next day or so to the base in Arizona, where 122 pilots and ground crew from the RSAF detachment are stationed.

Offering his deepest condolences to the family, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday that the air force is offering every assistance to them. 'Military flying is a demanding and challenging profession. I am grateful that we have young and dedicated people who take up this challenge,' he said.

The RSAF has sent a team to Arizona to investigate the crash, together with the USAF. In the meantime, flying of the F-16s has resumed, but there is a temporary restriction on night flying, said the minister.

Speaking to the media before the official opening of Changi Naval Base, Rear- Admiral Teo recalled meeting Lt Loo's squadron members two weeks ago, while on a trip to the US. He said: 'The squadron leadership and men are highly professional. I am confident that after a thorough analysis of this incident, they will incorporate the lessons and continue their training safely and professionally to attain the highest level of operational proficiency.'

The news of Lt Loo's death shocked his teachers and friends. Mr Ang Pow Chew, principal of Victoria School, where Lt Loo was a student from 1992 to 1995, said: 'Last year he came back to see his former teachers and tell them he was going to the US. He had a lot of feeling for the school.'

Over at Victoria Junior College, Mr Tan Yew Hwee, head of the physical education department, praised his former student for being 'very responsible, sociable and a well-liked boy who never lost his cool'.

Former classmate Vincent Leow, now a business analyst based in China, said that even in school Brandon dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. 'He was a high-flier in his studies and had both brains and brawn.'

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Lt Loo crashed during a night training flight. -- MINDEF

heirloom

May 22nd, 2004, 01:16 PM

such a small pic.. could be good or bad looking... sorry could be good or average looking... brains and brawns.. now thats overused haha

Mr Ang Pow Chew, principal of Victoria School,

hahahaha

huaiwei

May 22nd, 2004, 01:18 PM

such a small pic.. could be good or bad looking... sorry could be good or average looking... brains and brawns.. now thats overused haha
So he dosent qualify as bad looking already ah? I suppose his soul can rest more happily then...

heirloom

May 22nd, 2004, 01:21 PM

"tell me... please.. before i die... am i pretty?"

Mr. Loo's / Bloom's (Orlando) last words.

huaiwei

May 22nd, 2004, 08:52 PM

Latest News | Updated May 22, 10.30 pm (Singapore time)

Arizona crash: fighter pilot's body found

By Chong Chee Kin

THE body of Singapore fighter pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han has been recovered, after the F-16 fighter jet he was flying crashed during a training session in southern Arizona.

TV station KVOA Tuscon posted the news on its website, quoting US military officials, but gave no other details.

Eye-witness accounts of the incident have also emerged, with Arizona newspapers and TV stations reporting that the US$20-million (S$34-million) F-16 fell down 'like a falling star'.

Construction worker Matthew Pebble, who witnessed the incident, told newspaper Arizona Daily Star that he watched the lights of the F-16 from his porch on Wednesday night (US time).

Using his hands to describe the blast, he said: 'It came down like a falling star in a straight line, and then - boom!'

The Singaporean pilot, a former Victoria Junior College student, had joined the Republic of Singapore Air Force in June 1998 and obtained his wings in July 2001. He was living out his dream when he started training on the F-16 in January last year.

huaiwei

May 22nd, 2004, 09:20 PM

Genetic link in sudden deaths?

I REFER to the articles, 'NSF who collapsed had heart condition' (ST, May 1) and 'None to blame, natural causes behind recruit's death' (ST, May 4).

Sudden death is an issue of rising concern when service personnel and healthy athletes collapse suddenly and die during physical exertion.

This tragic and devastating event is often a consequence of an abnormal heart rhythm, medically termed as cardiac arrhythmia.

Although the association is extremely difficult to establish, the prevailing medical opinion is that this occurs as a result of genetically abnormal ion channel activity acting in concert with an environmental trigger. When this happens, the heart fails to pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the brain, resulting in fainting or even death.

Autopsies are often unrevealing due to the absence of structural abnormalities of the heart in these disorders.

We have been investigating this problem in recent years with the intention of establishing potential genetic linkages.

Unfortunately, while a putative genetic defect can be identified for a small percentage of victims, there is currently no readily identifiable genetic marker that can account for all the cases observed.

Our attempt in finding the 'culprit' genetic marker is based upon our current understanding of the genes known to be associated with heart-rhythm disorders.

We are hopeful that in the not-too-distant future we would be able to identify not just one but a basket of genetic markers that can readily identify individuals who might be at risk.

Dr Edmund Lee
Jon Deoon
Koo Seok Hwee (Miss)

huaiwei

May 23rd, 2004, 07:28 AM

RSAF F-16 fell like a falling star

By Chong Chee Kin

THE body of Singapore fighter pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han has been recovered, after the F-16 fighter jet he was flying crashed during a training session in southern Arizona.

TV station KVOA Tucson posted the news on its website, quoting United States military officials, but gave no other details. Eye-witness accounts of the incident have also emerged, with Arizona newspapers and TV stations reporting that the US$20-million (S$34-million) F-16 fell down 'like a falling star'.

Construction worker Matthew Pebble, who witnessed the incident, told Arizona Daily Star that he watched the lights of the F-16 from his porch on Wednesday night (US time). Using his hands to describe the blast, he said: 'It came down like a falling star in a straight line, and then - boom!'

The crash sent wild horses on the ground below into a panicked gallop across the Arizona desert. Minutes later, two helicopters flew into the area, but he did not realise it was an F-16 crash until the next morning.

The Singaporean pilot, a former Victoria Junior College student, had joined the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in June 1998 and obtained his wings in July 2001. He was living out his dream when he started training on the F-16 in January last year.

His death brought to an end the budding romance he had with a 21-year-old woman in Singapore. Both had hinted at their love on popular website Friendster, where an online social community connects people through networks of friends.

Lt Loo got to know the woman only in November last year, but had left a deep impression on her. Alluding to him, she penned in her personal profile: 'Found the person I know I'll be happy with... though it can get quite frustrating sometimes when the 'missing you' feeling sets in. 'Hopefully faith will see us through this... and after that, I know I'll be the world's happiest and luckiest woman!'

In his profile, Lt Loo, in turn, referred to her as the person he most wanted to meet, calling her the 'missing rib' whom he had found. He also described himself as 'an optimistic guy' who 'always believes that everything in this world, good or bad, happens for a reason', adding that those things will 'always lead to better things to come'.

But it all ended last Wednesday, the last time he logged onto the website.

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Tragedy brings to an end a budding romance with a 21-year-old woman in Singapore whom Lt Loo got to know through an online website in November last year.

huaiwei

May 26th, 2004, 01:59 PM

PHOTO GALLERY OF THE OPENING CEREMONY OF CHANGI NAVAL BASE

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PM Goh launches the plaque for the opening of Changi Naval Base

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PM Goh giving his speech

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PM Goh witnessing the sail-past

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The Republic of Singapore Navy fleet

huaiwei

May 26th, 2004, 02:02 PM

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The basin at Changi Naval Base

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CNB uses solar panels to cut down on the use of electricity

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CNB's highly automated warehouse reduces the demand for manpower while enhancing operational efficiency

heirloom

May 26th, 2004, 02:23 PM

what are those skyscraper-ish boats for? they look like easy targets

huaiwei

May 26th, 2004, 02:30 PM

what are those skyscraper-ish boats for? they look like easy targets
I dont seem to see any skyscrapers?

heirloom

May 26th, 2004, 02:44 PM

the boats with the very tall masts.. what are they for?

huaiwei

May 27th, 2004, 11:46 PM

Safety hazards? Soldier's one call reaches top brass

The Army Safety Hotline has received just 13 calls since its February launch, and safety inspectors say that's a good sign

By David Boey

THE Army Safety Hotline has hardly been used since it was launched in February - only 13 soldiers have dialled in so far - but it has made an impact on troops, who are comforted that one phone call is all it takes to alert senior commanders to safety hazards.

The small number of calls is also good news for the army's safety inspectors, who say this indicates there are no alarming safety issues worrying soldiers.

The responses to the 24-hour hotline came from safety inspectors at the Ministry of Defence's General Staff Inspectorate (GSI).

The hotline was started as part of a concerted push to boost safety awareness in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) following three training-related deaths last year.

In addition to the main hotline, 15 army formations, which include combat arms such as Armour, Combat Engineers and Infantry, have introduced their own hotlines.

These hotlines, manned 24 hours a day, give soldiers direct access to their respective Formation Safety Officers.

Soldiers can use them to report safety breaches, bad practices that can lead to loss of life of injury, or hazards they encounter during training.

Once a call is made, a swift chain of events is kicked off. First, an investigation is launched, and this has to be reported to the unit's commanding officer and training officer within 24 hours.

Within three days of making his call, the soldier is told what action has or will be taken. Senior commanders in the unit are also notified of the report.

Army inspectors are also included in the loop so the safety information gleaned from investigations can be sent to other army units.

Lieutenant-Colonel Anson Lim, the GSI head, said the bulk of the 13 calls made so far to the army hotline came from soldiers who had safety enquiries. He did not give details of the calls.

The hotlines were one aspect of safety in the SAF showcased at an exhibition which opened yesterday.

The three-day event also highlighted other measures which resulted from a wide-ranging army audit conducted after three soldiers died during training last year.

The scope of the audit was huge. Investigators pored over 20,000 lesson plans and training safety regulations to re-assess safety aspects.

Some 80 per cent of the recommendations made after the audit have been adopted, and the rest will be implemented by September.

The GSI has also been beefed up with more safety inspectors, allowing it to conduct surprise safety checks twice a year, up from one surprise check a year.

The GSI will also audit every army unit about four times a year for operational issues.

Speaking at the launch of the Army Safety Exhibition yesterday, the Chief of Army, Major-General Desmond Kuek, reminded commanders of their responsibility to soldiers under their charge.

He also underscored the need for soldiers to 'nurture a culture of openness and receptivity towards training safety'.

Outlining why an open reporting culture is vital, Maj-Gen Kuek said: 'Professionalism means doing the right things and doing things right. It also means making clear what is right and wrong, instead of turning a blind eye or letting the matter pass to avoid undue attention or confrontation, or simply because of a lack of moral courage to point out what is not right.'

huaiwei

May 27th, 2004, 11:47 PM

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The "load bearing" vest, for soldiers to carry items such as ammunition and hand grenades, is designed to be worn under the bullet-resistant vest. Both were displayed at the Army Safety Exhibition.

BULLET-RESISTANT VEST ON TRIAL

NEW bullet-resistant vests, like the one shown above, will soon be standard issue for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers.

They are designed to protect the chest, back and neck of soldiers from small-arms fire and shell fragments, and are now being tried out by several army units.

SAF personnel were first spotted using them in March when hundreds of soldiers were deployed to Pulau Tekong to round up three armed robbers who had fled to the island from Johor.

The vest was displayed yesterday at the Army Safety Exhibition, along with another that is supposed to be 'load bearing'.

This second one has numerous pockets, like the vests worn by photographers to carry their lenses and film, for soldiers to carry items such as ammunition for their guns and hand grenades.

The vest, which is supposed to be worn beneath the bullet-resistant one, will allow the army to phase out the belts, pouches and straps soldiers now use to tote their equipment.

The Singapore Army said yesterday that the vests are part of wider efforts to improve safety in the field.

huaiwei

May 31st, 2004, 11:28 AM

Parents bring pilot's ashes home

Soon after their arrival, family and friends gather for wake

By Maria Almenoar

REPUBLIC of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han made his last flight home yesterday. Lieutenant Loo, 25, died in the United States when his F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in southern Arizona on May 19.

His parents, Mr Loo Juan Huan and Madam Judy Tay Lee Choo, and brother Kwang Yi, arrived home with his ashes at about 5am. Within a couple of hours, relatives and friends flocked to Block 306, Hougang Avenue 5, where the wake for the the young pilot was held.

Since he was a child, it had been his dream to fly fighter jets and he joined the RSAF in June 1998. The dream ended in tears. The wreckage of his plane was found nearly 170km from Luke Air Force Base, where the 122 pilots and ground crew from the RSAF detachment are stationed.

Days later, his family left for Arizona to bring him home. They attended a memorial service with his colleagues and friends in the US. Lt Loo was cremated there as it is Buddhist custom to cremate the body within seven days of death.

At the wake yesterday, the family seemed calm as a monk performed Buddhist rites before an altar where the urn of ashes, Lt Loo's photograph, RSAF uniform and cap lay.

The RSAF chief, Major-General Lim Kim Choon, and the commander of Tengah Air Base, Colonel Richard Lim, were there to pay their respects. Maj-Gen Lim presented a condolence letter from the RSAF and spoke to the family for 45 minutes.

He said later: 'They are very saddened by the lost of their son. From what his parents have said, Brandon was a good son, one who loved and cared for his parents. I understand when they were in the US, they visited a temple in Phoenix where they got some closure, to come to grips with the situation.'

The RSAF is still investigating the crash. Night training for F-16 planes is still suspended in Arizona, although such exercises resumed in Singapore last Wednesday.

Ceremonial rites for Lt Loo will be held tomorrow at Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery in Geylang East Avenue 2.

huaiwei

May 31st, 2004, 09:02 PM

Medals for 203 SAF peacekeepers

WHEN naval staff sergeant See Woon Yee returned from a two-month mission in the Gulf in January, her four-year-old son Lucius almost couldn't recognise her.

She told The Straits Times: 'I'd put on a bit of weight because it was cold and we tended to eat more then.

'When he saw me, he wasn't sure if he should call me Mummy.'

But he eventually did, she said.

Staff Sgt See was one of 199 servicemen and women from the navy and air force on overseas missions who were deployed in the Gulf as part of Singapore's contribution to the global effort to rebuild Iraq.

The Republic of Singapore Navy's RSS Endurance, a 141m-long landing ship tank, and a C-130 transport aircraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force's 122 Squadron were sent there on separate missions.

Staff Sgt See and 159 shipmates had to patrol the Iraqi coastline to protect a vital installation at sea, and patrol sea routes that led to Iraqi ports as part of their work.

Yesterday evening, the 199 servicemen, with four others who served in the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Timor Leste, each received an SAF Overseas Service Medal from Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean in recognition of their stint.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said: 'Singapore's contributions to such multinational efforts to preserve peace and stability reflect our commitment as a responsible member of the international community.'

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An SAF serviceman looks at the award he received from Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who presented SAF Overseas Service Medal to 203 personnel. -- TERENCE TAN

huaiwei

May 31st, 2004, 10:46 PM

Don't forget to salute our brave men in uniform

AS A United States citizen and Singapore Permanent Resident, I hope that all Singaporeans fully comprehend the sacrifice made by the Republic of Singapore Air Force pilot, Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, who died recently while training in an F-16 aircraft in the state of Arizona in the US ('RSAF pilot dies while living out his dream'; ST, May 22).

I love my fellow Singaporeans, but all too often they become complacent about the freedom they enjoy. It must be clearly understood that the freedom Singapore enjoys is because brave Singaporeans in the armed forces protect that freedom every single day, every single minute and every single second.

The freedom that Singapore enjoys as a nation is contingent on those in the armed forces willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and we now have seen a brave Singaporean RSAF pilot do just that for his nation while training to defend it. I would encourage all Singaporeans to say 'thank you' the next time they see a member of the armed forces in uniform. Thank them for protecting your home, for making a sacrifice, and for protecting Singapore's freedom as a nation.

JONATHAN V. GALAVIZ
President
Singapore Association of Nevada

babystan03

June 2nd, 2004, 05:58 AM

JUNE 2, 2004

Military honours for fallen pilot at funeral. Family told younger son could leave RSAF if they wished

By Ben Nadarajan

SEVEN hundred Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) servicemen turned up at the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery yesterday to bid farewell to Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, whose F-16 crashed in the United States last month.

After the funeral rites, Chief of Air Force, Major-General Lim Kim Choon, said the family could choose if they wished their younger son, RSAF trainee Kwang Yi, to leave the RSAF.

He is now at the stage where he is being assessed on whether he is suited to fly fighter jets.

'Kwang Yi signed up, obviously, to follow in his brother's footsteps. But this incident would naturally cause him to reflect on what he really wants to do,' Maj-Gen Lim said.

After Republic of Singapore Navy Second Lieutenant Daryl Loh died three years ago in an accident, Mindef placed his brother in a non-combat post when he entered national service, at the request of Lt Loh's father.

Maj-Gen Lim said that he had asked Lt Loo's family to take their time to think it over and that the RSAF would be 'more than willing to accommodate whatever wishes they have'.

He said: 'Certainly, it is very traumatic for the family to lose one son. They need to think for themselves if they can come to grips with having another son in the air force.'

Investigators have begun interviewing officers at the air base in Arizona to find out what caused the accident, he added, and the RSAF will resume night flying there only when the pilots there are mentally ready.

Before the rites began, the 700 RSAF servicemen in uniform, wearing black armbands, stood outside with heads bowed.

Lt Loo's family entered the temple in Geylang East with his cousin, Ms Amy Phua, bearing his portrait at the head of the procession, while Kwang Yi carried his brother's ashes in an urn.

As they entered, the guard of honour raised weapons in a military salute.

Afterwards, the RSAF top brass and US Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Baree Seguin placed wreaths beside the urn. Lt-Col Seguin, who flew in from the US for the funeral, is the commander of the USAF's 425 Squadron, with which Lt Loo had trained.

Maj-Gen Lim then handed the state flag, a peaked cap, a military sword, and Lt Loo's good conduct and service medal to the dead pilot's sobbing parents.

Outside the temple, a squad of 14 fired off a three-gun volley as a mark of respect for their fallen comrade.

As the crowd dispersed under the hot sun, one RSAF man was heard saying: 'Just the kind of weather Brandon liked, so he has an excuse to put on his cool shades.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 2nd, 2004, 06:02 AM

JUNE 2, 2004

By David Boey

THOUGH military aviation is inherently dangerous, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has done much to make air force flights safe.

A study of RSAF aircraft and helicopters lost in aerial accidents shows that the air force has achieved fewer crashes and fewer fatalities in recent years compared to the RSAF's formative years.

When air crashes do occur, these accidents tend to be far more survivable now than air crashes in the 1970s.

The RSAF's improved track record did not pop up overnight but was the result of a sustained effort to build up safety consciousness among all ranks.

Some other air forces have failed to shrug off their bad flight-safety record because their senior officers have not remedied safety hazards like poor pilot training, shoddy aircraft maintenance, improperly scripted standard operational procedures or inadequately maintained airbase infrastructure.

The RSAF's improved safety record is commendable in view of its higher operational tempo - which means more intense flying - and the larger fleet of fighters, support aircraft and helicopters in its order of battle.

From 1970 to 1979, the RSAF lost 16 pilots from 21 fighter-aircraft crashes. One Hawker Hunter was damaged in a mid-air collision but managed to return to its airbase safely. More than 70 per cent of the crashes in the 1970s were fatal ones.

The 10 years between 1990 to 1999 saw nine RSAF personnel (six helicopter pilots and three helicopter aircrewmen) die in three helicopter crashes. No fighter pilot died during this period.

From 1990 to 1999, the RSAF lost five choppers, three fighters and three jet trainers. One F-16A fighter, which was badly damaged in a mid-air collision with another F-16A in July 1991, managed to limp back to Paya Lebar Airbase and has been rebuilt.

All RSAF deaths that occurred from 1990 to 1999 involved Super Puma transport helicopters. These carry two pilots and at least one aircrewman in the passenger compartment.

Catastrophic helicopter crashes are less survivable than accidents involving aircraft equipped with ejection seats because chopper crews cannot bail out of their stricken machines.

The fact that there is a 16-year gap between the previous death of an RSAF fighter pilot and last month's fatal crash involving Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, underscores the part that safety devices like ejection seats have played in saving aircrew lives.

The last fatal crash involving an RSAF fighter pilot took place on May 24, 1988, in the Philippines. In that incident, a 23-year-old pilot ejected from a Hawker Hunter just outside Clark Airbase. He was picked up by a United States Air Force rescue chopper but died from his injuries.

Unlike ejection seats used today, which can safely extract a pilot even if his aircraft is stationary on the ground, a Hunter pilot needed to achieve a minimum height and airspeed for his parachute to open safely. The pilot involved in the Clark Airbase crash was barely at the safety threshold, so his injuries were severe.

Between that crash and the death of Lt Loo after his fighter crashed on May 19 during a night-training flight in the Arizona desert, 10 RSAF fixed-wing aircraft have crashed but their pilots all survived.

Several other aircraft were involved in minor incidents, like veering off runways, but no serious injuries to pilots were reported.

Such news may be cold comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of Lt Loo, whose ashes were placed in their final resting place yesterday afternoon at Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery.

While we mourn his loss, Singaporeans can take heart that the RSAF has built up a robust safety-management apparatus that will get to the bottom of the tragic crash and ensure that lessons learnt are disseminated in a proper and timely manner.

The formation of the RSAF Flight Test Centre means the air force can work with the defence industry and defence science community to test and install devices to make RSAF aircraft safer.

These run the gamut from ejection seats and parachutes, to devices that can launch decoys to protect aircraft against anti-aircraft missiles, thereby boosting the aircraft's operational safety.

Airbase infrastructure has improved significantly since the 1970s. The decision to build Changi East Airbase and the runway on Pulau Sudong means RSAF pilots have alternative landing strips should emergencies arise.

These airstrips are a vital safety feature as flight paths leading to Paya Lebar Airbase and Tengah Airbase take aircraft over densely populated areas.

One can appreciate the enormity of the task the RSAF faces in managing safety when one considers that the RSAF is one of the few air forces in the world where the sun never sets on its flight-training regime.

This is because the RSAF maintains detachments in places as far flung as Australia, Brunei, France and the United States. So its training management philosophy must operate not only round the clock, but also round the globe in different climates and flying conditions.

The RSAF cannot hope for a zero-accident rate. The only way for any air force to achieve a zero-accident rate is for it to keep its warplanes grounded.

That being an impractical measure, the RSAF must continue to work to manage the consequences of air accidents by doing all it can to make such mishaps survivable.

Warplanes can always be replaced, but pilots and aircrew are irreplaceable.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 3rd, 2004, 05:08 AM

JUNE 3, 2004

I READ with a sense of sadness Mr Dudley Au's arguments ('Why single out only the soldier? Risks exist in every line of work or profession'; ST, May 28) in response to the letter, 'Don't forget to salute our brave men in uniform' (ST, May 25), by Mr Jonathan Galaviz.

Mr Au went to the extent of saying that doctors and nurses who treated Sars patients were 'greater' heroes than a pilot who flew a plane not knowing whether it was going to crash or not.

Mr Galaviz did not say that pilots are greater heroes compared to all other professions. All that he said was all uniformed personnel should be appreciated.

Yes, there are risks in every line of work. When Sars broke out, we honoured not only the doctors and nurses, but also many others, including the taxi drivers who did not shun nurses working at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).

People choose events to remind us that we should be thankful for the people who serve our country and people. The F-16 pilot died while serving the country.

The comparison between doctors facing Sars and a pilot in training is not a fair one. Sars to doctors would be like war to soldiers. I am sure the receptionists at TTSH would not be classified as heroes the way the doctors were, but shouldn't we honour them too?

Doesn't it require courage to climb into the cockpit day after day to train, knowing that you could die any time? As a former military aviator, I know. Every single flight is a risk, from the time you start that jet to the time you land.

Many of us have had close shaves, with a few seconds making a difference between life and death. Yet we climbed back into the cockpit to continue to train.

What for? To project a deterrence, and to prepare for a war we all hope never happens. Does that make us lesser than heroes?

LEONG CHUN YU

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

June 3rd, 2004, 09:16 AM

babystan03

June 3rd, 2004, 10:49 AM

Seems to be an interesting debate going on about that.

Personally, I do feel that uniformed personal are greatly taken for granted, but I wont think it amounts to having to salute them physical of coz. :D

I think that could be due to many ppl not really knowing what the uniformed personnel actually does to defend the nation......The Navy Open House should serve that purpose, hopefully...... :)

huaiwei

June 3rd, 2004, 09:13 PM

But somehow, I think its because half the population has gone through NS, and they remember more of the bad things then the good?

babystan03

June 4th, 2004, 04:12 AM

This story was printed from TODAYonline

Open culture promoting camaraderie between soldiers and commanders can help prevent mishaps

Friday • June 4, 2004

Since the three training-related deaths of Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel last year, various steps have been taken by the Ministry of Defence to reinforce the importance of safety during training.

The recent Army Safety Exhibition also highlighted recent safety initiatives, such as an Army Safety Hotline for soldiers to report safety breaches, as well as a thorough review of lesson plans and training safety regulations.

However, these measures alone have limited effectiveness in enforcing training safety. An equally, if not more important, measure would be to introduce an open culture of mutual respect between soldiers and their commanders.

A soldier should feel at ease communicating with his commander on any issue, just as a commander should be genuinely concerned about the welfare of the men under his charge.

To this end, commanders could be educated on how better to communicate with their men and look after them more effectively.

As much as the "chain of command" is essential for operations in the SAF, soldiers should never, for fear of repercussions — which can include non-physical forms such as confinement and extra duties — shy away from reporting incidents of abuse of authority or safety breaches to a higher authority.

To quote the Chief of Army, Major-General Desmond Quek: "Professionalism means doing the right things and doing things right. It also means making clear what is right and wrong, instead of turning a blind eye or letting the matter pass to avoid undue attention or confrontation, or simply because of a lack of moral courage to point out what is not right."

Timothy Tim

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

June 4th, 2004, 06:56 PM

Body of pilot arriving home tomorrow

By David Boey and Natalie Soh

THE body of air force fighter pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, who died when his F-16 crashed in the United States last week, is due to arrive in Singapore tomorrow.

On Thursday, before his body left the US, Lieutenant Loo's friends and colleagues bid him farewell in a solemn military service in Arizona, where his F-16 detachment is based.

The funeral here is likely to be held on Tuesday.

The Straits Times understands that though Lt Loo died while living out his boyhood dream of flying fighter jets, his younger brother too could become an air force pilot.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the younger Loo is a pilot trainee with the Republic of Singapore Air Force. He will be going to Tamworth, Australia, soon for the Air Grading Course.

This course is conducted by RSAF flying instructors to rate candidates for their interest and aptitude in piloting military aircraft.

Lt Loo died during a night training mission which took off from Luke Air Force Base in Arizona on May 19. His F-16C fighter crashed in rugged desert terrain near the Mexican border an hour after take-off.

Lt Loo is the first RSAF fighter pilot to die in 16 years. In the last fatal incident involving a fighter jet, a 23-year-old RSAF pilot died of injuries after ejecting from a Hawker Hunter fighter just outside Clark Air Base in the Philippines.

The RSAF's latest crash is its second involving a single-seat F-16C.

In May 2002, an F-16C crashed after pieces from a cracked turbine blade in the plane's Pratt & Whitney PW-229 engine ruptured a fuel line and caused a fire.

A report from an eyewitness that Lt Loo's plane 'came down like a falling star in a straight line' has led to speculation that it exploded in mid-air.

In a telephone interview with The Straits Times, Ms Laurie Tardif, communications manager at Pratt & Whitney Military Engines, shrugged off suggestions that engine failure had caused the crash.

She said yesterday that her company 'did a thorough investigation after the May 2002 crash to find the root cause diligently'. These investigations led Pratt & Whitney to inspect and replace faulty turbine blades. The engine maker 'stands ready to help if asked', she added.

babystan03

June 5th, 2004, 03:33 AM

This story was printed from TODAYonline

Reservist training must be more family-friendly
Weekend • June 5, 2004

I was asked recently to attend in-camp training overseas in five months' time.

As our first baby was then due in less than a month, I applied twice to the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) for a deferment but was rejected on both times.

It was very disappointing as my needs were genuine.

When I called to check, I was told that the guideline was to grant deferments only for the two weeks before and after the expected due date of the baby.

Fathers will know that this period is not enough. We are doing our part to have children, as encouraged by the Government.

Is a year's deferment too much to ask, for me to be around to help my wife take care of our newborn?

As mothers know, caring for a baby is not easy. My wife will have to manage day and night for 2 1/2 weeks without my help.

I urge Mindef to seriously consider reviewing the guidelines to grant more flexibility on a case-by-case basis.

Stephen Tan Lay Wee

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 5th, 2004, 11:04 AM

Business Times - 05 Jun 2004

Boeing eyes work on network-centric warfare with S'pore
Way to achieve information dominance on the modern-day battlefield

By DANIEL BUENAS

EVEN as the competition to supply Singapore with new combat planes to replace its ageing fleet of Super Skyhawk fighter jets heats up, a senior Boeing Company official yesterday said it was hopeful that it could work with Singapore on future network-centric platforms to achieve 'information dominance' in today's battlefield.

'We don't have any specific programmes that we are working on with (Singapore) now, but I am quite certain that as (Singapore) goes forward, understanding the capabilities that are provided by networking their platforms, there could be opportunities for us,' said Jim Albaugh, chief executive and president of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), who is in Singapore to attend a regional defence meeting.

Boeing is one of three parties vying for a US$1 billion deal with Singapore, which intends to replace its ageing A-4 Super Skyhawks with 20 new aircraft.

The company, with its F-15 Strike Eagle, is competing with the Rafale from France's Dassault Aviation and the Eurofighter Typhoon, which is produced by a four-nation industrial partnership between the UK's BAE Systems, Alenia Aerospazio of Italy, EADS Germany and EADS Spain.

'One of the things that we feel about the F15 is that by networking it you can make it a much more capable plane than it is flying on its own, and that's part of the proposal that we've written,' said Mr Albaugh.

He added that of the three aircraft, only the Eurofighter Typhoon has yet to be flight tested, and that Singapore would likely enter into more in-depth negotiations with one of the parties in the third quarter of this year.

A decision on the deal is expected to be made sometime next year.

Network-centric warfare is a newly coined industry term which essentially describes the means of achieving 'information dominance' on the modern-day battlefield.

Of course, information dominance comes at a price, and the multi-billion dollar defence industry looks set to continue growing.

Boeing's IDS unit, for instance, generated US$27 billion in revenues last year, and expects to generate around US$30 billion this year.

The unit was set up in July 2002, and includes Boeing's total space, defence, government, intelligence and communications capabilities.

In March this year, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said that Mindef would be setting aside for the first time an additional 1 per cent of its budget, or an extra $86 million, to break new ground and explore the weapons, tactics and capabilities it would need for wars of the future.

This was to develop what Rear-Admiral Teo called a 'third-generation' Singapore Armed Forces.

He said that platforms, weapons and sensors that are fully networked into such a fighting system would have their combat power magnified, and that conventional fighting vehicles without such capabilities could find themselves 'merely targets'.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

June 6th, 2004, 11:49 PM

Parents bring pilot's ashes home

Soon after their arrival, family and friends gather for wake

By Maria Almenoar

REPUBLIC of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilot Brandon Loo Kwang Han made his last flight home yesterday.

Lieutenant Loo, 25, died in the United States when his F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight in southern Arizona on May 19.

His parents, Mr Loo Juan Huan and Madam Judy Tay Lee Choo, and brother Kwang Yi, arrived home with his ashes at about 5am.

Within a couple of hours, relatives and friends flocked to Block 306, Hougang Avenue 5, where the wake for the the young pilot was held.

Since he was a child, it had been his dream to fly fighter jets and he joined the RSAF in June 1998.

The dream ended in tears. The wreckage of his plane was found nearly 170km from Luke Air Force Base, where the 122 pilots and ground crew from the RSAF detachment are stationed.

Days later, his family left for Arizona to bring him home.

They attended a memorial service with his colleagues and friends in the US.

Lt Loo was cremated there as it is Buddhist custom to cremate the body within seven days of death.

At the wake yesterday, the family seemed calm as a monk performed Buddhist rites before an altar where the urn of ashes, Lt Loo's photograph, RSAF uniform and cap lay.

The RSAF chief, Major-General Lim Kim Choon, and the commander of Tengah Air Base, Colonel Richard Lim, were there to pay their respects.

Maj-Gen Lim presented a condolence letter from the RSAF and spoke to the family for 45 minutes.

He said later: 'They are very saddened by the lost of their son. From what his parents have said, Brandon was a good son, one who loved and cared for his parents.

'I understand when they were in the US, they visited a temple in Phoenix where they got some closure, to come to grips with the situation.'

The RSAF is still investigating the crash.

Night training for F-16 planes is still suspended in Arizona, although such exercises resumed in Singapore last Wednesday.

Ceremonial rites for Lt Loo will be held tomorrow at Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery in Geylang East Avenue 2.

huaiwei

June 7th, 2004, 11:32 PM

'Wounds' can now be treated in mock battles

New SAF system to simulate injury is now smarter and lighter; it will also be tested to simulate damage to vehicles

By Goh Chin Lian

REALISM in military training here will go up a notch with a new battlefield aid that simulates firefights more accurately, including gunshot wounds and damage to military vehicles.

It is more realistic and less cumbersome than an existing simulator in use for the past 15 years, although both work along the same lines.

A soldier fires lasers instead of bullets from a transmitter fixed to his weapon, and the signal is picked up by a series of bottlecap-shaped receivers on his target's helmet and body harness.

In the new system, the transmitter is half the weight and smarter. It records the firer's identity, figures out if he has shot one of his own and calculates whether the shot has 'killed' or 'injured' the target.

There are different sound effects for a clean shot and a near miss to alert the targeted soldier. Previously, only direct hits triggered the alarm.

Troops from the 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment who tried the system last month became more careful moving around the training field, knowing they were being targeted, said engineers from the Defence Science and Technology Agency who have been working on the new simulator since June 2001.

Another added feature extends the training realism to medics treating the troops. Depending where the shot lands, the system indicates the type of medical treatment needed, which is administered by tapping a tag against the injured soldier's harness.

If the medic applies a tourniquet when the injury requires a morphine jab, the injured soldier's condition 'worsens'.

A similar system for tanks and other armoured vehicles will be tested in September, which will indicate mechanical faults that require mechanics to carry out specific repairs in the field.

More than 20 MPs were given a first-hand look at the technology at the Singapore Armed Forces Centre for Military Experimentation at Stagmont Camp in Choa Chu Kang yesterday.

The visit came at the invitation of Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who during the Budget debate in Parliament in February offered to show MPs how the SAF keeps ahead in technology when they asked if it was prepared to fight future wars.

They had more questions yesterday, said Dr Ong Chit Chung, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs. They wanted to know if ordinary soldiers will be able to cope with high-technology gadgets and how the SAF will have to change the way it commands forces on the ground, among other things.

Dr Ong, a military historian, said the soldier still counts in the end, and values such as courage and determination are timeless.

Dr Teo Ho Pin, an MP for Holland-Bukit Panjang GRC, believes the public will better understand the need to invest in technology - 1 per cent of the defence budget is set aside for experimentation - when servicemen who have tried the new gadgets spread the word.

Opposition MP for Potong Pasir Chiam See Tong said it makes sense to exploit technology to stay one step ahead of others.

'If you have this kind of experimentation and research on weaponry, it will definitely be good for Singapore and we can all sleep better at night,' he said.

babystan03

June 8th, 2004, 01:12 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 08 June 2004 1826 hrs

4 SAF commandos charged with causing death of NSman
By Yvonne Cheong, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Four army commandos have been charged in court with causing the death of a NSman during training last year.

19-year-old Second Sergeant Hu Enhuai died during combat survival training on Pulau Tekong.

The four soldiers have also been charged with nearly drowning another trainee.

If found guilty on both charges, each faces a maximum of four years behind bars.

Hu was attending a combat survival course last August when his commando trainers dunked his head underwater repeatedly.

Hu died from asphyxia and near drowning.

After 10 months of investigation, two commando lieutenants, a warrant officer and the captain who was supervising the course, were charged with causing Hu's death.

27-year-old Lieutenant Ng Chin Fong and 28-year-old Lieutenant Divanandhari were accused of pushing Hu's head into a tub of water several times, holding his head underwater for up to 20 seconds each time, preventing him from surfacing to breathe and digging his nose so he could not hold his breath underwater.

34-year-old Captain Pandiaraj Mayandi was accused of abetting in Hu's death by instigating the trainers, while 45-year-old Warrant Officer Balakrishnan was charged with failing to stop them.

The four were also charged with endangering the life of 26-year-old Captain Ho Wan Huo, another trainee on the same course.

Ho was also dunked.

He suffered acute respiratory distress and nearly drowned.

The defence lawyers of three of the accused have asked for the bail amount of $15,000 to be reduced to $10,000.

They cited the fact that the men have been receiving only half their salaries since they were suspended from duty.

But their request was not granted.

Family members of Sergeant Hu were in court as the charges were read out.

In a statement, Hu's father said the family still grieve the loss of Enhuai and this remains a particularly difficult period for them.

He hopes the trial will uncover the truth about what and who caused his son's death, and justice will take its course.

"The AG Chambers is an independant authority to decide on prosecutions and they will pursue the case in a manner which they think is most fit. At the same time, the personnel charged have the ability to defend themselves with lawyers to the best of their ability. So, this is a fair and open system, a transparent system," said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean.

The four men have hired their own lawyers, and although they can apply to the Defence Ministry for legal aid, they have not done so.

Sergeant Hu's death and subsequent revelations that such unauthorised training has been going on for more than 5 years, have also led to the removal of the Chief Commando Officer Colonel Noel Cheah.

But the Defence Minister is confident that with new commanders in place, the elite troops are now focused on the future.

Rear Adm Teo said: "I'm confident this unit, which is a good unit, will pull itself through and excel in what it does."

The names of three other commando trainers are also listed in the charges read out but it's not known if they too will be charged soon.

The case will be back in court on 22 June. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 01:15 PM

that's disgusting.

huaiwei

June 8th, 2004, 01:19 PM

that's disgusting.
Disgusting? The fact that they were charged or what?

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 01:37 PM

the way the commandos treat the um... people or whatever you call them. that's disgusting

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 01:38 PM

if the commando were my father or something probably fantasize about murdering him

huaiwei

June 8th, 2004, 01:43 PM

Hmm....now you got fetishes for murdering commandos?? :eek:

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 02:44 PM

um no lar i'm just very disgusted with how people treat other people

huaiwei

June 8th, 2004, 02:47 PM

um no lar i'm just very disgusted with how people treat other people
Oh....I was kinda trying to imagine you going after commandos...hahah! :D

babystan03

June 8th, 2004, 02:57 PM

Oh....I was kinda trying to imagine you going after commandos...hahah! :D

:rofl:

I hope it's not the other way around.......:D

heirloom

June 8th, 2004, 03:17 PM

um *haha* dont laugh at me too much or i may have murderous thoughts about you people and start going after *you*

*evil smirk*

huaiwei

June 9th, 2004, 12:08 AM

700 servicemen bid farewell to RSAF pilot

Military honours for fallen pilot at funeral. Family told younger son could leave RSAF if they wished

By Ben Nadarajan

SEVEN hundred Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) servicemen turned up at the Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery yesterday to bid farewell to Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, whose F-16 crashed in the United States last month.

After the funeral rites, Chief of Air Force, Major-General Lim Kim Choon, said the family could choose if they wished their younger son, RSAF trainee Kwang Yi, to leave the RSAF.

He is now at the stage where he is being assessed on whether he is suited to fly fighter jets.

'Kwang Yi signed up, obviously, to follow in his brother's footsteps. But this incident would naturally cause him to reflect on what he really wants to do,' Maj-Gen Lim said.

After Republic of Singapore Navy Second Lieutenant Daryl Loh died three years ago in an accident, Mindef placed his brother in a non-combat post when he entered national service, at the request of Lt Loh's father.

Maj-Gen Lim said that he had asked Lt Loo's family to take their time to think it over and that the RSAF would be 'more than willing to accommodate whatever wishes they have'.

He said: 'Certainly, it is very traumatic for the family to lose one son. They need to think for themselves if they can come to grips with having another son in the air force.'

Investigators have begun interviewing officers at the air base in Arizona to find out what caused the accident, he added, and the RSAF will resume night flying there only when the pilots there are mentally ready.

Before the rites began, the 700 RSAF servicemen in uniform, wearing black armbands, stood outside with heads bowed.

Lt Loo's family entered the temple in Geylang East with his cousin, Ms Amy Phua, bearing his portrait at the head of the procession, while Kwang Yi carried his brother's ashes in an urn.

As they entered, the guard of honour raised weapons in a military salute.

Afterwards, the RSAF top brass and US Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Baree Seguin placed wreaths beside the urn. Lt-Col Seguin, who flew in from the US for the funeral, is the commander of the USAF's 425 Squadron, with which Lt Loo had trained.

Maj-Gen Lim then handed the state flag, a peaked cap, a military sword, and Lt Loo's good conduct and service medal to the dead pilot's sobbing parents.

Outside the temple, a squad of 14 fired off a three-gun volley as a mark of respect for their fallen comrade.

As the crowd dispersed under the hot sun, one RSAF man was heard saying: 'Just the kind of weather Brandon liked, so he has an excuse to put on his cool shades.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-02/home7.jpg
At Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery, Ms Amy Phua, a cousin of Lt Loo (above), bore his portrait through the guard of honour while Kwang Yi carried his brother's ashes in an urn. -- WONG KWAI CHOW

huaiwei

June 9th, 2004, 12:10 AM

S'pore Navy unveils new firepower to fight terror at sea

Featured in joint exercise with US Navy, anti-missile missiles and quick-firing guns boost ability to tackle fast-boat threats

By David Boey

THE Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) will unveil new capabilities for destroying fast-moving boats at a joint exercise with the United States Navy.

These will include Barak anti-missile missiles and a remote-control weapon system called Typhoon, which mounts a quick-firing 25mm Bush- master gun.

The RSN said yesterday these capabilities boost its firepower against threats from small boats in 'unconventional war situations'. Such situations may involve fast boats steered by terrorists on suicide missions.

The live firings will take place during an 11-day maritime warfare exercise between the RSN and US Navy called Carat, which stands for Cooperation Afloat Readiness And Training. The exercise was launched yesterday at Changi Naval Base.

Another highlight of the manoeuvres is the use of a US Navy command, control and communications system aboard an RSN warship.

US Navy Rear-Admiral Kevin Quinn, Commander Logistics Group Western Pacific, said yesterday this ensures naval commanders can communicate securely, and view a common picture of the battle scenario.

'In a real world contingency, this capability would make a difference between success and failure,' said Rear-Adm Quinn.

Colonel James Soon, RSN Fleet Commander, said the navy's Barak anti-missile missile will be used for the first time against a simulated ship target.

The RSN's six missile corvettes, a missile-armed warship class, were each armed with 16 Barak anti-missile missiles in 1996. The ships also carry eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

The 2.2m-long Barak anti-missile missiles have a range of 10km and can travel at more than twice the speed of sound. They were designed to destroy enemy missiles and aircraft but were recently adapted for use against ships as well.

Of the Typhoon weapon system, Col Soon said: 'We are quite sure this weapon will provide greater effectiveness to our ships against small boat threats at sea.'

Now in its 10th year, the annual Carat exercise has grown in scope, complexity and scale. This year's manoeuvres will involve some 1,500 personnel from the Singapore Armed Forces, US Navy and US Coast Guard.

The war games will involve 12 warships, a submarine, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft.

huaiwei

June 9th, 2004, 12:22 AM

New sponge for washing jets cuts down repaint costs

By David Boey

GIVING sleek fighter aircraft a wash with a new sponge will save the air force about $840,000 a year in repainting costs.

It was one of the winning ideas Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) servicemen came up with as the productivity and innovation drive continues to gain support through the ranks.

The idea of hunting down a better sponge than the one issued by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) came last June from the Air Logistics Squadron at Tengah Air Base, the RSAF's premier fighter base.

'This is a mindset change for people in the air force, because they traditionally accept only things that are made to military specifications,' said Lieutenant Ang Wee Tiong, 25.

The old 'milspec' sponges, made to military specifications, did not do a good job of keeping fighter planes free of grime and smudges to ensure that their camouflage stayed effective and keep key components from corrosion.

Lt Ang said his team scoured the Yellow Pages and supermarkets to find new sponges and he called more than 20 suppliers to ask for samples. A soft sponge of melamine foam, commonly used for household cleaning jobs, was the winner.

A total of 169 Mindef and SAF personnel, Work Improvement Teams and units won praise last Friday for achieving Pride milestones. Pride stands for Productivity and Innovation In Daily Effort.

Minister of State for Defence Cedric Foo said Mindef saved or avoided spending $251 million in the last financial year, 50 per cent more than the previous year's savings of $167 million. For every $1 servicemen earned for their suggestions, Mindef saved $188, he said.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-02/home12.jpg
A melamine foam sponge was the winner after a team led by Lt Ang (right) tried out many. With Lt Ang is staff sergeant Hoi Chan Weng.

huaiwei

June 9th, 2004, 12:43 AM

RSAF has done much to boost flight safety

By David Boey

THOUGH military aviation is inherently dangerous, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has done much to make air force flights safe.

A study of RSAF aircraft and helicopters lost in aerial accidents shows that the air force has achieved fewer crashes and fewer fatalities in recent years compared to the RSAF's formative years.

When air crashes do occur, these accidents tend to be far more survivable now than air crashes in the 1970s.

The RSAF's improved track record did not pop up overnight but was the result of a sustained effort to build up safety consciousness among all ranks.

Some other air forces have failed to shrug off their bad flight-safety record because their senior officers have not remedied safety hazards like poor pilot training, shoddy aircraft maintenance, improperly scripted standard operational procedures or inadequately maintained airbase infrastructure.

The RSAF's improved safety record is commendable in view of its higher operational tempo - which means more intense flying - and the larger fleet of fighters, support aircraft and helicopters in its order of battle.

From 1970 to 1979, the RSAF lost 16 pilots from 21 fighter-aircraft crashes. One Hawker Hunter was damaged in a mid-air collision but managed to return to its airbase safely. More than 70 per cent of the crashes in the 1970s were fatal ones.

The 10 years between 1990 to 1999 saw nine RSAF personnel (six helicopter pilots and three helicopter aircrewmen) die in three helicopter crashes. No fighter pilot died during this period.

From 1990 to 1999, the RSAF lost five choppers, three fighters and three jet trainers. One F-16A fighter, which was badly damaged in a mid-air collision with another F-16A in July 1991, managed to limp back to Paya Lebar Airbase and has been rebuilt.

All RSAF deaths that occurred from 1990 to 1999 involved Super Puma transport helicopters. These carry two pilots and at least one aircrewman in the passenger compartment.

Catastrophic helicopter crashes are less survivable than accidents involving aircraft equipped with ejection seats because chopper crews cannot bail out of their stricken machines.

The fact that there is a 16-year gap between the previous death of an RSAF fighter pilot and last month's fatal crash involving Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han, 25, underscores the part that safety devices like ejection seats have played in saving aircrew lives.

The last fatal crash involving an RSAF fighter pilot took place on May 24, 1988, in the Philippines. In that incident, a 23-year-old pilot ejected from a Hawker Hunter just outside Clark Airbase. He was picked up by a United States Air Force rescue chopper but died from his injuries.

Unlike ejection seats used today, which can safely extract a pilot even if his aircraft is stationary on the ground, a Hunter pilot needed to achieve a minimum height and airspeed for his parachute to open safely. The pilot involved in the Clark Airbase crash was barely at the safety threshold, so his injuries were severe.

Between that crash and the death of Lt Loo after his fighter crashed on May 19 during a night-training flight in the Arizona desert, 10 RSAF fixed-wing aircraft have crashed but their pilots all survived.

Several other aircraft were involved in minor incidents, like veering off runways, but no serious injuries to pilots were reported.

Such news may be cold comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of Lt Loo, whose ashes were placed in their final resting place yesterday afternoon at Foo Hai Ch'an Monastery.

While we mourn his loss, Singaporeans can take heart that the RSAF has built up a robust safety-management apparatus that will get to the bottom of the tragic crash and ensure that lessons learnt are disseminated in a proper and timely manner.

The formation of the RSAF Flight Test Centre means the air force can work with the defence industry and defence science community to test and install devices to make RSAF aircraft safer.

These run the gamut from ejection seats and parachutes, to devices that can launch decoys to protect aircraft against anti-aircraft missiles, thereby boosting the aircraft's operational safety.

Airbase infrastructure has improved significantly since the 1970s. The decision to build Changi East Airbase and the runway on Pulau Sudong means RSAF pilots have alternative landing strips should emergencies arise.

These airstrips are a vital safety feature as flight paths leading to Paya Lebar Airbase and Tengah Airbase take aircraft over densely populated areas.

One can appreciate the enormity of the task the RSAF faces in managing safety when one considers that the RSAF is one of the few air forces in the world where the sun never sets on its flight-training regime.

This is because the RSAF maintains detachments in places as far flung as Australia, Brunei, France and the United States. So its training management philosophy must operate not only round the clock, but also round the globe in different climates and flying conditions.

The RSAF cannot hope for a zero-accident rate. The only way for any air force to achieve a zero-accident rate is for it to keep its warplanes grounded.

That being an impractical measure, the RSAF must continue to work to manage the consequences of air accidents by doing all it can to make such mishaps survivable.

Warplanes can always be replaced, but pilots and aircrew are irreplaceable.

babystan03

June 11th, 2004, 02:39 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 11 June 2004 1459 hrs

DSO Laboratories develop 'cool' suit for SAF soldiers to prevent heat injuries
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : DSO National Laboratories are literally turning up the heat on medical research in the SAF to find ways of keeping soldiers cool and prevent heat injuries.

It is important to keep a cool head in the heat of battle because in Singapore's tropical environment, a heat stroke can be life threatening.

Elaine Tan, Military Physiology Programme, DSO National Lab, said: "Any temperature above 30 degrees is an environment which is not compensable...where your core temperature keeps rising regardless of the type of exercise you're doing. Beyond a 39.5 degree core temperature, the person is at higher risk of heat injury."

The initial signs of a heat stroke are subtle: blurred vision, tiredness and nausea but if left unchecked a soldier can lose consciousness and even die.

An air-conditioned suit is no longer so far fetched; in fact it is already here.

The challenge for researchers at DSO was to find a way to keep soldiers cool in extreme conditions especially those wearing heavy biohazard or bomb protection gear.

Their solution is a body suit which weighs about 2.5 kilogrammes that circulates cool air and water.

Ms Tan said: "Encapsulating suits create micro-climate conditions and the suits are used in chemical bio-defence. The humidity and temperature build up within a suit, which exposes the body to higher heat strain, so in such a situation, such suits are effective because it removes heat within the suit. It allows sustained exercise within such environments for longer time."

But is not drinking more water a much easier and cheaper solution?

Ms Tan said: "There is a medically recognised condition called hyponatraemia, by drinking too much water it is actually dangerous. We try to determine how much water is safe, in order to keep core temperature low to sustain exercise and avoid hyponatraemia or over drinking."

The cooling suit has attracted commercial interest and DSO has engaged a private company to mass produce it.

Who knows, one day it may just be standard issue for all soldiers. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

huaiwei

June 11th, 2004, 04:59 PM

Too many people complain heat stroke to chao keng is it? :D

babystan03

June 11th, 2004, 05:02 PM

Too many people complain heat stroke to chao keng is it? :D

Aiya....if not DSO got nothing to do mah........:D

chrisboiboi

June 11th, 2004, 09:30 PM

true...every department is interconnected. If recruit dun chao keng...other department got nothing to do..such as Counselling centre to counsel them....various departments to prevent them from chao keng..etc...if no one chao keng...wah.. a lot of pple will lost their job ar......

babystan03

June 12th, 2004, 02:36 AM

babystan03

June 12th, 2004, 12:23 PM

This story was printed from TODAYonline

New DSO National Labs to boost S'pore defence

Weekend • June 12, 2004

IN A move that provides a critical boost to Singapore's defence and national security ecosystem, the DSO National Laboratories (Kent Ridge) Building opened yesterday.

It houses more than 200 scientists, doctors and researchers working in human sciences, biomedical sciences and bio-chemical defence.

It contains the Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute@DSO (DMERI@DSO) and the SAF's Military Medicine Institute (MMI).

At the opening, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said the complex highlighted the "close partnership and collaboration of defence scientists, military doctors and university researchers to enhance the defence and security of our nation."

The DMERI@DSO has developed capabilities against bio-chemical threats; protecting SAF servicemen against injury and wounds; and enhancing combat effectiveness of soldiers under extreme battlefield conditions.

Meanwhile, the MMI serves as a portal to introduce new technologies and capabilities into the military healthcare system. — Lee Ching Wern

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 14th, 2004, 01:35 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 14 June 2004 1828 hrs

SAF counting on genetic research to correct myopia among servicemen
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Singapore defence scientists are doing genetic research to improve the eyesight of soldiers.

It is estimated that more than 80 percent of enlisted men in Singapore suffer from varying degrees of myopia or short-sightedness.

Taking aim at the enemy, even with the best weapons available, is pointless if a soldier has poor eyesight.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpo8TeaF.jpg

He might as well be shooting with a blindfold on.

And this is something that the Singapore Armed Forces is getting ready to deal with.

Associate Professor Eric Yap, Head of Population Genetics Programme at the DSO National Laboratories, said: "We are likely to see increased numbers as these high myopics who are young, now aged and the incidents of these complications is likely to increase. It is not just a problem the military faces, but it is a national health problem."

The problem is so serious that the SAF is even conducting trials to correct myopia, including eye surgery.

Among the prime candidates are pilots, divers, commandos, guardsmen and armoured personnel.

The SAF is even trying a new treatment called NeuroVision where the mind is re-programmed to see through myopic eyes.

Mr Frederick Tey, Centre for Human Performance at the DSO National Laboratories, said: "We are going to set up three study recruitment sites, namely CMPB, Gombak and Paya Leba Airbase where this will be the NV sites where the subjects can sign up and do the treatment."

These corrective measures are unfortunately nothing more than stop-gap measures.

The real challenge for scientists is finding the gene that causes myopia.

Hundreds of families in Singapore with myopia have taken part in the DSO's latest research, even giving samples of their DNAs.

So far, scientists have narrowed down the problem to a specific region in one of the chromosomes.

They have yet to figure out which gene in that DNA strand actually causes myopia.

Professor Yap added: "Myopia has been a problem studied for centuries and the techniques for preventing it and treating it is extremely old. We are now at the threshold where within a decade, we can develop specific measures to treat myopia and prevent it."

Scientists are now entering the next phase of their research, studying the profiles of those suffering from severe myopia and extending their research to include a wide spread of ethnic groups. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

RafflesCity

June 15th, 2004, 03:58 AM

True to a certain extent but I do hope this is not an excuse to chao keng..... :bash:

maybe they can also sell the design overseas to make $$$ :cheers:

babystan03

June 15th, 2004, 05:50 AM

JUNE 15, 2004
Bond helps ensure overseas males do NS

WE REFER to the letter, 'Son's onerous road to Singapore citizenship' (ST, May 22), by Mr Tan Hock Ann.

The Ministry of Defence's (Mindef) bonding policy remains relevant and necessary to ensure that male Singapore citizens who have yet to serve national service (NS) return to Singapore to do so. This is to help ensure that males overseas return to fulfil their NS obligation.

We do recognise that the bonding policy may cause some inconvenience to parents who intend to work and reside overseas with their children.

Mindef has taken steps to alleviate this. In line with the Government's efforts to facilitate regionalisation, Mindef allows young Singaporean males who accompany their parents on overseas employment to be bonded by deed.

A deed is a personal undertaking between the parents and the Government. This is a more convenient arrangement and does not require the family to furnish money upfront.

When the male child reaches 11 years of age and wishes to apply for a Singapore passport to remain overseas to study or accompany his parents on assignment or employment, the parents are required to furnish the necessary documents to determine the applicable bond quantum, which stands at $75,000 or 50 per cent of the combined gross annual income of both parents for the preceding year, whichever is higher.

We wish to assure Mr Tan that it will not be used for any other purpose.

The documents required for citizenship applications, including the letters of employment and income tax notice of assessment, are necessary to enable the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to assess the application.

Each citizenship application is carefully considered on its own merits. The application procedures are available on ICA's website at www.ica.gov.sg

Should Mr Tan need further information on the procedures and requirements, our officers on 6391-6100 would be pleased to assist him.

COLONEL BERNARD TOH
Director, Public Affairs
Ministry of Defence
SNG GEK LIAN (MS)
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications Division
Immigration and Checkpoints Authority

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 15th, 2004, 06:07 AM

This story was printed from TODAYonline

Reservist training: Not feasible to grant year-long deferment
Tuesday • June 15, 2004

I refer to Mr Stephen Tan Lay Wee's letter, "Reservist training must be more family-friendly" (Today, June 5).

The SAF is a citizen armed forces and NSmen form the backbone of our defence force. Therefore, it is very important that NSmen attend scheduled National Service (NS) training to ensure they are well trained, proficient and operationally ready.

Mindef recognises that NSmen have to balance family responsibilities, career demands and NS obligations.

As such, we have made provisions for Unit Commanders to grant deferment when a serviceman's circumstances necessitates this and where this will not affect the training and operational requirements of the unit.

Our current guidelines allow for a deferment if an NSman's wife is expected to give birth during or within two weeks before and after the scheduled In-Camp Training (ICT) period for local NS training. This period is extended to three weeks before and after, if the training is to be conducted overseas.

It is not feasible for Mindef to grant NSmen with newborn children a deferment of up to one year, as this would affect unit training and operational readiness.

However, if the family situation warrants it, an NSman can make an application to his Unit Commander — who is given the discretion to grant deferment after considering the impact on the unit's operational readiness.

Mindef recognises and appreciates the sacrifice and contributions of our National Servicemen to the defence of Singapore.

We review deferment guidelines periodically. We will take the suggestion into consideration when we conduct the next review on deferment.

Col Bernard Toh

Director Public Affairs

Ministry of Defence

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 15th, 2004, 09:59 AM

JUNE 15, 2004
NS cut by 6 months for those on 30-month stint

DEFENCE Minister Teo Chee Hean announced on Tuesday that full-time national service (NS) for those Singapore males now required to serve 30 months will be cut by six months from the December 2004 intake.

Full-time NS for those who must now serve 24 months will remain unchanged.

He told Parliament that, following a thorough review, Mindef has concluded that the duration of NS can be cut back without compromising training standards, the operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and its ability to fulfil its mission.

The change means that all NSmen - with or without A-level, diploma or higher qualifications - will now serve 24 months, or two years.

RAdm (NS) Teo explained that two key factors have made this cut-back possible: One is the rise of the Third Generation SAF - which means that fewer men are needed to form a potent fighting force backed by technologically advanced surveillance and battle-field systems, as well as wargaming systems and training simulators.

The other key factor is the anticipated rise in the number of males eligible for NS in the coming decade following the mini baby boom between the Chinese 'Dragon' year of 1988 and 1997.

The system since 1971

RAdm (NS) Teo noted that since 1971, NSmen who are made corporal or higher - that is, those who have attained A-level, diploma or higher qualifications - have had to serve 2 1/2 years of NS.

Other ranks, the non-commanders, have been serving for two years.

Mindef has always wanted to ensure 'that on the one hand, the SAF is always ready to carry out its missions, while on the other hand, National Servicemen spend no more time than is necessary to carry out their NS duties', the minister said.

Training for all within two years

The change to make NS span two years across the board will give enough time to train up both commanders and non-commanders, he explained.

For officers and section commanders, 24 months of full-time NS will allow for up to 12 months of training, following by another 12 months of deployment for operational duties.

For the non-commanders, the 24 months will give sufficient time to train a battalion for operations and to meet standing-force requirements.

Implementing the change

The cutback in length of NS will be done in a graduated fashion for different batches of NSmen (see box above): Those who have just enlisted or will enlist between June and November for 2 1/2 years will get a four-month cut.

Those who are now serving their 2 1/2 years of service will get up to a two-month cut in service duration.

The earliest date that the ORD for those in-service NSmen can be brought forward to will be June 30, 2004, to allow time for administrative out-processing arrangements.

Full-time NSmen returning from disruption to serve out the balance of their 2 1/2-years will also be given a corresponding cut in their NS duration.

There will be no change for those serving two years of full-time NS.

Revised Full-Time National Service (NSF) Duration

Date of Enlistment---Reduction in NSF Duration for CPLs and above

1.Dec 2004 onwards---6 months

2.June to Nov 2004---4 months

3.Jan 2002 to May 2004---Up to 2 months (ORD no earlier than 30 Jun 2004)

4.Prior to Jan 2002---No reduction

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 09:42 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
Minister assures House: SAF is not going soft

TEN Members of Parliament had questions for Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean about the change to national service and its impact.

Among them, Dr Ong Chit Chung, chief of the Government Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Foreign Affairs, wanted to know if the shorter NS period would affect the operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces and 'give the wrong signal to others that we are going soft on defence'.

No way, the minister made clear.

He said: 'Our commitment to defence remains strong. The transformation to a third-generation SAF will make the SAF more capable of defending Singapore, while, at the same time, making the SAF leaner.'

Dr Tan Cheng Bock (Ayer Rajah) asked if public pressure figured in the decision.

The minister's reply: 'I am happy to inform Dr Tan that public support for National Service remains high. So this is not a response to any public pressure.'

Nominated MP Chandra Mohan asked if Singapore would want to move to having a regular armed forces comprising 'actual soldiers doing full-time service for life'.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said that was an important point, but said that given its population of just three to four million people, Singapore would never be able to have a force which is 'sufficient to provide for our own security and defence in the situation that we are in'.

'We will need to continue to depend on National Service for our defence needs for a long, long time to come, unless there is a fundamental change in our strategic circumstances, which I do not see happening,' he said.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 09:46 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
Why NS stint can be shorter...

The rapid advance of technology and new war-fighting concepts have made it possible for the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces to evolve. And this transformation has allowed the SAF to shorten the duration of full-time national service by six months, announced Defence Minister TEO CHEE HEAN in Parliament yesterday. This is the ministerial statement he delivered.

SINGAPORE introduced national service 37 years ago in 1967, just two years after independence. With a small population, we needed national service to build up a credible SAF in order to deter potential aggressors and protect the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our small and vulnerable nation. This remains as vital today as it was in the early days of our nationhood.

The peace and prosperity that Singapore has enjoyed over the past four decades have been built on the dedication of the generations of national servicemen who have served since then.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h2a.jpg
A strong NS system is the bedrock of the nation's defence. Above, the 1967 batch.

About 680,000 Singaporeans have served national service in the Singapore Armed Forces, Police Force and Civil Defence Force. Sons now follow their fathers through this rite of passage in which our boys become men as they learn to defend our nation.

Singaporeans understand and accept the need for national service. Our young men want to do their best when they serve. They put in the extra effort in order to take on the challenge and responsibility of becoming commanders.

Review of full-time national service duration

THE duration of full-time national service depends on two factors: how long it takes to train soldiers and commanders to be operationally proficient in their duties, and how large a standing force we need, that is, how many full-time units we need for defence and contingency purposes during peacetime.

Since 1971, we have required national servicemen who are promoted to the rank of corporal and higher to serve 2 1/2 years of full-time national service while all other national servicemen serve for two years.

All national servicemen who have attained A-level and diploma qualifications or higher are promoted to at least the rank of corporal and therefore serve 2 1/2 years of full-time national service.

Over the years, Mindef has periodically reviewed the training methods and operational deployment requirements. We want to ensure that on the one hand, the SAF is always ready to carry out its missions, while on the other hand, national servicemen spend no more time than is necessary to carry out their NS duties. In other words, we aim to keep the period of full-time national service not longer than what is necessary for our defence needs.

Sir, Mindef recently carried out a thorough review of the full-time national service duration. Mindef has concluded that it can reduce the full-time national service duration for those who currently have to serve 2 1/2 years by six months, to two years, while maintaining the operational readiness of the SAF and its ability to fulfil its mission. This means that all national servicemen will therefore serve 24 months or two years of full-time national service.

Two key factors come together to make such a change feasible now: first, the key driver for this change is the transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF, and second, the key enabler for this change is a surge in the national service intake over the next 10 years.

Transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF

SIR, we have steadily built up the SAF into a potent fighting force, operating modern, sophisticated and technologically advanced systems. And, as I informed Members in the Committee of Supply this year, Mindef will be moving beyond this to transform the SAF over the next decade into the 3rd Generation SAF.

The 3G SAF will be a military force that makes greater use of superior technology in areas such as comprehensive surveillance, battlefield awareness, precision strike and network-centric warfare. The 3rd Generation SAF will rely less on numbers of soldiers, and more on the higher education levels and capabilities of our national service soldiers.

While this transformation will take a decade to unfold, it is already under way and bearing fruit. One example of this is the Apache Longbow helicopter.

The Apache's radar, guided missiles and data links between helicopters are an example of battlefield awareness, precision strike and network-centric warfare. The Apache transforms the battle into an asymmetric helicopter versus tank battle, allowing tanks to be destroyed at long range.

Another example is the army's new Primus self-propelled howitzer, which requires only one-third the crew but is far more mobile and delivers greater firepower.

Our investments in research and development and new systems will pave the way for such transformations not just at the unit and tactical levels but also at the operational and strategic levels.

The transformation of the SAF is the key driver that allows us to transit to a shorter NS duration. With the transformation of the SAF, more national servicemen will be deployed in positions which are more challenging and make better use of their education and training, while serving a shorter period of full-time National Service.

Surge in NS intake

THE second key factor is the coming surge in the national service intake. This is the enabler that allows us to make the transition to a shorter NS duration now.

There will be a 15-20 per cent increase in the annual intake of full-time national servicemen over 10 years starting from 2006. This surge is a result of the higher number of births per year starting in the 'Dragon' year of 1988 and lasting till 1997.

This surge in NS intake over the next 10 years will allow us to maintain our operational readiness and standing force requirements even as we move to a 24-month national service system and carry out the transformation towards the leaner 3rd Generation SAF.

Maintaining SAF operational readiness

FOR officers and section commanders, a 24-month full-time national service period is needed. This will allow for up to 12 months of training, and at least another 12 months of deployment for operational duties. For non-commanders, a 24-month period is sufficient to train a battalion for operations and to meet our standing force requirement.

Improvement in training effectiveness

The SAF's training and operational standards will be maintained even with the six-month reduction.

Over the years, the SAF has significantly improved its training effectiveness through the introduction of new systems and technologies. For example, today, a recruit at the new Basic Military Training Centre in Pulau Tekong learns how to shoot on the Individual Marksmanship Trainer which is within marching distance in his camp. His shooting technique can be analysed, corrected and improved on this marksmanship trainer before he goes to the live-firing range.

In the old days, a recruit could spend the whole day out at the range, mostly waiting for his turn to shoot just 10 rounds; and at the end, he would not really know why he shot well or why he shot badly, nor how to improve.

Simulators and trainers have also proven effective for drivers, tank crews and signallers. And we have provided more efficient and focused training for commanders with the introduction of war-gaming systems. The use of such simulators, war games and computer-aided instruction has enhanced training effectiveness while saving time.

The SAF's operational readiness and its ability to achieve its mission will also be maintained. The investments we are making in transforming to the 3G SAF and the new capabilities we are developing will enable us to maintain a strong SAF and reduce our dependence on large numbers of full-time national servicemen.

This reduced NS duration of 24 months will be sustainable over the long term.

I would also like to thank Members of this House for their continuing strong support for national defence. Despite the economic challenges Singapore has faced in the last few years, this House has remained fully committed to national defence. This year, the budget caps of all ministries were reduced by 2 per cent, except for Mindef. And Members of this House have, during the Budget Debate, robustly reaffirmed the need for a strong SAF.

Implementation

SIR, let me now address the implementation details. Mindef will implement the revised 24-month full-time NS duration with effect from the batch of national servicemen who will be enlisted in December 2004, that is, at the end of this year.

To minimise transitional anomalies where servicemen who enlist later complete their full-time NS before those who enlist earlier, there will be a graduated reduction in duration for batches enlisted earlier than the December 2004 batch.

Those who are enlisted between June and November this year for 2 1/2 years of full-time national service will get a four-month cut in full-time NS duration.

Full-time national servicemen who are currently serving their 2 1/2 years of service will get up to a two-month cut in service duration.

I say up to a two-month cut because the earliest date that the operationally ready date (ORD) for these in-service national servicemen can be brought forward to will be June 30, 2004, to allow time for the units to do their administrative out-processing arrangements.

Full-time national servicemen returning from disruption to serve out the balance of their 2 1/2 years of full-time national service will also be given a corresponding cut in their NS duration based on the cohort in which they were enlisted.

There will be no change for those serving two years of full-time national service.

The current eight-week reduction in national service duration given to national servicemen who have attained a pre- enlistment fitness level of at least a National Physical Fitness Award (Napfa) Silver will remain. This eight-week reduction for fit enlistees will be granted in two parts - four weeks at the beginning of their service during the Basic Military Training phase, and four weeks at the end of their full- time national service period.

The Ministry of Home Affairs will be implementing the corresponding changes for national servicemen currently serving in or who will be enlisted into the Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force.

Mindef will be working with our local universities to better align the university intake schedules from 2007 when the first batch of national servicemen serving the new NS duration completes their full-time national service.

Conclusion

SIR, the rapid advance of technology and new war-fighting concepts have made it possible for us to carry out a transformation to the 3rd Generation SAF and reduce the duration of full-time national service. The surge in national service intake over the next 10 years enables us to maintain the SAF's operational readiness while making this transition.

A strong national service system, with dedicated and committed national servicemen, both full-time and in the operationally ready service, remains the bedrock of our defence to guarantee the independence, sovereignty and terri- torial integrity of Singapore.

Sir, let me conclude by thanking all our national servicemen who have served over the years in the defence of our nation.

I would also like to thank the parents, wives, girlfriends, and other family members for the support that they have given to our national servicemen.

Those who have served are the role models for our future national servicemen. Their dedication and commitment made it possible for Singapore to enjoy the peace and security, which is the foundation for our prosperity and progress, and made us the nation that we are.

THROUGH THE YEARS...

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h2b.jpg

1967

The first batch of national servicemen. Officers served 36 months and the rest had to complete 30 months of training.

1971

Full-time national service period reduced to 30 months for those having the rank of coporal and aboveabove and 24 months for those below.

1991

Under the Graduated Basic Military Training (BMT) scheme, enlisteees who obtain a silver or gold fitness standard need go through only a three-month BMT, rather than four months.

1993

The Physical Training Programme gives enlistees who attain at least the silver standard a discount of two months. Their national service duration is cut to 28 months.

2004

Full-time national service shortened to 24 months for those having the rank of corporal and above.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 09:49 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
NS then
Low-tech and a whole lot of waiting
By Arti Mulchand

THE army that Mr Jeffrey Liew remembers from his days as a guardsman some 20 years ago seems light years removed from today's army.

Mr Liew, 46, a building contractor, did his national service from 1982 to 1984.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h1a.jpg
That's how building contractor Jeffrey Liew, 46, remembers his army stint about 20 years ago. -- PHOTOS: ONG CHIN KAI and STEPHANIE YEOW

He recalled: 'We had to go all the way to the shooting range, then wait around the whole day just to be able to shoot a few times. A lot of time was wasted.

'But now everything is so much more high-tech.'

It is indeed, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday, when he announced that those ranked corporal or higher would, from December, serve 24 months instead of 30 in full-time national service.

Those already serving two years are not affected.

These days, a recruit learns to shoot on computerised simulator Individual Marksmanship Trainer first, and his technique is analysed, corrected and improved, even before he hits the live-firing range, Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo explained in Parliament.

The improvement in technology saves time, and is just one reason for the shortening of training time.

That's great news for Mr Liew's only son, Cody, 18, who is due to begin national service after his A-level examinations this year.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h1c.jpg
Looking forward to a short stint and faster enrolment in university is Cody Liew, 18. -- PHOTOS: ONG CHIN KAI and STEPHANIE YEOW

Mr Liew says he really enjoyed his army stint, but 2 1/2 years was 'way too long'.

'In the first year of training, courses and learning was tough but, in the second year, we just spent a lot of time hanging around in camp and doing normal exercises... So I'm glad my son will not be wasting time,' he said.

Cody is elated. He's thinking of taking business studies or hotel management in Hawaii or Australia. If he had to serve 30 months, he would miss their April enrolment.

He said with a laugh: 'If I can make it into the first intake instead of having to wait till the later part of the year, that means graduating earlier and starting to earn money, so I can begin to enjoy life.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 09:50 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
From The Gallery
Cut in duration: Debunking the 'black hole' theory
By Chua Mui Hoong

IN THE public gallery, the young man in school uniform grinned and nudged his friend beside him. In the House, MPs broke into applause.

The big news of the day was the cut in full-time national service duration to 24 months for all recruits. Now, A-level or diploma holders have to serve 30 months.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean dispensed the news in his characteristically calm, understated fashion.

MP Ong Chit Chung (Jurong GRC) hailed the announcement as 'good news' for all. MP Leong Horn Kee (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) added, in jest, that the change came too late for his son, who had served his NS.

It is difficult not to react at the personal level when news of this nature comes along. Young men due to enter national service will certainly cheer.

But it's important not to forget the bigger picture.

A cut in NS duration is good news because of what it says about Singapore's military.

First, it speaks well of the confidence that military planners have in Singapore's defence capability, that it can countenance a cut in duration without compromising military capability, at a time of growing security threats.

As Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo pointed out repeatedly yesterday, the Ministry of Defence is in the happy position of being able to do so due to the confluence of two factors.

The first is the transformation of the Singapore Armed Forces into a technology-intensive military force less reliant on numbers. The other factor: A surge in NS intake for the next 10 years, due to a mini-baby boom after the Dragon Year of 1988, which persisted into the mid-1990s.

Second, the cut is good news because it provides a check on the armed forces and compels it to be more efficient.

NS duration is an ongoing military preoccupation, since planners have to figure out how long soldiers need to be trained, and how large a military force is needed for peacetime contingencies.

It would be easy for the military to make a self-interested case for more money, more numbers and hence a long NS period. But this was not the case - at least, not publicly.

According to Rear-Adm Teo, the decision came about after a review that began 1 1/2 years ago.

When asked at a press conference after his Parliament speech, he did not go into details on the type of debate that took place. But it's tempting to think that vested institutional interests would have argued vociferously that a longer NS period is necessary.

After all, it was only last October that Mindef argued against any cut in national service. Responding to a suggestion from a member of the public to the Cut Waste Panel (on which I sit as a panel member), it said: 'Reducing the length of NS would impact on the ability of our units to fulfil their missions. We cannot compromise the operational readiness and effectiveness of the SAF.' (see www.cutwaste.gov.sg)

There's a need to, as Rear-Adm Teo put it, balance between having as many soldiers as the military wants, and having as many as it needs.

Clearly, the latter won the argument in the ministry. In fact, as the minister noted, military officers themselves supported the cut.

The reduction in military man hours is part of a global phenomenon: Technology has reduced the need for brawn (and numbers) and raised the need for brains to operate and adapt machines.

That is as true in manufacturing as in the military. It must surely translate into a new way to configure the armed forces. The United States, for example, aims to reduce its troop strength in Asia, removing one-third of its 37,000 troops in South Korea by the end of next year - while spending another US$11 billion (S$19 billion) over the next three years on technology and other systems to keep the Korean peninsula safer.

Rear-Adm Teo gave some examples of just how much technology has reduced the need for man hours: In the past, a recruit spent hours waiting for his turn to practise shooting at the range. Today, he would use a high-tech Individual Marksmanship Trainer which analyses and corrects his technique before he goes to the live-firing range. Result: A shorter time spent to get his shooting up to par.

That's a fairly straightforward example. Multiply that by 20,000 recruits a year, across hundreds of activities, and you get a sense of the saving in man hours.

Reducing the NS duration is thus good news for another reason: It creates an inbuilt pressure on the armed forces to be more efficient.

The cut in NS duration is a step in the right direction, compelling the SAF to make every training hour count for more.

And while Rear-Adm Teo stressed the decision is not about cost savings, there's no denying that more efficient use of training time spells less wastage.

This could go some way towards mollifying critics who maintain that Mindef and the SAF is a wasteful 'black hole' that sucks up billions in the annual Budget. At least, they can say, SAF is not wasting recruits' time.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 09:54 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
SAF now leaner, more capable
Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean announced a cut in duration of full-time national service yesterday. Ten MPs rose to probe him on the impact of the change. LYDIA LIM reports

Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong GRC): Asked if the change will send the wrong signal that 'we are going soft on defence'. He was also concerned about the impact on the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) operational readiness given increased demands due to the threat of terrorism.

Rear-Adm Teo: Reassured Dr Ong that Singapore's commitment to defence remains strong.

The transformation to a third-generation, technology-intensive SAF will make the armed forces more capable of defending Singapore and, at the same time, leaner.

He expressed confidence that Singapore's well-educated and motivated national servicemen (NSmen) will be able to master the new technologies and systems and 'deliver for Singapore a defence which is even more capable than the one we have today, notwithstanding the reduction in NS years'.

Dr Tan Cheng Bock (Ayer Rajah): Will the NS training period return to 2 1/2 years after the 10-year surge in annual NS intake ends?
He also probed the minister on whether the move is due to public pressure, saying this is not a good reason to change.

No, Mindef is not caving in to public pressure. A recent survey found that public support for national service is high, with more than 90 per cent of those polled saying NS is 'worthwhile' and 'necessary'.

'So this is not a response to any public pressure,' Rear-Adm Teo said.

Many of the young men who enter national service are also well-motivated and try their best to become commandos and officers. The change will provide them with more challenging duties.

Mindef has done a careful study and is sure the shortened training period can be 'sustained over the long term, even after this 10-year surge'.

Rear-Adm Teo referred to a chart distributed in the House which showed that the average number of full-time NSmen each year from 1990 to 2005 was 19,100. In the next 10 years, 2006 to 2015, it is expected to go up to 24,300.

In the 15 years after that, 2016 to 2030, Mindef expects it to fall to 20,600 a year, which is still higher than today's figure. This is based on current estimates of Singapore's total fertility rate and projected intake of permanent residents.

Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC): Asked if the character development aspect of NS will be compromised by the change.

Character development will remain an important part of NS training and parents know their 'sons go into national service as boys and come out as men ready to defend the nation'. However, Mindef's primary consideration must be to ensure that 'the length of NS is always sufficient to meet our defence needs and at the same time, not longer than is necessary'.

Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC): Will training have to be more intensive? And will Mindef send NSmen on more peace-keeping missions to ensure their readiness to face conflicts? She also asked how the cost savings from the reduction in training period will be used.

Thanks to good training systems, the SAF is now able to provide more effective training in a shorter time.

Example: An armour simulator can train tank men without the need for them to take their tanks out and drive for two hours to designated training areas.

As for peace-keeping missions, the SAF's principle is to ask NSmen to volunteer for such missions. That a good many NSmen have done so 'speaks well of the SAF and of our NSmen'.

The change in training duration is not aimed at cutting costs. Whatever savings result will be absorbed by the expected increase in NS intake from 2006 onwards.

Rear-Adm Teo also said that, given a choice, he prefers to invest money to transform the SAF into a modern fighting force rather than increase the number of soldiers.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Congratulated Rear-Adm Teo for making 'a very bold decision in the history of national service'.

However, he asked why the reduction is limited to those who have to serve full-time national service for 2 1/2 years, that is, anyone promoted to the rank of corporal or higher.

Why not also cut the training period for non-commanders, who currently have to serve full-time NS for two years?

Rear-Adm Teo thanked Dr Wang for his compliments and said the credit should also go to his officers.

The SAF is not able to reduce the training period to less than two years because of the need to maintain a sufficiently large number of units to meet peacetime contingencies.

A period of 12 months is needed for NSmen to complete their individual and collective training. They then need to serve another year to achieve a sufficient level of proficiency as a unit.

Reducing the training period to less than two years will lead to 'gaps in those units' and affect their operational readiness.

Mr Leong Horn Kee (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC): Welcomed the change and asked if the early disruption scheme to allow full-time national servicemen to go for their tertiary education will continue.

On NS disruption, the SAF will continue to follow the principle of allowing those in the same cohort to go to university in the same year. But it will be less liberal with disruption because of the shortened training period, he said.

Mr Heng Chee How (Jalan Besar GRC): Will those serving their full-time NS in the Police Force or Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also have their training period shortened? <.i>

Yes, the Home Affairs Ministry will make similar changes for the police and SCDF.

Nominated MP Chandra Mohan: Asked if the SAF can ever rely fully on regulars instead of NSmen.

With a population base of just three to four million people, Singapore will never be able to have a regular force large enough to provide for its security and defence, hence the importance of full-time NS for all.

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 10:48 AM

JUNE 16, 2004
NS now
High-tech and better use of time

AS ALVIS Goh gunned for gold during a recent fitness test, he stayed focused by reminding himself that if he won a national physical fitness gold award, it would shorten his national service stint by eight weeks.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h1b.jpg
Alvis Goh will now spend 22 months instead of 28 in the army after he got his gold in his fitness test. -- PHOTOS: ONG CHIN KAI and STEPHANIE YEOW

He got his gold.

But he will not even be spending 28 months in the army.

Alvis, 18, could complete his full-time NS in just 22 months because the Defence Ministry plans to slice six months off full-time NS, for those ranked at least corporal.

His A-level cohort will be the first to fully benefit, along with those who earn their polytechnic diplomas this year.

The reduction in time served will be graduated for those enlisted between January 2002 and December 2004, who would have done 2 1/2 years.

Alvis, a Victoria Junior College student preparing to take his A levels this year, said: 'It's good. I could use the extra six months to better prepare for university, or even get a temporary job before starting university and earn some money.'

If he starts in December, he could be done as early as October 2006.

But he hopes the shortened NS stint will still toughen him up, and that the quality of the training he gets will not be diluted.

Even happier about the coming change is his father, Mr Goh Tack Lick, 51, who served in a combat infantry unit from 1972 to 1974.

Mr Goh, who now runs an ice-manufacturing company, said: 'With all the new equipment they have, just two years should be enough.

'Serving in the army is good for discipline, but it's better if they could get it done in a shorter time.'

Mr Goh knows that much has changed since he was in the army.

'Back then, the mortar equipment weighed over 100kg and three men were needed to carry it: one was the gunner, one did support, and one carried the ammunition, and the old Jeeps were heavy and not as good,' he said.

'It's not like the light strike vehicle they have now, which can go on rough terrain,' he said of the newer armed vehicle that his elder son, 23-year-old Andy Goh, operated as a guardsman.

Andy, who completed his 2 1/2 years in June 2000 and went straight into university the following month, said the change would be 'really good'.

In his time, he said, a lot of people 'spent a lot of time waiting for things to happen'.

'Now that they are packing it into two years, maybe the time can be used more efficiently.

'And if my brother gets out earlier, he can put the time to better use, and perhaps gain some working experience or take some courses.

'That would be good for him.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

heirloom

June 16th, 2004, 12:07 PM

haha funny the first thing i'd do with six months is live as comfortably as possible - maybe tutor alittle for some extra money

eyetoeye

June 16th, 2004, 02:20 PM

JUNE 16, 2004
NS now
High-tech and better use of time

AS ALVIS Goh gunned for gold during a recent fitness test, he stayed focused by reminding himself that if he won a national physical fitness gold award, it would shorten his national service stint by eight weeks.

There's zero chance of me even getting a silver for any fitness test so i can forget about it..... :lol:

huaiwei

June 16th, 2004, 04:03 PM

What is this world coming to....why am I born so early???

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 04:07 PM

What is this world coming to....why am I born so early???

You have one consolation though.....you've finished it while others still have two years.....:D

huaiwei

June 16th, 2004, 06:29 PM

You have one consolation though.....you've finished it while others still have two years.....:D
No..they still managed to narrow the gap between us and them by 6 months! :cry: :D

babystan03

June 16th, 2004, 06:42 PM

No..they still managed to narrow the gap between us and them by 6 months! :cry: :D

Maybe they should reduce reservist for us as a compensation........ :bash:

babystan03

June 17th, 2004, 07:20 AM

JUNE 17, 2004
Shorter NS will not affect police, civil defence
Like SAF, both forces have tapped into technology and can rely less on numbers of men

By Goh Chin Lian

SHORTENING the national service stint will not hurt the effectiveness of the police or civil defence forces.

Like the Singapore Armed Forces, Home Team agencies have also harnessed technology to rely less on manpower, the Home Affairs Ministry said yesterday.

Police cars now have lap-top terminals linked to computers at the headquarters.

This means that the police can respond more quickly and have less paper work to do when they report cases.

In civil defence, firefighters use a gun that emits a mist of water droplets.

This not only uses less water to put out a fire, but also needs fewer men than aiming strong jets of water at a blaze.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean announced on Tuesday that NS would last only two years for both the military and the Home Team.

Better education, higher technology and a projected surge in the number of 18-year-olds eligible for NS because of higher birth rates between 1988 and 1997 made this possible.

But the SAF and Home Team agencies aren't exactly parallel.

One view is that the SAF relies more heavily on servicemen than Home Team agencies.

The Home Team's national servicemen are usually deployed to help regulars, said Associate Professor Chin Tet Yung, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee (Home Affairs and Law).

So the reduction won't affect operations significantly, apart from having fewer men to help out in patrols or in operations.

The Home Team may need more manpower to deal with terrorist threats, he said, but he believes it will deploy its manpower effectively.

Home Affairs Minister Wong Kang Seng had said it wasn't possible for the police 'to do everything and be everywhere' at a time when the security situation is more complex.

He also said that owners of critical installations must engage auxiliary police forces.

New legislation passed on Tuesday allows the police to authorise the creation of auxiliary police forces that may operate commercially anywhere, so there can be more armed support for the police.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 17th, 2004, 07:26 AM

JUNE 17, 2004
Lose the shiny boots, but keep the shine where it counts
Old army hands hail SAF's latest changes: Leaving excessive regimentation behind, and focusing instead on the thinking soldier

By Alexis Hooi

AS PART of the army's first batch of officer cadets in the late 1960s, now-retired army Colonel Kwan Yue Yeong spent as many hours polishing his boots and belt buckle as he did keeping his rifle in tip-top condition.

Such drills were deemed necessary to a fledgling army as a way to drum in the rigid, unquestioning discipline needed to operate labour-intensive weapons, said Col (Ret) Kwan.

Still, on hindsight, the old soldier shares the view of many others - he is glad the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is moving away from all that excessive regimentation, and is concentrating instead on being a modern fighting force of thinking soldiers and high-tech weaponry.

Col (Ret) Kwan, 57, who recently retired from a decade-long stint as chief executive of the Singapore Sports Council, is now captain at Tanah Merah Country Club, where he oversees the golf club's tournaments.

He said: 'Back in the old days when NS first started, you didn't ask too many questions.'

He recalls having to starch his uniforms and burnish his cap badges obsessively for inspections, in turn passing down such demands onto his men.

'How did that help us as thinking soldiers? I had my doubts,' he said.

'But now, the individual soldier is more sophisticated and needs to know the big picture, to exercise his own judgment.'

The colonel started his 27-year (1966-1993) army career leading a platoon of 36 of the first national servicemen, rising to head the Singapore Command and Staff College.

The Government, too, recognises the rise of the well-educated NS man and a leaner, technology-reliant SAF, announcing on Tuesday that NS training will be cut by six months to a maximum of two years.

For veterans like the colonel, such policy changes mean less time for excessive regimentation, with a greater focus on honing the military into a 'third-generation SAF'.

Another old hand, Major (Ret) Ignatius Kang, agrees.

The general manager of security firm Apro Asian Protection, who spent more than two decades in the army, remembers exhausting an inordinate amount of time polishing his boots.

Every day, he had to drip wax, buff and burn the toe-caps till he could see his reflection in them, an example of the incessant pressure to keep up with the pomp and ceremony inherited from the British.

Said the 52-year-old: 'Our NS men make a lot of sacrifices such as postponing their studies, so they need to feel that their time is optimised and spent for a clear purpose. That the SAF has recognised this over the years is a good thing.'

Others, like Colonel (NS) Chan Chee Pong, stressed that discipline is still integral to keeping the SAF an effective fighting force.

Said the 46-year-old, who runs his own business consultancy when not fulfilling his reservist duties as commander of the 26th Singapore Infantry Brigade: 'Soldiering is discipline and that's still necessary. Regimentation has not and should not be removed. There's just less of it now.'

The focus is now more on using a modern arsenal effectively and doing more with less, he noted, adding: 'And rightly so.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 17th, 2004, 07:27 AM

JUNE 17, 2004
Training smart
National servicemen have technology to thank for their shorter NS stints. Simulators, some introduced more than a decade ago, are among the tools that have enabled the men to get more training done in less time, reports GOH CHIN LIAN.

Armoured combat: The Armour Gunnery Tactical Simulator consists of battle stations that can be reconfigured to a range of armoured vehicles. In this realistic simulation that uses artificial intelligence, the combatants train on surroundings based on real terrain here, which can be changed from bad weather at night to a battlefield smothered in smoke.

Shooting practice: Soldiers doing basic military training on their first live-firing range, or returning for reserve duty, use the Individual Marksmanship Trainer to learn or relearn how to handle their weapons.

Sensors on the weapon tell the soldier if he has loaded the magazine correctly, if he is jerking the trigger, or tilting the weapon. The weapon can even be programmed to jam, to test the soldier's ability to remedy the fault.

The simulator can also recreate the conditions for night-shooting.

In live firing, the Infantry Portable Electronic Target System has enemy targets pop up on command. Before 2001, soldiers practised shooting at static, upright target boards. Each target can be scored automatically for the number of hits, unlike before, when soldiers had to be sent out to count the bullet holes in the target boards.

Driving lessons: Up to 16 people can train at the Driver Simulator Centre in Kaki Bukit to manoeuvre military trucks and Land Rovers.

Bumps and all, it mimics the motion of the vehicle as it negotiates cross-country terrain in areas like Bukit Batok and Pulau Tekong.

Artillery fire: Artillery men can train on an Artillery Fire Control Training Simulator without firing a single shell.

A large screen shows sections of 'enemy' terrain and projects the impact of firing on it.

The computer can also simulate weather conditions, including strong winds, and how they affect the trajectory of the artillery shell.

War games: Since June 1990, commanders and their men have been able to use computerised battlefield simulators for training in procedure and tactical decision-making.

Before, the two camps would move their units by pushing a plastic device representing their troops across a table map.

In the fully-computerised system, the two camps carry out the commanders' orders and an electronic pen moves the units on a digital map on the computer screen.

The computer can also monitor battlefield activities, report the number of casualties and play back the entire exercise for a debrief.

Firefight sensors: Sensors that simulate firefights more accurately, including gunshot wounds and damage to military vehicles, are on the cards.

A soldier fires lasers from a transmitter fixed to his weapon and the signal is picked up by receivers on his target's helmet and body harness. It is more realistic and less cumbersome than an existing simulator used for the past 15 years.

The new transmitter is not only smarter but also half the weight of the old one. It records the firer's identity, figures out if he has shot one of his own men and calculates whether the shot killed or merely injured the target.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 17th, 2004, 07:34 AM

JUNE 17, 2004
Leader
NS as it is seen

NATIONAL service is not a romanticised rite of passage for gangly pre-adults. It is an article of faith among Singaporeans - to parents, who value the stiff spine their sons will acquire alongside the military training; to enlistees, who understand exactly what duty to country and flag requires of them. In short, NS is the very essence of the young nation's being. There is therefore bound to be surprise - though of the pleasant kind, one suspects - in many households at Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean's announcement in Parliament on Tuesday that NS is to be shortened by six months. Questions asked by some MPs showed the concern. There has been no comparable cut for three decades, and NS started only 37 years ago. Not the least of it would be on account of the timing. National security needs today are more complex than in 1971 when training time was reduced by six months, to 30 months, for most enlistees. Now it will be pared further to a maximum of 24 months. The minister said the decision arose out of an operational review begun more than a year ago. As recently as October last year, Mindef had discounted the idea as unfeasible when it was raised in connection with committee studies on reducing waste in government.

It is just as probable that the apparent disconnect is not a significant matter for most people who will be affected by the change. Though mindful of defence needs, most will still frame the issue in personalised terms: how soon the boys can start university, how soon they can start on their careers without being outdistanced by female peers who are spared NS. It is improbable these factors figured in the decision. But the remotest possibility had a PAP MP, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, asking if Mindef was reacting to public clamouring. Not so, the minister replied. He added a recent survey showed overwhelming 90 per cent support for NS. But in truth, the level of support makes no judgment about whether the length of training is too long, not long enough, or about right. Life-cycle planning is taken seriously in an achievement-oriented society, but this rightly has to be among the least relevant factors for Mindef to evaluate when coming up with NS reforms.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo instead had a persuasive justification for the move: technologies and hardware the Singapore Armed Forces have acquired over the years and the continually rising educational standards of national servicemen mean there is no degradation in performance despite a cutback in training. His key words everyone should absorb are that 'the operational readiness of the SAF and its ability to fulfil its mission' will be maintained. The minister offered graphic comparisons of labour-saving munitions and time-saving training systems, all of which would bring higher operational standards. This is assuring. At a time when the SAF's arms purchases and systems upgrades are raising eyebrows in some foreign quarters, it is important that an apparent relaxation in personnel training be not viewed as a process of dumbing-down. Singaporeans need have no doubts about the defence establishment being on top of the game. At any rate, NS never stops after a boy-turned-man is run out. The continual cycles of in-camp training for those who have gone on to careers and businesses, until they reach their still fighting-fit 40s, places the SAF in combat mode at any moment. Motivation and belief in nation are what count. Past and current national servicemen have shown they have these in spades, and an accounting change will alter nothing.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 18th, 2004, 06:08 AM

JUNE 18, 2004
Cut NS for returning group too

I REFER to the article, 'NS cut by six months' (ST, June 16).

Due to Singapore's limited resources, it is crucial that local organisations, be they private or public, work smart.

The reduction in the national service (NS) stint will also remove the hassle faced by non-scholars who disrupt their NS to qualify for their university admission date.

I welcome the change as the disruption of service is often detrimental to both the organisation and the individual, especially those with only a few months of service left.

From experience, non-scholars who return to NS from their studies usually have insufficient time to be retrained in past vocations or to learn new ones.

As a result, they are often assigned to positions where they simply wait for their Operationally Ready Date without contributing much to the nation's defence.

Will the Ministry of Defence reduce the service period of the minority who enlisted and disrupted their NS before January 2002 and who will be returning to serve with the new cohort?

Such a move will also allow them to be assimilated into their permanent reservist units earlier.

LOW YEW SIONG

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 18th, 2004, 06:24 AM

This story was printed from TODAYonline

The thinking soldier
But do not fret, 30-month NSmen, you can always win arguments against the 24-month guys
Friday • June 18, 2004

mr brown
weekend@newstoday.com.sg

FINALLY, National Service is six months shorter. All you young 18-year-old men must be really happy. Those of you who will be enlisting before the cut-off date will get to enjoy only a pro-rated reduction in service. Boo hoo. Too freaking bad, who asked you to be born earlier?

There are many advantages to completing your NS earlier, of course. You get to go to university earlier, you get to eat civilian food earlier and, most importantly, you will get first picks on the chicks. The losers who are joining you in university six months after you will get only the leftovers.

You will also have an extra six months to look for a job. Isn't that fun?

The official explanation for the shortening of NS is that the modern army is a leaner, meaner and thinking army. In the past, you would ask eight men to carry the assault boat, now the thinking soldier will call the professional movers to do it, or maybe call in a helicopter.

I remember what it meant to be a grunt soldier in the past. Thinking was not high on the list of skills they looked for. For example, you did something that was not part of the sergeant's instructions and tried to explain yourself: "But I thought …" The sergeant's reply would be: "You thought, you thought. You thought, he think, who confirm?"

You cannot argue with that kind of reply. Thinking too much can lead to another 20 push-ups.

In fact, I reckon most of the time, the thinking soldier of the past had only two thoughts to think: "Today cookhouse, or canteen, for lunch?" and "Is it time to book out?"

One got so used to not thinking that sometimes one tended to follow instructions a tad too blindly. Like when your sergeant wanted you to hustle, he would say: "Walk, gentlemen, walk." We would realise that it meant he wanted us to run faster, not walk.

However, this kind of reverse psychology fell apart when we went to the swimming pool for our lessons. We would be running along the wet edge of a pool and the sergeant would say: "Walk, gentlemen, walk."

Guess what we unthinking soldiers would do? Yes, we would run even faster, run to our slippery deaths. No wonder they needed more men back then, half of them were on MC for broken heads for running along pool sides, just because their sergeant asked them to walk.

The unthinking soldier ate whatever the cookhouse made. I come from that era where food was not catered, like it is now, but cooked in-house. Those fancy Meals-Ready-to-Eat packs you get in the field now, you know, the ones that have meals like Teriyaki Chicken and Italian Pasta?

Not a chance.

Sardines and hard-tack biscuits (or dog biscuits) for you. Did we think that the food was not exactly fit for human consumption? Did we realise that too many dog biscuits would lead to painful movement of bowels? Never crossed our minds.

At the rate we are shortening the NS stint, in future, NS will be six months long only and all you have to do is to think about being a soldier.

Maybe, there will be this cap with wires you wear and for six months they will download all the information you will need to be the soldier of the future, like military tactics, weapons training and how to swear effectively in Hokkien.

The future soldier will also be able to download the punishment into their brains. You screw up, and the sergeant would tell you: "Recruit Lee! Think of 20 push-ups NOW!" Wah, xiong, man.

I think they can download the military stuff quite easily, but I am concerned that the soldier of the future will be rather shortchanged in the Army's swearing training department. It is a skill that will take a lot of time and human interaction to master, and not something a computer can teach you. You need to spend quality time with incompetent people to pick up advanced swearing skills, I feel.

I think this whole shorter NS thing will lead to two distinct groups. The 30-month NSMan and the 24-month NSMan. And when it comes to comparing how terok our stint was (and every NS dude will always think their NS time was the worst), the 30-month guys will always win in arguments.

24-month NSMan: "Wah, they made us run up the Botak Hill five times in Full Battle Order!"

30-month NSMan: "I served six months longer than you."

24-month NSMan: "Wah, we were out in the rain for three days and three nights in our last exercise. Without our ponchos!"

30-month NSMan: "I served 6 months longer than you."

The 30-month NSMan will always win these debates. See? That's not so bad, right? I am glad I made you losers feel better about being born a few months too early. Now, run along and think about how to make the Government shorten the Reservist stint too. Walk, gentlemen, walk.

mr brown is the accidental author of a popular website that has been documenting the dysfunctional side of Singapore life since 1997. He thinks canteen breaks should be longer. Because longer canteen breaks encourage thinking.

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

CW8

June 19th, 2004, 07:24 PM

The six months cut, so bloody unfair for us!! Mindef should give us 6 months extra allowance in the bank IMMEDIATELY! So that I can bet more in Euro 2004. :D

huaiwei

June 19th, 2004, 07:54 PM

The six months cut, so bloody unfair for us!! Mindef should give us 6 months extra allowance in the bank IMMEDIATELY! So that I can bet more in Euro 2004. :D
Thats' all ah? I want them to pay for 6 months of my studies fees! :D

CW8

June 20th, 2004, 03:49 AM

Thats' all ah? I want them to pay for 6 months of my studies fees! :D

Yah good! Forget the allowance, pay us the salary that regulars get for 6 months in the bank immediately!!!

RafflesCity

June 20th, 2004, 05:36 AM

Lucky chap! :bash:

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-16/h1b.jpg

and all our young ones here happened to be at the right time right age :bleep:

babystan03

June 20th, 2004, 06:43 AM

Yah good! Forget the allowance, pay us the salary that regulars get for 6 months in the bank immediately!!!

Agree strongly.........:D

CW8

June 20th, 2004, 11:54 AM

Agree strongly.........:D

If not allowance never mind. BUT must strongly have NO reservist for the next > 4 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

schizophreNIC

June 20th, 2004, 02:39 PM

*giggles* hahaha you guys all grousing over NS thing ah... HAHAHAHA~ :bleh:

CW8

June 20th, 2004, 04:21 PM

*giggles* hahaha you guys all grousing over NS thing ah... HAHAHAHA~ :bleh:

Well yah, it's bloody unfair for us who completed. We demand something as compensation!!!!! :D

schizophreNIC

June 20th, 2004, 04:25 PM

Well yah, it's bloody unfair for us who completed. We demand something as compensation!!!!! :D

ah... like wad you guys have already mentioned? ah... pay... no reservist... hw about no ippt? hahaha well... anything else?

babystan03

June 21st, 2004, 03:08 AM

JUNE 21, 2004
Shorter NS makes sense, say experts
Move in line with other armed forces, which are also focusing on technology to reduce large armies

By Alexis Hooi and Goh Chin Lian

THE decision of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to shorten the duration of national service (NS) by six months to two years makes good sense, said leading defence analysts.

They added that the move here is in line with the developments seen in other armed forces, which are similarly focusing on technology as one way to cut down on large armies.

British defence specialist Tim Huxley, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific Security at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, agreed that, given the SAF's exploitation of new technology and its transformation into a technology-intensive military, 'the looming demographic bulge might have resulted in larger than necessary full-time NS intakes'.

Dr Huxley, who also authored Defending The Lion City: The Armed Forces Of Singapore in 2000, was responding to queries from The Straits Times over the shortening of the NS training duration announced by Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean in Parliament last Tuesday.

Two factors made this possible. The first is the transformation of the SAF into a technology-intensive military force less reliant on numbers. The other factor: a surge in NS intake for the next 10 years, due to a mini-baby boom after the Dragon Year of 1988, which persisted into the mid-1990s.

Dr Huxley said Singapore is not alone in becoming less reliant on numbers. 'The exploitation of new technologies has allowed armed forces in many Western European countries to maintain, or even increase, their capabilities even while reducing personnel strength,' he said.

But it is unlikely that Singapore - with its small population - could follow its European counterparts and eliminate conscription and reservist service entirely.

Also, as the nature of warfare is changing, the crucial challenge facing the SAF is 'to develop concepts of warfare that allow the adaptation of new technologies to the full spectrum of security challenges', which include terrorism, piracy and peacekeeping.

Even with these new challenges, Dr Andrew Tan of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, believes that two years is sufficient to train any combat soldier.

Plus, the cut in NS duration will have little impact on operational readiness as the bulk of the SAF troops are in the reserves.

He added that the greater use of technology will augment the SAF's firepower and make up for smaller forces.

At the same time, Dr Tan said, the collective will to win and shed blood for the country is still what makes armies effective fighting units.

It is this same psychological preparedness - to protect the interests of Singaporeans - that Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said is important in dealing with the threat of terrorism.

He made the comment yesterday morning after observing a joint rescue and evacuation exercise at the Pasir Ris MRT station, which simulated a terrorist bomb attack on a train.

About 1,000 residents, students and personnel from the civil defence, police and armed forces took part in the exercise.

When asked about the feedback he had received on his parliamentary speech on how going high-tech has allowed for a shorter NS training period, Rear-Adm Teo said it had been positive so far.

Still, he added, there were some people who had secured deferment earlier and now wanted to serve the two years, compared with others in their cohort who had served 2 1/2 years.

'As with any policy, there'll be people who wish they were better off. We'll look at all the appeals that they have and consider them,' he said.

A Mindef spokesman said the bulk of more than 200 queries the ministry received as of noon last Friday was from those who had deferred their NS.

Most of the queries centred on eligibility for a shorter training period.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

schizophreNIC

June 21st, 2004, 07:28 PM

babystan03

June 22nd, 2004, 04:35 AM

huaiwei

June 22nd, 2004, 02:59 PM

uh-huh... nw then they analyse and say it makes sense to have 1/2 year shorter NS...

one of my frens are speculating that perhaps this is the time most MPs sons go NS... but hmm.... *takes it with a pinch of salt*
Seems like I can easily suspect who are those making these suggestions? :) And if you ask me, this is not a very unusual suggestion. Remember how the changes made to the Chinese syllabus seems to incite the same kind of responses?

schizophreNIC

June 22nd, 2004, 05:18 PM

yeah... come to think of it

babystan03

June 22nd, 2004, 05:34 PM

Seems like I can easily suspect who are those making these suggestions? :) And if you ask me, this is not a very unusual suggestion. Remember how the changes made to the Chinese syllabus seems to incite the same kind of responses?

If the change is made because of "personal" preference........ :bash: :bash: :bash:

huaiwei

June 26th, 2004, 12:00 AM

JUNE 19, 2004

4 promoted by SAF to highest NCO rank

They rise to become Senior Warrant Officers; 168 warrant officers in all promoted this year

PURSUING a military career is set to be a new tradition for the family of Master Warrant Officer Seow Eng Huat, as he rises through the ranks of the Singapore Navy.

His only son, Sidney, 13, has developed a 'love for ammunition' and is in the National Cadet Corps.

'I think he might want a career with the Singapore Armed Forces, and I will definitely encourage him to do it,' the 49-year-old, who was once a fisherman, said proudly.

MWO Seow, who joined the navy in 1972, is being promoted to Senior Warrant Officer, the highest rank in the non-commissioned officer (NCO) corps. The new title takes effect on July 1.

One of 168 warrant officers promoted by the SAF this year, he said: 'I love my job because I get the opportunity of mentoring, coaching and guiding those under me.'

'But I do miss being out at sea... That's what I really love,' he added.

The certificates of promotion were presented by Minister of State (Defence) Cedric Foo at the Ministry of Defence yesterday.

Including MWO Seow, four Master Warrant Officers rose to become SWOs, bringing the number who hold that highest rank to 55.

Warrant officers play a significant role in maintaining the SAF's efficiency and operational readiness. They are instrumental in policy implementation, and are involved in manpower, logistics, intelligence, training and operations.

This year, 35 reached the second highest rank of MWO, including First Warrant Officer Gordon Chitran, 42, of the Basic Military Training Centre.

One of the high points in his 25 years with the army was being part of the bionic project that created the Infantry Fighting Vehicle.

He said: 'I joined the army out of curiosity... But along the way, I developed a keen interest in training our youth, turning them from raw recruits into soldiers. That's what made me stay.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-19/govass.jpg
Once a fisherman, MWO Seow joined the navy in 1972.

babystan03

June 26th, 2004, 06:39 PM

JUNE 27, 2004
RSS Centurion is third submarine to join Navy
DEFENCE Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday commissioned the Republic of Singapore Navy's latest submarine, the RSS Centurion, at the Changi Naval Base.

It is the third of a quartet that is set to strengthen the Republic's maritime defence capabilities.

Like the RSS Chieftain and the RSS Conqueror, which are already in operation, and a fourth yet to be commissioned, the Swedish-made RSS Centurion comes refurbished with some of the best naval technology.

Though built more than 30 years ago, they are understood to have been extensively upgraded by the navy together with the Defence Science and Technology Agency.

Defence scientists from DSO National Laboratories, shipbuilder Singapore Technologies Marine and the Swedish defence ministry were also involved.

While their stealth capabilities make them quiet and hard to detect, their heavyweight torpedoes can sink ships at a long range.

A Defence Ministry statement said the Centurion 'will enhance Singapore Navy's all-round operational capabilities to safeguard Singapore's waters and protect our vital sea lines of communications'.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

June 28th, 2004, 11:24 AM

JUNE 28, 2004
Fighter jets make first flight outside Europe, to Singapore
State-of-the-art Eurofighter Typhoon could replace Singapore's ageing Super Skyhawk, and will be tried by RSAF pilots

ALFRED LEE
FOR THE STRAITS TIMES

LONDON - Two of the world's newest fighter jets took off from Britain yesterday for Singapore, where they will be seen for the first time outside Europe.

The swing-wing, twin-engined Eurofighter Typhoons will be in Singapore for two weeks for evaluation as a replacement for the Republic of Singapore Air Force's ageing Super Skyhawk fighters.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-06-28/p6a.jpg
Capable of twice the speed of sound, the plane also boasts a unique on-board testing system.

The Typhoons, which can fly at twice the speed of sound, will take five days to complete the 13,000km journey. They will make four stopovers at air bases in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Asia - the locations are secret for security reasons - and will be refuelled mid-air about 16 times.

The British Royal Air Force's most senior officer of Chinese heritage, Wing Commander David Chan, is piloting one of the Typhoons and is the officer-in-charge of the Singapore-bound air detachment, which includes three giant support C130 Hercules transports, a Nimrod reconnaissance plane and tanker aircraft.

Wing Cdr Chan told The Straits Times just before take-off from the Typhoon's British home base at Warton, Lancashire, 400km north of London: 'The Typhoon is a brand new, state-of-the-art multi-role fighter which is just now going into service with the air forces of Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain.

'We are still carrying out tests and evaluation and they are ahead of schedule, with no major problems.

'The Typhoon is a great aircraft, a dream to fly, and I am confident everything will go well in Singapore.'

RSAF pilots will be flying the Typhoons and senior officials of Singapore's Ministry of Defence and top politicians will have a chance to see how the aircraft perform in what could be their future home-base temperature and humidity conditions.

Pilots, ground crew and VIPs in Singapore will be able to inspect the Typhoon's unique computerised on-board testing system, designed to sustain top performance and reliability and reduce the cost of maintenance.

Squadron Leader Geordie Evans, senior engineering officer with the group on its way to Singapore, told The Straits Times: 'All records are electronic and all personnel working on the aircraft must sign off their work using iris-scan technology.

'Typhoons came into service only six months ago, and from an engineering point of view this is very early in an aircraft's life cycle for such a mammoth undertaking as the flight to Singapore and the very detailed evaluation programme.

'But I am sure we will come through with flying colours.'

France's Dassault Rafale and Boeing's F-15 Strike Eagle are the two other aircraft short-listed by Singapore in its Next Fighter Replacement Programme.

But defence and aerospace giant BAE Systems, part of the consortium which has developed and built the Eurofighter Typhoon, claims that its agility, manoeuvrability, speed, sophisticated computerised flight system and on-board avionics give the Typhoon an edge over its competitors.

The consortium also claims its counter-measures and advanced weapons systems, including missiles which can destroy targets beyond visual range, will be major selling points.

Austria has ordered the Typhoon and 620 are being delivered to Germany, Italy, Spain and Britain, said BAE Systems campaign director Ian Malin.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

heirloom

June 28th, 2004, 11:29 AM

huh? 5 days?! they're not capable of flying 13000km?

babystan03

June 28th, 2004, 03:24 PM

JUNE 28, 2004
Army medics now armed with portable defibrillators
By Alexis Hooi

ALONG with his standard medical pouch containing life-saving bandages, pills and drips, the army medic now slings a piece of equipment that could mean life or death for the soldier who is, say, suffering from a heart attack while completing that 2.4km run.

More than 200 portable defibrillators, which are used to stimulate the heart into resuming its normal rhythm through electrical shocks, were introduced in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) last December as part of efforts to boost safety during military training.

These gadgets will be deployed at all training sessions involving strenuous activity that carry the risk of drowning or heart trauma, said an army spokesman on Monday.

These include physical fitness tests, route marches and river-crossing exercises.

The battery-operated devices provide that life-saving opportunity which would otherwise be lost when the patient has to travel to a hospital for emergency treatment instead.

The introduction of the gadgets are part of a string of measures by the SAF to enhance life-saving skills for medical emergencies, following the deaths of three soldiers during training last year.

One died from suffocation after having his head submerged in water during an exercise in Pulau Tekong in August, while two others died a month later after collapsing in separate training runs of 2.4km and 5km.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Jai

June 28th, 2004, 04:06 PM

S'pore, IAF to conduct joint exercises (http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/755778.cms)

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2004 05:20:58 AM ]

NEW DELHI: Come September, the air forces of India and Singapore will join hands to test each other’s preparedness, as the south-east Asian island nation joins the growing band of countries wishing to go in for joint exercise with the Indian Air Force.

The IAF, which has already earned the respect and admiration of the US Air Force, arguably the best in the world, after the joint-exercise between the two countries at Gwalior earlier this year, will pit a combination of MiG-21s, MiG-23s, Jaguars and Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft against the F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Republic of Singapore Air Force during the exercise scheduled to be held in the first half of September this year.

While the main exercise is likely to be held at the Gwalior air base, the RSAF, according to defence ministry sources, may also get the nod to test their prowess at Pokharan range near Jaisalmer.

Both India and Singapore are part of the multi-national joint exercise being held in Alaska between July 15-30. While the IAF will get a chance to fly their Jaguars alongside the F-16s of the USAF and the RSAF during the exercise, the September show will provide the first opportunity to the Indian pilots and engineers to familiarise themselves with the famed F-16s _supposed to be the one of the most sophisticated and advanced multi-role fighter aircraft in the world, which currently forms the core of the might of the air forces of many countries, including Pakistan.

The bilateral exercise, which is seen as being of immense training value by the IAF, will be the first between the two countries. After the US, UK and France, Singapore will become the fourth country in the world to go in for joint exercise with the IAF.

The IAF is likely to go to France next year for joint exercise _a move that will essentially be a reciprocatory gesture by the former. The French Air Force had participated in a similar show at Gwalior early last year.

babystan03

July 1st, 2004, 03:37 AM

JULY 1, 2004
Winning with a vengeance
Technology may drive many of the new developments in the Singapore Armed Forces but whether on land, in the air or at sea, it is still people who make the military work. TEH JOO LIN looks at some of the winners behind the SAF's best units.

THIRTEEN is the lucky number for the RSS Vengeance, which has won its first Best Ship Award. It was commissioned 13 years ago. 'The stars are finally in alignment,' joked Lieutenant-Colonel Alex Yit Mun Kuan, 37, commander until May this year of this missile corvette.

It is the fifth of the Republic of Singapore Navy's six corvettes to win this accolade.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-01/h5.jpg
It's double delight for the Vengeance crew, who also won the Operational Excellence Award. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO

Luck wasn't all it took. A key factor was the operational readiness of its crew of 50, who also won the Operational Excellence Award. 'The operations tempo has really risen in recent years. We have been going out to sea more often and that has helped us achieve higher performance standards,' Lt-Col Yit said.

His successor, Major Lee Weng Foo, 32, said of Lt-Col Yit: 'He laid a very strong foundation and my direction from here is to work even harder to retain this award.'

TOP GUN'S GOODBYE GIFT

WINNING the Best Fighter Squadron award was the best farewell gift 149 Squadron could give its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Foo Jeong Nan. He moves on to another unit later this year, after seeing 149 Squadron grab its fourth award since its formation in 1985.

Said Second Warrant Officer Mageswaran, 43: 'We tried very hard to win this, and when we knew he was going to leave, we tried even harder.'

The decider was a pilot skills and weaponry competition in March, in which the squadron, which flies the F-5S/T Tiger, won four of the nine awards. It was also the first ever squadron to come away with a clean sheet in the annual safety checks.

Lt-Col Foo, whose flying callsign is Plato, after the Greek philosopher, said: 'I philosophise a lot about how we can improve the way we work.'

HIS N.S. 'FAMILY' OF 600

SATURDAY morning jogs at MacRitchie Reservoir, dinners in town and an online discussion group are just some of the ways army regular Vernon Teo keeps in close touch with his 'family'.

His 'family', the 328th Singapore Combat Engineers unit, comprises 600 men, all national servicemen.

Major Teo singled out the 'family' factor as the reason his unit won its first Best National Service (NS) Engineer Unit award.

'This is my day job, but I'm very conscious that for NSmen, the army is a call of duty that they must balance with family and other commitments,' the 36-year-old commanding officer said.

'So my approach is to make them feel the unit is an extension of their families.

'When this happens, proficiency naturally goes up.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

July 1st, 2004, 03:39 AM

JULY 1, 2004
3G warrior
Third Generation combat soldier in SAF will have
-More firepower
-Bird's-eye view
-Air strikes on call

THE next-generation combat soldier will be able to see more clearly, not just in the dark but also behind a hill.

He will have more firepower at his disposal and, if he needs it, will even be able to call in an air strike involving precision-guided weapons.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-07-01/h4.jpg
Transformed, the modern infantry trooper and his fighting unit will connect with the rest of a high-tech system.

It's not just the infantry trooper and his fighting unit that will evolve as the military is transformed into the Third Generation (3G) Singapore Armed Forces, said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, describing the major mid-life overhaul that the SAF is undergoing.

'The important thing is not just what the soldier or his team can do, but how he and his team connect with the rest of the system.'

He will get direct access to information from high-tech sensors, like unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, which relay real-time images while hovering over the battlefield, explained Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo.

The changes will go far beyond the individual soldier and his unit.

The army will have to look at how it organises itself to see if troops, weapons and sensor systems, for example, need to be re-allocated to make the most efficient use of resources, he added.

The 3G SAF, a phrase which Rear-Adm Teo first described in detail in his speech in Parliament during the Budget Debate this year, is set to soon become as commonplace in military lingo here as BMT or basic military training.

At the heart of this SAF is the use of defence technology to 'ensure that the armed forces will be able to meet any future challenge and, in fact, stay one step ahead of it'.

One of the most visible symbols of the transformation, in the form of two sleek swing-wing Eurofighter Typhoons, may be spotted over Singapore skies shortly.

The aircraft are making the 13,000km journey here from Britain, with four stopovers en route, to be put through their paces in the final stages of evaluations for a new fighter aircraft to replace the ageing A4 Super Skyhawks.

The Typhoon is up against Boeing's F-15 Strike Eagle and France's Dassault Rafale in the $2 billion deal for 20 new aircraft. A decision is expected early next year.

Rear-Adm Teo said that other major programmes are on track as well, with Apache helicopters, Primus artillery guns and the navy's submarines brought into service.

The first of the navy's six new frigates with radar-deflecting features was launched in France in January. The second ship, built locally, will be launched on Saturday.

The other four are in various stages of construction, which are on schedule.

Hardware aside, new units have also been set up to meet more complex threats posed by chemical and biological agents, as well as 'dirty bombs' which combine the explosive power of conventional bombs with the threat of radiation.

Some of the new capabilities, however, are far less visible but no less important in giving the SAF an edge.

Using jargon more commonly associated with the back-room operations of commercial organisations, Rear-Adm Teo said that new capabilities in 'networking, communications, command and control systems' have been added as well.

What they do is allow for speedy and accurate information to be collected, relayed and analysed, but to show someone this would basically mean displaying a computer.

He added: 'It's not as exciting as taking out a helicopter, a tank or a gun, but these are real capabilities nevertheless.'

Making much of this possible is another not-so-visible secret weapon in the Defence Ministry's arsenal - its pool of several thousand defence scientists.

They work on key areas like building better sensors and precision weapons as well as how best to combine these capabilities to give the troops an edge, said the minister.

Mindef is also working with the Home Affairs Ministry to use technology to deal with some of the emerging threats, he said.

For example, the data from night vision and intrusion detection systems protecting key installations can be relayed to a command centre, where computers can analyse and compare it against previous intrusions to determine if it is a false alarm or a real threat.

To fund some of this research and development, an additional 1 per cent of Mindef's budget, or an extra $86 million, has been set aside this year.

This is on top of the regular 4 to 5 per cent it budgets annually for research and development, which this time can amount to about $430 million.

Said the minister: 'We are reaping the returns of these investments and some of these systems are maturing, and I expect that over the next five to 10 years, we will be seeing more of this transformation.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

July 1st, 2004, 04:24 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 01 July 2004 1248 hrs

Strong defence allows people to pursue own destiny: Defence Minister
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean says it is only with a strong defence capability that the country can continue to prosper and people can have the political space to pursue their own destiny.

Rear Admiral Teo and several ministers were officiating at re-dedication ceremonies held on Thursday by employers to mark SAF Day, which falls on 1 July every year.

Some 1,200 NSmen from 110 companies took part in the ceremonies.

Radm Teo noted that while the global and regional economic outlook had improved, the security climate continues to be uncertain.

The government is also committed in ensuring the SAF has the necessary resouces to maintain a credible deterrence to deal with the increasingly complex demands of security.

At the ceremony, NSmen recited the SAF pledge while employers signed the declaration of support on behalf of their companies.

The annual SAF Day re-dedication ceremony is also an opportunity for employers in Singapore to signal their strong commitment and continued support towards the defence of the country.

After all, besides harnessing the latest technology, the strength of the SAF also lies in the men which these companies employ after National Service. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

Jai

July 2nd, 2004, 12:10 AM

Singapore to train its armed forces in India (http://hindustantimes.com/news/181_860440,00050004.htm)

Singapore, July 1

Singapore will train its air force and army units in India for the first time later this year as part of a defence cooperation deal signed between the two countries, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said on Thursday.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force units will start training in India by the end of this year, while the Army will commence its exercises early next year, Teo Chee Hean was quoted as saying by a newspaper in Singapore.

The Singapore Air Force servicemen would undergo training in camps in India run by the SAF on long-term leases, it said.

"We are always looking for opportunities to train with other armed forces because it provides the SAF with a new dimension in its training," the Defence Minister was quoted as saying by the local daily The Straits Times.

Singapore, a booming industrial nation in the southeast Asian region, trains its armed forces in about a dozen countries.

Asserting that such overseas assignments were always valuable to its forces, the minister said "It provides some diversity, it helps us to learn new techniques and tactics in a different environment, and it also a way by which we can overcome constraints in training space in Singapore."

India and Singapore signed a defence pact last year and the navies of both the countries carried out joint exercise early this year

babystan03

July 2nd, 2004, 04:57 AM

JULY 2, 2004
SAF's strength lies in the spirit of the people
Don't let your guard down, ministers tell soldiers at re-dedication

IT WAS a fitting setting for the ceremony to honour the servicemen of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).

The Battle Box in Fort Canning Park was the site of the British Army's command centre during World War II where planning for key battles were staged. Yesterday, 70 operationally ready national servicemen from the Public Utilities Board (PUB) gathered to recite the oath to defend Singapore.

They were among thousands of NSmen across the island who turned up for work in their military uniforms for re-dedication ceremonies to mark SAF Day.

The ceremonies were held on the premises of companies or at centralised locations.

The key message delivered by the five ministers who officiated at the various ceremonies was to remind the soldiers not to let their guard down, especially in the face of the terrorism threat.

Said Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who officiated at Suntec Singapore: 'Technology is our force multiplier. However, the ultimate measure of SAF's strength lies in the spirit and commitment of our people - the men and women who serve our nation as soldiers, sailors and airmen, both in the regular service and in national service.'

The other four ministers who officiated were Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo at Nanyang Polytechnic; Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lee Boon Yang at Novotel Apollo Singapore; Second Minister for Finance and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Hng Kiang at Jurong Country Club; and Minister of State for Health and Transport Balaji Sadasivan at Temasek Polytechnic.

In the evening, the SAF celebrated the occasion with a parade at the Safti Military Institute, attended by about 1,100 national servicemen.

President S R Nathan officiated at the parade and presented the State Colours to this year's Best Combat Unit, the army's 1st Commando Battalion.

The Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung, led the servicemen in the SAF pledge. This was followed by a minute of silence to remember Singaporeans who lost their lives in the course of duty.

One NSman, PUB engineer Parasu Ram , 31, said the occasion reminded him of a unique duty: 'It's a dual role that we have, as employees and as part of the SAF's mission to protect the country.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

July 3rd, 2004, 09:23 AM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 03 July 2004 1513 hrs

Singapore launches first locally-built stealth frigate
By Hwee Goh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : Singapore has launched its first locally-built warship, RSN Intrepid, which will be equipped with advanced weapon and sensor systems.

This is made possible by tying up with a French ship builder under a technology transfer agreement.

But it will take a few more years before the vessel is fully equipped on a mission to defend Singapore and its vital lines of communications at sea.

Called a stealth frigate, the RSN Intrepid will have a sturdy outfit against threats from the air, surface, and underwater.

This includes a surface-to-air missile system to combat hostile aircraft, and long-range detection and lightweight torpedoes to counter submarine threats.

At this size, it packs in more, with a smaller crew of only 70.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said: "We must work smarter in order to achieve the same results with less manpower. Singaporeans will enjoy the dividend in terms of enhanced security and also a shorter National Service period. This approach underpins our transformation to the third generation SAF."

The first such frigate was built in France and will undergo trials soon, while the RSS Intrepid is the first of five vessels that are locally built by Singapore Technologies Marine. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

July 3rd, 2004, 09:48 AM

JULY 3, 2004
SAF to be strengthened by high-tech weapons: DPM Lee

SINGAPORE - Singapore vowed on Saturday to strengthen its already formidable armed forces by using high-tech weaponry and systems to make its military personnel more productive.

Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said at the launch ceremony for a new navy frigate: 'We must constantly upgrade the (Singapore Armed Force's) effectiveness and capabilities by harnessing technology, learning from our experiences, and analysing and understanding our own needs.'

Singapore 'must work smarter, in order to achieve the same results with less manpower', said Mr Lee.

The commitment echoes a debate in the United States, where Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said he wants to make the superpower's forces both more nimble and lethal with a greater reliance on technology rather than mere numbers in uniform.

'We started with nothing, but after 39 years, we have created a professional, potent and credible' armed forces, said Mr Lee.

Last month, the Defence Ministry said it would cut the length of compulsory national service by six months to two years as military technology improved.

The reduction - due to start from December - was also possible because a baby boom between 1988 and 1997 will raise the number of male Singapore teenagers eligible for service by up to 20 per cent from 2006.

The new frigate - Republic of Singapore Ship Intrepid - is one of six French-designed La Fayette-class craft, which are being introduced to replace the navy's ageing missile gunboats.

Mr Lee said the new vessels were more potent than the ships they replaced, but needed a 'much smaller crew of only 70 personnel'. He did not say how many sailors were needed on the older vessels. -- AP

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

July 10th, 2004, 01:45 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 10 July 2004 1841 hrs

SAF to open School of Infantry Specialists
By Rita Zahara, Channel NewsAsia

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpkwffET.jpg

SINGAPORE : By late 2005, the Singapore Armed Forces will have a specialised institution dedicated to train SAF Warrant Officers and Specialist Corps.

The School of Infantry Specialists will provide a conducive environment for SAF's first-line commanders to develop and strengthen their skills.

The ground-breaking ceremony took place at Pasir Laba Camp on Saturday.

The institute will be a camp within a camp, integrating new buildings and structures along the existing infrastructure.

By late 2005, the land will become a new home for SAF Warrant officers and Specialist Corps -- an institution dedicated to support the 3rd Generation SAF, leveraging on new concepts and technologies.

And the 3G Specialist will be expected to handle a variety of weapons and network systems, exercising his leadership over a wider expanse of the battlefield.

"No matter how much technology may change the way we do things and the way we fight, it is ultimately the soldier who makes the difference. The first element is values and attitudes, courage and ingenuity and professionalism. That is what will determine victory or defeat for the SAF," said Defence Minister, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean.

SISPEC Commanding Officer, LTC Ng Heng Chew, said, "This institution is a very critical set-up because in a way Pasir Laba Camp will be a one-stop facility or faculty that will manage, collate and disseminate all the knowledge and experiences that is important for our warrant officers to share with the junior commanders."

When ready, the institute is able to accommodate 1,200 soldiers.

Occupying the size of three football fields, it is strategically co-located with the SAF Warrant Officers' School, where resources and expertise can be easily shared. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

July 19th, 2004, 05:41 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 19 July 2004 2159 hrs

Over 75 aircraft from four countries in region's air defence exercise
By Asha Popatlal, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The Singapore air force is taking part in what has been billed the region's largest multi-lateral air defence exercise.

Codenamed Exercise Pitch Black, it usually only involves Singapore and Australia.

But for the first time time this year, the French Air Force and Royal Thai Air Force are also taking part.

The almost three-week exercise will be an opportunity to train for scenarios like Operation Free Iraq.

More than 75 aircraft from the four countries are taking part.

The scenario is for a multi-national force to be assembled to combat a rogue state - which is the likely shape of future conflicts.

Lieutenant-Colonel Tommy Tan, Exercise Director of RSAF Contingent, said: "Unlike most air exercises, this air exercise is slightly different in the sense that it tries to portray perhaps the lessons learnt from the recent wars.

"And we do not just do an air superiority campaign but it is an exercise whereby we portray the initial stage with the coming together of multinational forces, building up of the forces, going into war, an air war first and eventually ending up supporting the ground forces, which is really very similar to the recent wars that are fought such as Ops Iraqi Freedom over in Iraq."

Before the exercise proper, Singapore and Thailand practised a combined air-to-air refueling for some 20 F-16 fighters.

The aircraft had to be refuelled two or three times during their five-and-a-half-hour flight to Australia.

Major Zakir Hamid, Deputy Detachment Commander of KC-135, said: "With different countries, you might have a bit of barrier when it comes to language. To overcome this we use simple English...what we do is have a combined SOP that both parties will adhere to."

LTC Tan added: "The belief is that in future wars, you probably won't see one nation against another - where necessary, mutinational forces will come together under the auspices of UN to fight a war. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

July 21st, 2004, 05:14 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 21 July 2004 2109 hrs

SAF switches to paper meal boxes, food kept warm for up to 4 hours
By Bridgette See, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : It may sound a little ironic, but Singapore Armed Forces' soldiers are getting even greener than before.

They are going to stop using styrofoam food containers and switch to eco-friendly paper ones.

A piping hot meal is one of the few pleasures that can boost the morale of soldiers out in the field.

To make sure cookhouse meals get to the troops before they turn cold, the Army has switched to a new locally-designed paper meal box which can keep food warm for up to four hours.

Lieutenant-Colonel Sebastian Tan, Head of Material Branch at Army HQ Supply and Transport, said: "Normally out-rations are packed in the cookhouse in the unit and some of the training areas can be quite far away from the cookhouse. It may take one to two hours to deliver the food to the soldier. By the time the soldier gets to eat it, the food may not be warm enough."

"The food is definitely much warmer than what we get, it is tastier also."

"I can see no spills and so it is easier to eat, so I feel it is much better."

From August, the entire Armed Forces, from the army to the navy to the airforce, will be using paper meal boxes.

This means all servicemen going out on field exercises will be getting their meals piping hot!

The Environment Council has welcomed the SAF's move to use green products, especially since it uses five million pieces each year.

Mr Howard Shaw, Executive Director of Singapore Environment Council, said: "One of the things that we address very strongly is to use less disposables, and if you are going to use disposables, use the right kind of disposables.

"The advantage of paper packaging is that it is biodegradable, whereas the polystyrene or plastic equivalent will remain in ecosystem indefinitely."

Also getting increasingly popular, disposable plates, bowls and cutlery made from rice husks, sugar cane and corn!

One foodstall in Jurong is one of those that has switched to using these locally-designed products.

Not only do they look and feel like regular plates, they are even sturdier than disposable ones.

The only drawback is they cost eight times more than styrofoam plates, but the stallowner says they are still cost effective!

Bernie Utchenik, Foodstall Owner, said: "For us, it is very quick and easy, we do not have to hire a cleaner to wash our plates. Our water bill is lower than anyone else around here."

To take the recycling process one step further, the manufacturer is designing a machine which can grind all the plates and the food waste into powdered fertilisers. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

July 22nd, 2004, 04:31 AM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 22 July 2004 0804 hrs

No shorter National Service stint for some medical officers
By Tor Ching Li, TODAY

SINGAPORE : When it was announced in Parliament last month that Singaporean men would henceforth enjoy up to 20 per cent off his full-time National Service (NS) stint of 30 months, it seemed almost too good to be true.

And indeed, for about 480 men out there, it is too good to be true. Their stint will not be cut. They are medical officers (MOs) who enjoyed six years of NS deferment to pursue their studies and are now back in the armed forces completing their NS stint, and the officer cadets currently undergoing NS deferment for medical school. All were enlisted before January 2002.

"The six-month cut to make NS a 24-month stint for all will only apply to new recruits from December this year, with between two to four-month cuts for National Servicemen enlisted from January 2002 till November 2004," stressed Colonel Bernard Toh, spokesman for the Ministry of Defence (Mindef).

A day after Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean made his NS reduction announcement, a separate briefing was held for serving MOs, some of whom were enlisted as early as 1995, to explain that the change did not apply to them. This "discrepancy" in length of service has inevitably irked some MOs, who may see other National Servicemen starting their stint in NS later yet leaving earlier.

"Are we not part of the 3G SAF?" asked one NSF Medical Officer who was enlisted in 1995. The "3G" or third generation SAF will rely less on the number of soldiers and more on their higher education levels and capabilities.

Mindef said they had received several calls from full-time National Servicemen now at medical school asking if they would be eligible for the NS reduction. But in announcing the changes, Mindef had clearly stated that "National Servicemen who disrupt their training will get the same cuts as others in the same batch".

Nevertheless, a point of contention was over which "batch" the MOs belonged to — their enlistment batch or the cohort which they return to serve with.

Said Col Toh: "They were told that full-time National Servicemen returning from disruption would be given a corresponding cut in their full-time NS duration based on the cohort in which they were enlisted. This ensures that National Servicemen from the same intake will serve the same full-time NS duration."

Commented Mr Alvin Choy, who recently completed his 30-month NS term: "Of course, seeing most of their peers back in the civilian world, (the MOs) would try their luck at enjoying the current reduction. But fair is fair — you should follow the fate of your peers." - TODAY

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

RafflesCity

July 22nd, 2004, 08:24 AM

I like the design of the quadrangle

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpkwffET.jpg

huaiwei

July 22nd, 2004, 01:32 PM

The form of the buildings look so familiar thou...so damn typical of army camps! :D

babystan03

July 24th, 2004, 03:39 AM

JULY 24, 2004
Oil giant rewards its ace NSmen
By Goh Chin Lian

SOME employees at oil giant ExxonMobil are harvesting goodies for serving as operationally-ready national servicemen - and it is not just men who benefit.

Staff who ace annual military fitness tests, and do well in their national service duties, have collected golf shop vouchers, tickets to musicals and other rewards.

Female employees have also received shopping and spa vouchers for standing in for colleagues undergoing in-camp training, said Ms Koh Tze Shan, the company's communications manager.

The rewards are usually worth between $200 and $400 under a company-wide scheme that lets supervisors reward outstanding workers. Staff who mentor new colleagues or cover for mothers on maternity leave, among others, may get gifts worth up to $2,000.

Yesterday, ExxonMobil was presented the Singapore Armed Forces Award For Employers, along with 101 other companies, for so strongly supporting national service.

A first-time winner of the award, it has over 1,100 operationally-ready NSmen among its 2,500 staff here and takes pains to ensure that work commitments and NS duties do not clash. Those on shift duties, for instance, need not report for work 12 hours before and after fitness tests and NS call-ups.

Major (NS) Tan Cheng Chua, a procurement manager, said ExxonMobil makes the effort to arrange for a stand-in when he must spend up to weeks at a time on training. 'The management's attitude is: Who can stand in? Deferment is never the first option,' said the 39-year-old infantry battalion staff officer with the Second People's Defence Force.

Though NSmen can apply to postpone their NS call-ups, their units do not encourage it so as to maintain cohesiveness. Maj (NS) Tan has not had to defer in 12 years. p> Sixty-five firms received the Total Defence Award for freeing up vehicles, building materials and other goods and services for SAF operations or national crises. Twelve individuals won the SAF NSman For The Year Award for outstanding leadership and performance during national service.

The winners made important contributions to the civil, economic, social and psychological elements of Singapore's Total Defence, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said at the awards ceremony in Orchard Hotel yesterday. p> 'The need for Total Defence is even more real today than it was in 1984', when the concept was conceived: The economic downturn and Sars tested its non-military aspect and Singaporeans pulled through, he said.

The same goes for transnational terrorism, a threat 'not just to our security, but also to our economy and the multiracial, multi-religious fabric of our society'.

Singapore has preserved social harmony and kept psychological strength while hardening its defences, he said, as well as improved its ability to handle terrorist threats.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

Jai

August 3rd, 2004, 11:43 PM

I came across this excellent report on the PRC's increasing presence in the Malacca Straits. Its a long, but very informative read. The author is the Director of the Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare of the U.S. Congress.

BEIJING'S SURGE FOR THE STRAIT OF MALACCA (http://freeman.io.com/m_online/bodansky/beijing.htm)

by Yossef Bodansky(1)

The Strait of Malacca is one of the world's hottest and most crucial strategic choke points. It is considered by experts to be one of the ten most vulnerable objectives which neutralization by hostile forces not only will cause tremendous harm to the well being, perhaps very existence, of the economy of the West, but is also very easy to accomplish. Controlling the Strait of Malacca is presently a key strategic objective of the PRC to the point of risking armed conflict with the regional states and even the US.

INTRODUCTION
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow waterway between Malaysia and Sumatera island of Indonesia. Virtually the entire commercial sea traffic between the Far East and Europe, the Middle East, and India and passes through the Strait of Malacca. The entire fuel and gas shipments purchased from the Persian Gulf for the Far East passes there. Further more, the region's largest oil fields are virtually in the eastern mouth of the Strait. Moreover, Singapore -- the region's largest commercial and communications center and key port -- lies at the eastern mouth of the Strait of Malacca.

The Strait of Malacca dominates more than the commercial and economic life lines into and out of the rapidly expanding economies of East Asia. The global strategic growth and expansion of aspiring powers can be contained and regulated through the mere control over the movement of their naval forces through the Strait of Malacca.

For Beijing, this reality is increasingly a vital interest. Any Chinese naval and military surge into the Indian Ocean -- a major strategic priority of Beijing -- must pass through the Strait of Malacca. Beijing considers its surge into the Indian Ocean as part of a strategic surge of global proportions aimed at consolidating military posture in a hostile environment (from a both global and regional strategic point of view), and in a strategic grand design that anticipates the possibility of a major military clash with the US in the foreseeable future.

This grim assessment and the resolute commitment to resolve it were not reached hastily. Back in 1992, the CMC had already resolved, at least in principle, to establish a high performance blue water fleet, including the acquisition of an aircraft carrier. However, at the time, the strategic principles and priorities had not been determined. Nevertheless, several promising PLA officers were already sent to study the principles of modern high-technology naval and aerial warfare. Back in 1992, the CMC envisaged the completion of the first phase of this build-up to be between 1997 and 2000.

In early 1993, the naval build-up and modernization plan decided upon by the CMC was getting shape. The PLA was instructed to operate on the principle that China was committed to building "the world's most powerful navy." The PLA navy already had clear strategic priorities and tasks in mind. "In the short-term, the central strategic task of naval construction must be to transform the navy from a coastal defense force into an offshore fleet capable of defending territorial interests." China's ship designers and builders were told that the PLA navy had already resolved that the only way these national interests could be defended was through an assertive military surge. This concept should determine the character of the PRC's future navy. "This fleet's main tasks will be to control nearby waters, notably by exercising air and sea control in the East China and South China Seas to protect territorial waters and to defend shipping lanes." However, these instructions and policy guidelines covered only the first stage of a far larger and more ambitious strategic surge already decided upon.

The PLA's commitment to a regional assertive strategy based on a naval breakout southward was also stated explicitly by the PLA High Command in early 1993. Zhao Nanqi, director of the General Staff Logistics Department of the Chinese Navy, issued a top-secret memorandum that explained in great detail the PLA's strategic plans to consolidate control over the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean under the new doctrine of "high-sea defense." Zhao stated that "We can no longer accept the Indian Ocean as only an ocean of the Indians." In order to enable the PRC to consolidate the strategic posture Beijing spires to, Zhao envisages a massive naval build-up and assertive use of sea power. Only activist use of sea power can be considered the primary means to enable the PRC to finally secure its control over the oil-rich South China Sea. Beijing has no doubt that its strategic surge would be opposed by its neighbors. "We are taking armed conflicts in the region into account," Zhao stated in his top secret memorandum.

By 1993, the PLA High Command was already considering the surge toward the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca the greatest and most urgent strategic challenge facing the PRC. This threat assessment was stated in the July 1993 milestone book Can the Chinese Army Win the Next War? which outlined authoritatively Beijing's perception of future wars. The book stressed the inevitability of a strategic clash with the US over the future of East Asia, to be waged primarily through numerous local wars involving the PLA in clashes with US allies and proxies, as well as the US itself. The book stressed that "the Chinese Army is making active preparations for coming local or regional wars." Despite the existence of numerous treaties between the US and local powers that might compel the US to intervene militarily on their behalf, the PLA High Command singles out the situation in the Spratly Islands as the primary catalyst for a US military intervention in the region against the PRC. "Once China uses force to protect its national sovereignty in that area, a quite large scale local war will be unavoidable, at which time the South China Sea will become a second Persian Gulf!"

Thus, Beijing had committed itself already in 1992-93 to this massive naval build-up. Examining the prevailing strategic posture in the region, the allotted time frame envisaged at least five years for the completion of the first phase of build-up. The ensuing build-up has been more than just acquiring weapon systems and training their crews. The PRC has simultaneously embarked on an all-out surge throughout the region to create the regional circumstances so that the impact of the Chinese new military power will be maximal. This surge includes a host of covert operations including sponsorship of terrorism by China's close allies. This campaign was accelerating as of mid 1994. However, in early 1995, a sense of urgency was suddenly introduced into Beijing's assertive strategic grand design.

In early 1995, Beijing concluded that its apprehensions about a hostile US policy were fully justified. US East Asian strategy is based on evoking the "China Threat" in order to remove potential competition. Moreover, Washington now intended to use India in order "to help contain China." This was only a component of an effort to form ties with China's neighbors in order to encircle China. The PRC's naval threat analysis in the summer of 1995 specifically pointed to the growing naval cooperation between the US and India as well as to India's own naval build-up programs and other naval activities of India's Eastern Naval Command. These were identified as reasons for strategic apprehension that the PRC must take into consideration. After all, the emerging strategic posture in the Indian Ocean, if permitted to evolve, would significantly challenge Beijing's ability to carry out its strategic naval surge planned for the end of the decade.

Therefore, in the spring of 1995, as these strategic calculations were being made, Beijing resolved to markedly expedite its surge, at the least parts of it, so that it would be impossible for its enemies to forestall its rise to global power. The most urgent task identified by the PLA strategic analysts is to consolidate control over the Strait of Malacca so that no other power is capable of blocking the surge of the Chinese Navy the moment it is capable of surging into the Indian Ocean and Beijing gives the order to do so.

While the PLA High Command has no qualms about the CMC's policy decision that it is imperative for Beijing to control the Strait of Malacca, they know that it is not that easy to accomplish in peacetime. Presently, the PRC cannot just occupy the Strait of Malacca -- take on Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia by force of arms. Therefore, the CMC instructed the PLA High Command to come up with a practical strategy of attaining as much of the original goal within the confines of prevailing world conditions. Beijing concluded that what the PRC can do is to encircle the Strait of Malacca and, through covert operations, create intolerable conditions for potential enemies and opponents in the region.

Consequently, it has become imperative for the PRC to consolidate direct control over both approaches to the Strait of Malacca while neutralizing the states in between through covert action. The approaches to the Strait of Malacca can be dominated from the Spratly islands and Burma's coastline on the Bay of Bengal (most of the region's islands being Indian territory). The key to the covert action is having Beijing's close allies -- Iran and Pakistan -- either win over the Muslim governments of the key regional states or subvert the Muslim population of other key states in the region so that the internal crisis and instability will prevent them from resisting the Chinese strategic surge and rise to hegemonic position.

And so, in the fall of 1995, Beijing is proceeding on an accelerated implementation of its ambitious and multi facetted program to consolidate control over the Strait of Malacca as a key to controlling the China Sea, the eastern Indian Ocean and chocking Western commercial traffic. Even the completion of the first phase, in which Chinese forces stay out of the Strait themselves, will put Beijing in effective control over this major choke point. Subsequent steps by the PRC and its allies to complete the surge have demonstrated a sophisticated combination of use of military power in peacetime with the exploitation of state-sponsored terrorism to achieve strategic tangible results.

----

The whole rest of the article contains sections on The Spratly Islands, Burma, International Terrorism, The PLA High Command and their Vision, and Conclusion. Click on the url posted at the start of this message.

Regards,
Jai

AJphx

August 4th, 2004, 02:49 AM

interesting article.... it is understanable, since I read that one third of all world commerce passes through the strait of malacca.

because of that there are apparently a lot of pirates there, which also leads to military buildup for security... although some of those pirates may be supported by certain governments...

RafflesCity

August 4th, 2004, 04:25 PM

An interesting article Jai!

One reason why China is very interested in the Straits of Malacca could be because the US could use it as a chokepoint against China (oil) in the event of hostilities between the 2. Notice how China and Pakistan are co-operating on providing western China with access to the sea.

Another contentious issue is the Spratly Islands and it remains to be seen what happens

huaiwei

August 5th, 2004, 04:48 PM

Before I comment on the previous article..

KL, S'pore 'to keep FPDA relevant'

BUTTERWORTH (Penang) - Malaysian armed forces chief Mohamed Zahidi Zainuddin said yesterday that both Malaysia and Singapore were committed to ensure a defence pact that the two countries held with Britain and two other allies would remain relevant to the security of the region.

He also said the Five Power Defence Arrangement (FPDA) had contributed to peace and stability and ensured this part of the world would remain free of conflicts.

The FPDA comprises Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Britain.

Multilateral exercises conducted each year under the auspices of the FPDA had ensured the stability of this region and Malaysia and Singapore had enjoyed the benefits provided by Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

'Malaysia and Singapore remain committed...to ensuring the FPDA remains relevant to the security of Malaysia and Singapore and to the long-term stability of the region,' he said.

He was speaking at the commissioning of the Integrated Area Defence System (IADS) Command and Control Information System (ICCIS) at the Headquarters of the IADS (HQIADS), the operational arm of FPDA at the Royal Malaysia Airforce Base here yesterday.

Also present were Singapore Defence Forces Chief Lieutenant-General Ng Yat Chung, Royal Malaysia Air Force Chief General Datuk Nik Ismail Nik Mohamad, HQIADS Commander Air Vice-Marshall J.N. Blackburn and Boeing Australia Ltd managing director David Gray.

Gen Mohamed Zahidi said HQIADS had contributed significantly to the peace and security of Malaysia and Singapore for the past 33 years and had become an important element of the region's security architecture.

He said command, control and communications activities were centred on the Butterworth Air Defence Operation Centre and the new system would enable IADS command to view a common operating picture in real-time for joint operations, thus providing vastly improved decision-making capabilities. -- Bernama

huaiwei

August 6th, 2004, 10:22 PM

RSS Valour? Why not RSS Rajaratnam or Goh Keng Swee?

By K. C. Vijayan

THE naming of cats 'is a difficult matter', said the poet T.S. Eliot. It is not 'one of your holiday games', he insisted in his celebrated Possum's Book Of Practical Cats.

I thought of these lines as I watched the sail past of 17 naval craft from Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore off Batam two Tuesdays ago, as they steamed into the Malacca Strait on a joint exercise.

The five Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) vessels in the flotilla were christened Valour, Gallant, Independence, Sea Scorpion and Sea Wolf. Perfectly nice names, but what if they had been called RSS Goh Keng Swee, S. Rajaratnam or even Winston Choo?

All the names the RSN has used so far reflect ideal qualities. When a new frigate, a small, fast ship used to protect other ships, was launched in Tuas a fortnight ago, it was called RSS Intrepid.

It was chosen in a contest that drew some 10,200 entries. Other names which contestants suggested ranged from Achiever, Ardent and Allegiance to Sentinel, Superior and Singapura, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told The Straits Times. But no one suggested naming a vessel after a national historic figure.

Mindef chooses names to reflect 'the qualities of the RSN's frigates and commitment of the navy's men and women to ensure Singapore's seaward defence', it said in a statement last December.

Last month, the navy's latest submarine took to sea with the glorious name of RSS Centurion, after the Roman military officer who commanded 100 soldiers. It joins the other three Cs - RSS Chieftain, Challenger and Conqueror - in Singapore's underwater quartet.

RSS Centurion was described as possessing updated stealth capabilities and heavyweight firepower - qualities espoused, if not embodied, by Dr Goh. A review in the 1980s of a collection of his essays on economics paid him tribute by saying defence ministers elsewhere would eagerly await his essays on how to start a defence force from scratch.

Like Dr Goh, Mr Rajaratnam needs no introduction. However, among his many distinguished contributions, he was also Mindef's unheralded flagbearer.

Consider his speech of the 1970s titled The Real Opposition, which became standard reading for the Singapore Armed Forces then. In it, he dismissed the opposition parties of the day and said the real opposition worked 24 hours a day for Singapore's downfall.

Mr Rajaratnam was referring to communists, of course, but mention 'terrorists' today, and the message remains the same.

The experience of the world's mightiest armada in naming names is relevant here. In an e-mail response, a United States Navy spokesman told The Straits Times that while the US Navy 'has attempted to be systematic in naming its ships, like all institutions it has been subject to evolutionary change, and the name sources of the navy's ships have not been immune to this change'.

The US Navy website provides a historical account of this evolution. Its cruisers, which are fast naval vessels, were named after cities. Its destroyers of today - which evolved from the steam torpedo boats of the turn of the 19th century - came to be named after American naval leaders and heroes.

Submarines entered the US naval fleet in 1900, with the first named in honour of submarine designer and builder John Holland. Later submarine names have varied from the affable - like Grampus, Salmon and Porpoise - to the venomous - Adder, Tarantula and Viper.

Today, there is USS Jimmy Carter, honouring a former US president who also served as a naval officer on a nuclear submarine.

In America's fleet of aircraft carriers are vessels named after former presidents - George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, among them - as well as politicians who were not presidents, such as the Carl Vinson.

What will future US naval ships be called?

'It seems safe to say the evolutionary process of the past will continue,' said the US Navy on its website. 'As the fleet itself changes, so will the names given to its ships.' But the names will continue to demonstrate regard for the country's history and traditions.

During that sail past, while Singaporean journalists were on the Indonesian Navy's TNI Tanjung Dalpele (named after a port in Indonesia), conversation turned to Mr Winston Choo, the SAF chief in its formative years.

An able man, he was known as the 'general with a heart'. As an infantryman then, I can testify he deserved the sobriquet.

It is nice and heartening when some of the venerated figures from Singapore's past are remembered in conversations. It would be nicer still if their names can be emblazoned on our naval ships.

What need do we have of Roman centurions when our nation's history already has names summoning qualities of heart and valour?

babystan03

August 11th, 2004, 04:23 PM

AUG 11, 2004
Australia and S'pore launch war games

DARWIN - Armed forces from Australia and Singapore launched nine days of war games off the northern Australian coast on Wednesday aimed at improving cooperation between the nations' militaries.

Exercise Singaroo will involve the countries' air forces and navies in manoeuvres north of the port of Darwin, the Australian Defence Department said in a statement.

'This exercise goes a long way to help develop defence ties and contribute to regional stability,' said Rear Admiral Rowan Moffitt. 'It also continues to build and maintain the rapport and friendship between the men and women of the two armed forces.'

Three Australian frigates and a submarine along with transport and supply ships and two patrol boats will take part along with the Singapore Navy's victory class corvettes RSS Vigilance and RSS Victory.

Royal Australian Air Force reconnaissance planes and fighter jets also will be involved.

The manoeuvres begin late Wednesday and will end on Aug 20. -- AP

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

August 17th, 2004, 04:06 PM

If you are truly boliao.....go hear this: http://www.spug.net/showthread.php?p=602468

or a direct link:

http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~hancheet/mp3/new%20Album/tianheihei.wma

The lyrics reproduced here:

天黑黑 .. ..

GUARD DUTY时候 prowling PROWL到我脚酸 CHAOKENG总是与我难以避免
夏天的夜晚 ARMY的歌安慰我那首歌好像这样唱的
天黑黑好可怕天黑黑黑黑
离开GUARD ROOM时带着我的SBO 拖着脚步怠慢地往前走
劳累和辛苦无法控制的时候我躲到安全地带睡觉。
天黑黑好恐怖天黑黑有鬼
我看见一个人头在那儿飞翔着
我以为这就是我所幻想的世界
然而横冲直撞，把我给吓坏
是否兵士的世界里头充满着恐

我走在每天必须面对的分岔路
我发现人头也只不过是只鸟儿累总是让人哭让人进入一个幻想
那CAMP很大却看不清楚好。。可。。怕

(GUARD DUTY是新加坡兵士们所应作的责任。虽然此活动非常辛苦，但GUARD DUTY背后的真正意义，又有多少人知呢？在这里，让我们一起支持所有GUARD DUTY的兵士们，鼓励他们勇往直前地完成他们

GUARDDUTY的任务。

我看见BUNK里灯火在那儿吹灭了
我以为这就是我所幻想的地方
然而重务。。在身，把我给唤醒
是否兵士的世界里头充满着苦
我走在我们必须巡(XUN) 察的AMMO DUMP
我发现月光将一切弄得更美好光总是让人笑让人进入勇敢世界-
那CAMP很大却看不清楚好恐怖

天亮的时候我终于到达终点
脱离RIFLE 立即进入梦乡原来GUARD DUTY(HIGH) 也有他温柔一面
我现在好想回BUNK睡觉….
天亮了欲落雨天亮了亮了

babystan03

August 17th, 2004, 04:07 PM

^
Reading the lyrics is funny enough.....but the singing.....whoa....blows you away...:eek::lol:

huaiwei

August 17th, 2004, 04:08 PM

Muahaha.....when I realised it might have been someone in NUS who sang that song, I was like going....oh no............:D

babystan03

August 17th, 2004, 04:09 PM

Muahaha.....when I realised it might have been someone in NUS who sang that song, I was like going....oh no............:D

Dun know if he was the guy who sang lemon tree in Singapore Idol?? :lol:

huaiwei

August 17th, 2004, 04:11 PM

Dun know if he was the guy who sang lemon tree in Singapore Idol?? :lol:
Which faculty was he from?

redstone

August 17th, 2004, 04:12 PM

:lol:

Someone just has too much time on his hands.

babystan03

August 17th, 2004, 04:12 PM

Which faculty was he from?

Arts and Social Science.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... :bash:

redstone

August 17th, 2004, 04:13 PM

Very malu leh...

huaiwei

August 17th, 2004, 04:14 PM

Malu meh? You have not even served NS yet and you say malu ah? I should be the one malued here loh....FASS is my fac! :D

heirloom

August 17th, 2004, 04:17 PM

uh... that lemon tree guy was a dunman high student... so embarrassing for dunman high... :runaway:

redstone

August 17th, 2004, 04:20 PM

One of my classmates went for auditions but was kicked out.Wonder would she appear to TV.

Sings quite well, actually.Performed on stage several times.

huaiwei

August 21st, 2004, 12:56 PM

RSS COURAGEOUS COLLISION
Officers' actions put both ships in danger

CJ says this in his written grounds for rejecting the appeals last month of two navy officers found guilty of negligence

By Elena Chong

THOUGH the fatal collision between the RSS Courageous and ANL Indonesia would not have occurred if the crew of the merchant ship had not been negligent, the dangerous situation that both vessels were placed in on Jan 3 last year was created by the navy ship.

Chief Justice Yong Pung How said this yesterday in giving the written grounds for his judgment in dismissing the appeals of Lieutenants Ng Keng Yong, 28, and Chua Chue Teng, 24, last month.

The CJ said the two navy officers had a duty to take the necessary extra precautions to avoid any risk of collision with other vessels proceeding in the correct direction, even though they were not negligent in going against the flow of traffic.

In upholding the conviction of the two navy officers, who had been found guilty after a 24-day trial earlier this year, he said: 'Far from keeping a watchful eye on the situation, the appellants made a series of alterations to port, in breach of the Collision Regulations.

'The ANL was obliged by the appellants' actions to respond with her own, albeit negligent, manoeuvres.'

On April 2, Ng was fined $10,000 and Chua, $8,000, for negligently causing the deaths of four fellow crew members after both ships collided off the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branca.

They appealed against the conviction, but this was thrown out last month.

Yesterday, the CJ said he felt their negligence had clearly been a 'substantial' cause of the collision.

He said the ANL Indonesia had been forced to react in response to a risk of collision created by Ng and Chua's negligent actions.

Another issue in the appeal was whether Chua, as a trainee, should be held to the same standard of care as a qualified officer-of-the-watch.

On this, the CJ said Chua had herself conceded that once she took the 'con' (or control of the steering) of the Courageous, she was responsible for the lives and safety of the crew on board.

Once she was placed in the position of making navigational decisions for the vessel, the CJ said, she was also responsible for the lives and safety of the crew of other vessels nearby.

'In the circumstances, she had to be held to the same standard as a reasonably competent and qualified officer-of-the-watch.

'This may seem harsh, but to subject her to a lower standard of care would unfairly place the safety of everyone else around her at risk,' he added.

He felt that there was no reason for trainees to be held to a lower standard of care simply because allowing them to take control of naval vessels was part and parcel of the Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) training regime.

'I had to consider not just the welfare of such RSN trainees, but also the wider interests of other RSN personnel, as well as the other vessels and their crews at sea.

'To demand any less from these trainees would unduly place the lives and property of other innocent parties at risk,' he said.

babystan03

August 29th, 2004, 04:16 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 29 August 2004 2028 hrs

Biggest Army Open House extends visiting hours into the night
By Ca-Mie De Souza, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The Army Open House will be back next week - with more than the usual military equipment display, rides and shows.

This year's display is the largest to date and will even be opened into the night.

At the Open House starting on Saturday, visitors will get to fire the SAR21.

And what's new is that visitors will be able to hop onto the SAF's 5-tonners to see live firing at a huge combat zone.

Visitors can also get up close with the Advanced Combat Man - part of the new exhibition on the 3G Army.

With another new Army Experience exhibit, little ones will also get to model themselves after the soldiers.

There will also be the freefallers outside their usual role at the National Day Parade.

From Saturday, SAF invites you to get into their boots for a day.

Take on a challenge and see if you can do the most chin-ups in a minute.

SAFTI Military Institute is where the action is, and it is open till September 6. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

August 30th, 2004, 11:48 PM

AUG 30, 2004
RSAF F-16 crash not due to pilot negligence or foul play, says Mindef
David Boey
Defence Correspondent

THE F-16C pilot who died when his fighter jet crashed in the United States in May this year could have blacked out or became disoriented during his night flight, the Ministry of Defence said on Monday, after completing its investigation.

The single-seat warplane, which was lost on the night of May 19 in Arizona, claimed the life of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) pilot, Lieutenant Brandon Loo Kwang Han. He was 25.

His fighter crashed about 160km south of Luke Air Force Base, some 45 minutes after takeoff.

In a statement released on Monday, Mindef ruled out 'negligence or foul play' by the pilot 'or any other person'.

There were also no problems with the aircraft as the cause was found to be 'attributable solely to human factor'.

This statement means that the crash - which completely destroyed the F-16C Fighting Falcon - was not due to faults in the aircraft's single engine or other aircraft components.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

September 1st, 2004, 04:47 AM

SEPT 1, 2004
ARMY OPEN HOUSE 2004
SAF gets new battlefield radars
By David Boey

THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has acquired battlefield radars called Arthur to help it detect enemy artillery shells, mortar bombs and rockets.

The Swedish-made radar's name stands for ARTillery HUnting Radar.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-09-01/h5.jpg
The radar, mounted on a BV-206 vehicle, can detect shells 40km away, says Capt Soh (above). -- DAVID BOEY

The new radars - about the size of a ping pong table - were put into operation early last year. One radar will go on show for the first time at this weekend's Army Open House at the Safti Military Institute in Jurong.

Arthur is mounted on top of a BV-206 all-terrain tracked vehicle for greater mobility. It joins existing weapon locating radars like the United States-made Firefinders and thus reinforces the combat capability of the 24th Battalion Singapore Artillery (24 SA) in finding targets for the Army's big guns.

The new radars can also tell SAF gunners if their shells are on target and advise them to adjust their firing, if necessary.

Weapons engineers at the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) have made improvements to the radar system, like adding air-conditioning to the operator's cabin under the radar.

Apart from creature comforts, DSTA division manager Teo Chee Wah said efforts were made 'to integrate the Arthur system into the SAF's sensor-to-shooter network' so that gunners can find, fix and finish targets rapidly.

Captain Patrick Soh, a radar commander with 24 SA, said yesterday that Arthur can go into action with a crew of 11 gunners in five minutes.

In comparison, it takes 18 gunners some 30 minutes to set up the unit's older Firefinder radars. What is more, three separate vehicles support each Firefinder radar, which is towed behind a truck.

Also, the Arthur can detect shells or rockets some 40km away - the distance from Changi to Tuas.

Arthur will force any enemy mobile artillery system that uses 'shoot-and-scoot' tactics, to 'redeploy constantly so that they become ineffective', added Capt Soh.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

redstone

September 1st, 2004, 04:50 AM

New technology always coming out.

You'll never know what might be next.

babystan03

September 1st, 2004, 04:51 AM

New technology always coming out.

You'll never know what might be next.

But at least it's good to get the latest one first....then won't be so outdated later when newer things come out......:yes:

redstone

September 1st, 2004, 04:53 AM

We even have remote-controlled mini bombers.

And very few people know about it.It was made and developed in Singapore by Singapore Technologies.

heirloom

September 1st, 2004, 04:54 AM

irrelevant post on imac now moved to here in kopitiam (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=2137986#post2137986)

redstone

September 1st, 2004, 04:55 AM

Um, please post this somewhere else?

heirloom

September 1st, 2004, 04:55 AM

i marvel at how they fit an entire computer into a space not more than what a normal tft monitor or tv occupies...

btw comes in 17 and 20"

heirloom

September 1st, 2004, 04:56 AM

@redstone..

ummmm ok :P

huaiwei

September 1st, 2004, 05:58 AM

babystan03

September 2nd, 2004, 09:30 AM

SEPT 2, 2004
ARMY OPEN HOUSE 2004
Future soldiers to fight better with less
Improved combat system weighs less but is more rugged, has more lethal firepower and comes with voice recognition instead of buttons

By David Boey

THE Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) vision of transforming each infantry soldier into a warrior of the future - armed with lethal firepower and sensors that allow him to fight at night - has moved a step closer to reality.

The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), which manages weapons programmes for the Ministry of Defence and SAF, said yesterday that initial trials of the Advanced Combat Man System have shown key reductions in weight and improvements in reliability over previous equipment.

The improved system - which includes weapons, sensors and equipment that future soldiers may carry into battle - will be showcased at the Safti Military Institute at this weekend's Army Open House, said the Ministry of Defence yesterday.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-09-02/h6.jpg
The SAR-21 rifle now uses sensors that are 3 kg lighter.

Lieutenant-Colonel Jason Lim from Headquarters Armour, which is organising the event's Army Transformation exhibits, said: 'The soldier of the SAF's third-generation fighting force must be able to see better, sense better, shoot better and survive better.'

The public got its first glimpse of what future SAF infantrymen will be armed with at the last Army Open House in 2002.

DSTA project manager Choo Hui Wei said two years of development have allowed DSTA to cut down the weight of the load that soldiers have to carry by some 20 per cent.

'The weight of the system will not only affect the mobility of the soldier, it will inevitably affect the soldier's fighting capabilities,' he said.

Mr Choo added that a challenge was to provide soldiers with enhanced capabilities to communicate with one another and deliver more lethal firepower 'without adding extra weight, and where possible, even taking weight off the soldiers'.

The project team's target: to keep the weight of weapons and equipment a soldier has to lug around to 'less than one-third of an average soldier's body weight'.

To do so entails a balancing act, Mr Choo said, as the team has to design the whole system so that it is compact and yet its fighting capabilities are not compromised.

Weight issues aside, Mr Choo said the improved system uses 'voice recognition in place of buttons and keys' to exchange data with other soldiers.

'It has made it more intuitive for the soldier, as he can now use it just like talking to his buddy.'

He added that the system has also been made more rugged to withstand stresses on the battlefield and rough handling, and more user-friendly.

One of the key areas where weight has been cut is the Singapore-made SAR-21 assault rifle, which is the standard rifle that infantrymen now carry.

Back in 2002, sensors and weapon sights were added to the rifle to improve its accuracy, but this raised its weight to more than 8kg.

The new version is 3kg lighter as it uses sensors which are less bulky and lighter, Mr Choo said.

The additional sensors fitted to the weapon allow soldiers to shoot around corners with the help of a TV camera attached under the gun barrel. Night-vision equipment allows soldiers to fight in complete darkness without using visible light.

'With enhanced superior knowledge and precision engagement capabilities, our future warrior's situational awareness is raised and their survivability is enhanced,' he added.

'Given the knowledge of the enemies' whereabouts, the soldier will have the ability to execute precise tactical engagement before being engaged by the enemy.'

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

babystan03

September 2nd, 2004, 11:27 AM

The New Paper - 02 Sep 2004

Bye bye sweaty feet, hello SAF sandals

OUR men in green can finally dress down.

For more than 30 years, Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldiers could only wear combat boots or running shoes.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-09-01/ns01-074543.jpg

But a new sandal introduced by SAF will change this, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

The military has decided to issue a pair of sandals to every soldier.

Soldiers can now wear sandals when they are performing administrative duties.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-09-01/ns01-074605.jpg

They will also be allowed to wear sandals when eating at the cookhouse.

The sandals are also permitted in the mess areas where soldiers go to watch television or simply just to relax.

The SAF said it is aware that wearing boots and running shoes for long periods might lead to smelly feet and foot rot.

These problems develop because sweat on the feet might not dry up.

So, wearing sandals while they are not out in the field can help to improve soldiers' hygiene.

Active soldiers would be issued with the sandals first.

NSmen will be getting the sandals later.

NEW VEST

Soldiers can also look forward to a new set of stylish running vest and shorts.

Previously, they were issued with dull grey T-shirts with sleeves and black shorts.

The new vest is sleeveless and white.

http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-09-01/ns01-074525.jpg

Made of polyester microfibre, the running vest dries faster and is lighter than the old grey T-shirt.

This is important as the old T-shirt becomes heavy with sweat when soldiers perspire as they run.

The new vest dries faster and is also lighter than the old T-shirt by 30 per cent.

Without sleeves, the new vest is more airy and has a stylish design.

Besides the new vest, soldiers will be getting new running shorts, also made of polyester microfibre.

Like the new vest, the new shorts will also be lighter and dries faster.

The material is also smoother than the old black shorts.

This will prevent soldiers from getting abrasions in their thighs.

On top of these changes, officers will get collared T-shirts.

This is to differentiate officers from the enlisted men because now, both groups wear grey T-shirts without collar when they are doing light exercise, like jogging.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 12:32 PM

my god.... they took so many decades to realise that boots can lead to foot rot?! *DAFT!*

huaiwei

September 2nd, 2004, 12:50 PM

Sigh...pampered arent they? You get discounts in working hours, and now you get to work in style! :D

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 01:04 PM

i hardly think physical exertion is anywhere near to the meaning of 'pampered'.

huaiwei

September 2nd, 2004, 01:06 PM

i hardly think physical exertion is anywhere near to the meaning of 'pampered'.
I dont think being confined for 6/1/2 days per week for 30 months for "physical sxertion" is considered "pampered" either.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 01:43 PM

no it isn't. your point?

huaiwei

September 2nd, 2004, 01:45 PM

no it isn't. your point?
My point is that being confined for 5 days per week for 24 months for "physical sxertion" IS considered pampered! :D

Oh btw..typo error earlier....I meant 5/1/2 days.

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 01:48 PM

Sekali one day the bunks would have air-cons! :D

babystan03

September 2nd, 2004, 01:57 PM

Sekali one day the bunks would have air-cons! :D

Then we'll have really "soft" soldiers........:lol:

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 02:06 PM

huh? isn't ns all about physical exertion? what do you do when confined?

huaiwei

September 2nd, 2004, 02:11 PM

huh? isn't ns all about physical exertion? what do you do when confined?
Lie on the floor in your bunk and count the ants.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 02:51 PM

uh.... that's rather torturous...

huaiwei

September 2nd, 2004, 03:18 PM

uh.... that's rather torturous...
The ants probably fare much worse thou.

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 03:21 PM

Don't forget mosquitos.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 04:00 PM

.. yeah... imagine how many ants i kill.. one by one.... as long as cockroach dont come in..

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 04:03 PM

Ants are nothing, so are cockroaches.

Mosquitos make you unable to sleep sometimes.Once, I was bitten by many mosquitos at CCA camp at another school.There's some construction there.NEL I think.So there were so many bites at night I can hardly sleep.Very itch.Forgot to spray insect repellant.The other nights I did, and no bites.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 04:08 PM

why can't someone just *invent* magic potion to rid the world of mosquitos and cockroaches and crickets and silverfish

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 04:12 PM

There're electronic insect repellents which repell any insects.

Just plug it in.Emits a high-frequency sound which drives them away.

Another version is battery-operated and is small than a jackknife.

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 04:17 PM

where to buy arH? like can't find in supermarkets leh... does it really work? do insects grow immune to it?

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 04:18 PM

'Army Market' at Beach Road, or any camping supplies store, or some stores that sells camping equipment.

redstone

September 2nd, 2004, 04:20 PM

Oh, and the sound is inaudible to humans. :)

heirloom

September 2nd, 2004, 05:58 PM

yeah ;.. i read about products like that all around... but cannot find.. i only found in a tv media store but 70 bucks then a bit... bu4 she2 de4..

how much is the one you're talking about?

redstone

September 3rd, 2004, 07:27 AM

No idea...

babystan03

September 4th, 2004, 01:28 PM

Time is GMT + 8 hours
Posted: 04 September 2004 1915 hrs

Infantry soldiers to be armed with new portable anti-tank weapon over 2 years
By Johnson Choo, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : The Singapore Armed Forces has a new portable anti-tank weapon, called the MATADOR.

It is a compact and lightweight weapon that is able to penetrate brick walls and tanks.

The MATADOR was shown to the public for the first time at the Army Open House at SAFTI Military Institute.

With an effective range of 500 metres, the MATADOR is able to punch through most Armoured Personnel Carrier and Light Tanks in the world.

It can also be used in urban warfare to penetrate brick walls.

To be phased into operation over two years, the MATADOR will provide 3G soldiers with formidable firepower.

Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, Defence Minister, said, "The Army Open House will offer members of the public a glimpse of some of the new concepts, warfighting ideas and technologies that are being explored with partners in the local industries, research institutions and universities."

Visitors to the Army Open House can find out more about the latest technologies used by 3G soldiers, and even try them out in a mock urban warfare.

For hardware junkies, they will not be disappointed with the wide range of weapons and vehicles displayed.

Visitors can even ride in different military vehicles.

And for those who prefer to be just an observer, they can watch the Red Lions free-fall from 6,000 feet and rangers mount a mock attack at the parade square.

There are a lot of things to see and a lot of things to do at the Army Open House.

But here is some friendly advice from an army medic: remember to wear something comfortable and drink lots of water.

The Open House will be held till September 6. - CNA

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd

babystan03

September 5th, 2004, 05:44 AM

SEPT 5, 2004
'Terrorists' ambush visitors at Safti open house
By Jeremy Au Yong

TRUCKLOADS of visitors who watched the live firing demonstrations at the Army Open House yesterday got more than they bargained for.

On their way back to camp, they were 'ambushed' by men wearing masks, brandishing machetes and rifles, who leapt from the bushes. But the good guys won in the end, as the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) snipers swiftly took down the 'attackers'.

The mock terrorist attack was just one of the highlights for the thousands who went to the Safti Military Institute in Jurong yesterday for the first day of the three-day open house.

The staged ambush was an unannounced feature of a new exhibit called the Battle Track, and caught many of the visitors off-guard.

'I was quite surprised when the terrorists came out. That was really good. Actually, the whole ride was very interesting,' said 35-year-old engineer Chua Teng Beng.

Other attractions at the open house include rides in armoured vehicles and a firing range, where visitors can experience the thrill of firing a machine gun first-hand.

There was also an exhibition documenting the experiences of national servicemen and the technology the army will use in its transformation into a third-generation or 3G force.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean was the guest of honour at the opening ceremony and witnessed a live firing of the new Matador anti-armour weapon.

Jointly developed by the SAF and the Defence Science and Technology Agency, the weapon looks like a normal shoulder-fired rocket launcher, but its payload can easily destroy a tank or a double brick wall.

In his opening speech, Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said Singaporeans should not be overly reliant on technology in developing the next generation army.

He said: 'Ultimately, it is our fighting men and women who will unlock the potential of the 3G army.'

Yesterday, large crowds of enthusiastic youngsters braved the sweltering heat and long lines for a small taste of the army.

Kishen Dev, 10, was so impressed by the machine-gun firing range that he announced: 'I want to be a soldier when I grow up!'

The Army Open House will run from 10am to 9pm today, and from 10am to 6pm tomorrow. Admission is free. There is a free shuttle service to Safti Military Institute from Jurong East interchange.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

huaiwei

September 6th, 2004, 03:21 PM

Hunter birds tackle feathered menace

BirdPark hawk shoos away birds to avoid collision with planes but it isn't tenacious enough, so plan is to import goshawks

By Goh Chin Lian

FOWLER the show bird took off on her maiden military flight at Tengah Air Base in April, on a mission to scare away birds from the runway used by fighter planes for take-offs and landings.

But the 10-year-old Harris hawk, a predatory bird from the Jurong BirdPark, failed to live up to expectations.

Now, plans are afoot to import two goshawks from Germany - hunter birds known for their tenacity and strength.

Not that Fowler did not scare birds away. Circling over the sprawling airfield in Lim Chu Kang Road, she shooed away groups of crows, swifts and swallows.

But she was not tenacious enough. Said the executive director of Jurong BirdPark, Dr Wong Hon Mun: 'She's trained for our show. If the birds fly away, she won't be bothered to go after them.'

Those manning the airstrip of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) - like others around the world - are on a daily lookout for birds that could collide with planes.

The feathered menace can dent an aircraft's body or be sucked into its jet engines, forcing an emergency landing or, worse, bringing it down.

Collision with birds, as well as some deer and other wildlife, killed more than 150 people globally and destroyed more than 140 planes between 1990 and last year, according to a United States Federal Aviation Administration report.

US civil aviators lose an estimated US$500 million (S$861 million) a year to bird strikes, with 5,940 reported cases last year. The US Air Force lost more than US$50 million to 1,293 bird hits last year.

Changi and Seletar airports see one to two bird strikes in total each month, involving small birds like swallows, mynahs and munias which do not damage aircraft, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore told The Straits Times. However, the monthly total is 10 for the RSAF at its four airbases in Changi, Paya Lebar, Sembawang and Tengah.

Pilots have felt the shock of birds hitting their aircraft and technicians have found blood stains and other remains in the jet engines.

'The worst is some minor damage to the engine, with a nick or two on a blade, nothing serious,' said Lieutenant-Colonel Penny Ng, the commanding officer of Tengah Air Base's flying support squadron. 'But everybody treats it seriously. You simply can't risk life, and the aircraft are expensive.'

A two-man team patrols the airfield at Tengah and alerts the control tower on spotting any flock of birds - from pigeons to plovers - which start warming themselves on the tarmac as the sun rises.

The airbase's biggest worry is the migratory egret that appears between September and November because it is larger and could cause more damage in a collision.

To keep them away, it uses a combination of methods - from keeping grass long in some areas to poke at the long-legged birds, to firing loud flares followed by pre- recorded bird distress calls from a hand-held loudhailer.

About three years ago, it also tested a machine that automatically sprays a chemical that irritates the eyes and mouths of birds.

It worked well, until the birds caught on to the times at which the chemical was released, said Mr Thomas Fernandez, managing director of home-grown Pestbusters and sole distributor of the German-made gadget.

The gadget was tweaked so it could be activated by SMS from the control tower when a flock of birds were spotted on the runway. SMS is used as other remote-control methods, such as those using radio frequencies, could interfere with the aircraft. Eight machines now dot the airfield.

At Changi International Airport, measures include preventing birds from feeding there.

Pesticides are used to reduce the number of insects in the grass. Also, garbage is not allowed to be left in the open and no fruit trees are planted.

Still, there are one or two bird strikes a month and Lt-Col Ng is not satisfied: 'The idea is to bring it down to zero.'

Here is where the goshawks come in: It takes only one of them to clear a large area of birds. It will be one more tool in the arsenal to keep birds away - if it works.

Said Lt-Col Ng: 'It still needs a fair bit of fine-tuning. It's very early days.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-30/h2a.jpg
Birdpark's Fowler (left) did scare away birds at Tengah Air Base but it lacked persistence. - KEVIN YEO

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-30/h2b.jpg
Another method is to use chemical spray machines, like the one above. Activated by SMS, it sprays a non-toxic chemical that irritates the eyes and mouth of birds. -- JOYCE FANG

DEADLY COLLISION: PREVIOUS INCIDENTS

SEPT 22, 1995: United States Air Force E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft strikes about three dozen geese during take-off in Alaska. The aircraft crashes in a forest about 1.6km beyond the runway, killing all 24 crew members.

July 15, 1996: Belgian Air Force C-130 transport plane strikes a flock of birds when approaching runway in the Netherlands and crashes, killing 34 people on board.

March 8, 2001: A duck crashes through the windscreen of a civilian Bell 206 aircraft transporting a heart patient to a hospital in Montana, in the US. The pilot is slightly injured and the duck ends up in the patient's lap.

Dec 6, 2001: A Boeing 737 strikes a flock of gulls on take-off from Detroit, forcing an emergency landing. The bill to replace the engine comes to about US$2.3 million (S$3.9 million).

Source: Bird Strike Committee USA