Hehe....when do you hear that line? Yeap! This thread will be for all things about our military and national defence. Would be a wonderful place for us to relate our NS experiences, crack army jokes, share ghost stories, and for our "boys" to inquire about their impending rite-of-passage into manhood! :D

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The Mission of the Singapore Armed Forces is to enhance Singapore’s peace and security through deterrence and diplomacy, and should these fail, to secure a swift and decisive victory over the aggressor.

To achieve this Mission, MINDEF is committed to strengthening the military, manpower, and technological edge of the SAF, while fostering close defence relations with friendly countries in the region and beyond through dialogue, confidence-building and co-operation.

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TEO Chee Hean
Minister for Defence
Republic of Singapore

Teo Chee Hean was born on 27 December 1954. He was educated at St Michael's School and St Joseph's Institution. He enlisted in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 1972 and received his commission at the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute in 1973.

He was awarded the President's Scholarship and the SAF Scholarship in 1973 to study Electrical Engineering and Management Science at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) degree in 1976. He continued with his studies at the Imperial College in London, obtaining a Masters of Science degree (with distinction) in Computing Science in 1977.

Teo Chee Hean then held various command and staff appointments in the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Joint Staff.

He pursued his postgraduate studies at the Kennedy School of Government in Harvard University in 1986, where he graduated with a Masters in Public Administration and was named a Littauer Fellow.

He assumed command of the Republic of Singapore Navy as Chief of Navy in 1991, and was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in July 1991. On 7 December 1992, he left the SAF to seek elected public office.

In a by-election in December 1992, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency. Thereafter, he served as Minister of State in the Ministries of Finance, Communications and Defence.

In April 1995, Teo Chee Hean was appointed Acting Minister for the Environment and Senior Minister of State for Defence. In January 1996, he was appointed Minister for the Environment and Second Minister for Defence. In the January 1997 General Election, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Pasir Ris Group Representation Constituency and thereafter was appointed Minister for Education while continuing as Second Minister for Defence.

In the November 2001 General Election, he was elected as Member of Parliament for the Pasir-Ris Punggol Group Representation Constituency and re-appointed as Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence.

On 1 August 2003, he was appointed as Minister for Defence.

Teo Chee Hean is married to Chew Poh Yim. They have a son and a daughter.

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Cedric FOO Chee Keng
Minister of State for Defence
Republic of Singapore

Mr Foo studied at The University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA), and was awarded the degree of Science in Engineering (Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering) in 1984. Under a Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) scholarship, he went on to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, USA), and received a Master of Science (Ocean Systems Management) in 1985.

Upon his return, Mr Foo joined Neptune Orient Lines (NOL) and held various positions including General Manager (Corporate Planning), President (NOL USA) and Executive Vice President (Corporate Finance & Information Technology). At NOL, Mr Foo also attended Executive Programmes at Harvard and Kellogg Business Schools.

In January 2000, he joined Singapore Airlines (SIA).

He started at SIA as Senior Vice President (Finance and Administration) and was responsible for Accounting, Treasury and Company Planning. In July 2001, he took up the post of Senior Vice President for West Asia & Africa.

In the 2001 General Election, Mr Foo was returned unopposed as one of five Members of Parliament for the West Coast Group Representation Constituency. He was appointed Minister of State for Defence and assumed his post in April 2002.

Mr Foo is born in 1960 and is married with three children. He enjoys swimming, golf and reading.

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The aim of our defence policy is to ensure that Singapore enjoys peace and stability, and that Singapore's sovereignty and territorial integrity are protected.

We also want to do our part to contribute to regional peace and security. Diplomacy and deterrence form the twin pillars of our defence policy. We develop and maintain good relations with other countries through diplomacy. These diplomatic efforts are wide-ranging and span many fields, not just in defence. At the same time, we try to deter threats from emerging by contributing to regional resilience and through our concept of Total Defence.

Our defence policy has served us well. In the 21st Century, diplomacy and deterrence will continue to be the fundamental tenets of our defence policy. But we will have to define our security in wider terms to include not only traditional security challenges but also new ones that may arise to threaten our interests in the globalised era.

The SAF will have to develop a broader range of capabilities and prepare itself to work with others to tackle some of these challenges. This means that the SAF will have to enhance its efforts in diplomacy and deterrence.

Our two key thrusts in the coming years will be to:

Strengthen dialogue,confidence-building and co-operation in the region and beyond.

Increasingly, countries in the region recognise the value of efforts to promote confidence-building, co-operation and dialogue on issues of common security concern. Through the years, the SAF has developed extensive and expanding links with armed forces in the region and beyond. The SAF can help promote greater understanding and trust among regional and extra-regional armed forces by leveraging on these links to help strengthen bilateral and multilateral defence co-operation and dialogue, and participating in confidence-building efforts.

Strengthen Total Defence.

In the new security environment, Singapore could face a diverse range of new and unconventional threats. To tackle these challenges, we will need to strengthen all five components of Total Defence. The SAF will maintain its conventional capabilities to ensure that the military component of Total Defence remains strong. At the same time, it will work more closely with other government agencies to develop an effective defence against new security challenges, especially the non-traditional threats that may arise.

Singapore has been able to overcome past challenges because Singaporeans are not afraid to adapt and change. Likewise, we must also adapt our defence policy to the changes in the security environment. This will ensure that it continues to be relevant in the 21st Century and that our future will be protected.

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Selected legislation relevant to MINDEF:

Enlistment Act (Cap 93) (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/dmg/ls/enlistment_act.htm)

Geneva Conventions Act (Cap 117) (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/dmg/ls/geneva_conventions_act.html)

Singapore Armed Forces Act (Cap 295) (http://www.mindef.gov.sg/dmg/ls/saf_act.htm)

Another great idea! We will post relevant info here;)

Hehe....here's an example of a "relevant topic":

18 December 2003
RSN ANNOUNCES NAMES OF NEW FRIGATES

The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) today announced the names of the six new frigates. The Navy’s first frigate, the RSS FORMIDABLE, will be launched in Lorient, France on 7 Jan 2004 (Wednesday). The Minister for Defence, RADM (NS) Teo Chee Hean, will officiate at the launching ceremony.

The names of the Navy’s other five frigates are RSS INTREPID, RSS STEADFAST, RSS TENACIOUS, RSS STALWART and RSS SUPREME. These names reflect the qualities of the RSN’s frigates and the commitment of the Navy’s men and women to ensure Singapore’s seaward defence and the protection of our vital sea lines of communications.

The names were selected from a total of 10,200 entries received during the “Name the Navy’s New Frigates” contest held from 5 May to 30 Jun this year.

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What do you guys think of the names? I actually found them rather ordinary sounding despite them supposedly meant to conjure up more positive images! :D

The names are inspiring but I would prefer to see localised names like Mandai or Lorong Ah Soo.

Originally posted by RafflesCity

The names are inspiring but I would prefer to see localised names like Mandai or Lorong Ah Soo. :rofl:

As far as I noe, the place names thingy is indeed used by the smaller ships? Such as RSN Bedok?

Btw, heres a huge graphic of that stealth frigate. :cheers:

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Is it most boys get into the Army for NS?

Or are they divided equally between the Air Force ,Navy ,Army ,SCDF ,and Police Force?

All my cousins were in the army.

But my dad's a Police during his NS days.

Mostly army, unfortunately, although there are a few determining factors of where you get posted to. No hard and fast rules thou, as we would expect. :D

Wow huaiwei...seems like u can't wait to serve NS soon!! Hey i been there for six years in the air force..

Originally posted by benny1973

Wow huaiwei...seems like u can't wait to serve NS soon!! Hey i been there for six years in the air force.. Eh.....actually I completed my NS liability more then 2 years ago? :D

You signed on a 5 year contract is it? ;)

Ooooooo........nnniiiccceeee:D

Eh, I was left wondering what you are responding to, Cliff. :colgate:

Oh, the entire tread.:)
And of course that nice big boat.:D

nono. not nice. ns is terrifying :(

Originally posted by heirloom

nono. not nice. ns is terrifying :( Aiyah you just declare lah. ;)

But wait! Didnt GCT recently annouce that homosexuals are now permitted into "sensitive" government jobs?? :D

Originally posted by Cliff

Oh, the entire tread.:)
And of course that nice big boat.:D Hehe...and you can make this a even nicer thread by posting as many pictures and stuff as you can find! ;)

what does that mean? i wont be excused even if i declare?

Originally posted by heirloom

what does that mean? i wont be excused even if i declare? I dont know. I never tried. :D

Anyway, you might be glad to know there are certainly many gays who never declared, and went through 30 months of NS training with everyone else. They certainly came out doing as good as any other normal guy, so whats so special about you? ;)

i'm probably just over-spoilt. well you'll see when you see me one day.

mee too.:D

yeah, yeah......like who isnt in this kind of society like ours? ;)

NS is really not that bad lah......before NS, all I knew about it was those footages of Basic Military Training (BMT), and I actually tot I had to go through that kind of thing for a full 30 months. Apparantly my fears were totally unfounded!! :D

Don't tell us, or else we will expect something soft.:)

Scare us, say terrible things about NS, so we'll have a pleasant surprise.:D

Hahaa...well.......actually BMT is the most fun aspect of NS for most people. Hell breaks loose after that, depending on where you are posted to. Lets see how many of you make it into Guards, for example. Commandos is clearly out of the question for both of you. :D

Yes, I'd rather live than retire early.:D

Originally posted by Cliff

Yes, I'd rather live than retire early.:D "retire early"??? :?

Anyway, check out this new arsenal to our artillery. Its a local product! :cool:

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The SSPH 1 Primus

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About the Primas

The Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus is a 155 mm, 39 calibre track-based, self-propelled howitzer developed jointly by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and Singapore Technologies Kinetics (ST Kinetics) to meet the operational requirements of the SAF.

A fusion of the precision, range and firepower of the artillery, with the protection, speed and manoeuvrability of armoured vehicles, the Primus is a highly accurate, mobile artillery platform that will bolster the fighting capabilities of our armoured forces with its 'hide, shoot, scoot' capability.

Arguably the lightest and most responsive self-propelled howitzer in its class, the Primus packs a big punch to any target within its range. Onboard, the indigenous integration of technologies allows a crew of four to effectively operate the system autonomously, affirming the Primus not only as a formidable force in the modern battlefield, but also as an invaluable asset to our technologically advanced Army.

Designed, developed and produced in Singapore, the Primus is a clear testament of our innovation and industry. An achievement that Singapore can be proud of.

What's in a name — The Primus

The inspiration for Primus is derived from the motto of the Singapore Artillery – In Oriente Primus – which, in latin, means ‘First in the East’. Primus, therefore, means ‘First’. This is indeed befitting, as the Primus is the first indigenously produced self-propelled howitzer. Weighing less then 30tons combat laden, it is arguably the most advanced self-propelled howitzer of its weight class. Also, the affinity of its name to the Artillery motto signifies its closeness to the heart of the Artillery Formation.

Technical Specifications

Dimension

Combat weight : 28.3tons
Length : 10.21m
Width : 3.00m
Height : 3.15m

Mobility

Number of road wheel : 7 per side
Top speed : 50km/h
Maximum operating range : 350km
Climbing side slope : 31°

Crew

Gun crew : 4

Fire Power

Calibre : 155mm 39 calibre
Maximum range : 30km with ER projectile
Rate of fire : 6 rounds/min (maximum rate)

Features of the Primus

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Precise Firepower

Equipped with a 155mm, 39 Caliber Ordnance, the Primus is capable of delivering all NATO compliant ammunition with devastating precision upon enemies at a maximum range of 30km. The Primus utilises a Modular Charge System which facilitates the crew over sustained periods of fire and prevents the accumulation of waste within the confined space of the cabin.

Operationally, the Primus moves out with a belly load consisting primarily of Improved Conventional Munitions, the latest in projectile technology. Coupled with a burst rate of fire of 3 rounds in 20sec, the combination of Improved Conventional Munitions and High Explosive rounds will ensure wreckage among the ranks of armoured and personnel targets. The available firepower is primed to set the Primus an echelon above other Artillery pieces in its class.

Innovative Automation

Quantum leaps in technology have allowed for the incorporation of computerisation and mechanisation into the rugged platform of the Primus. The end result: force multiplication and drastically improved efficiency levels.

Possessing the world's first automatic projectile indexing, loading and ramming system, the Primus' small crew of four will achieve more than a typical crew of eight in a towed gun detachment.

The Primus is equipped with a Ring Laser Gyroscopic Navigation and Positioning system. The Primus is self-locating, and more importantly, it is able to orientate its barrel in the direction of fire without the aid of external directional devices.

An internal ballistic computer removes the need for computation at the battery level. Each Primus is able to operate autonomously, while remaining in clear digital communications with the rest of the guns. Together, the technology ensures the delivery of reliable, timely and accurate fire upon the enemy.

Versatile Mobility

As a fully enclosed self-propelled system weighing less than 30tons, the Primus not only has excellent mobility, it also has a high top speed and the ability to overcome steep slopes. This versatility is further enhanced by its small turning radius, which enables negotiations of tight turns.

The Development of the Primus

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The Power of 3

The SSPH 1 Primus is developed jointly by the SAF, DSTA and ST Kinetics to meet the operational requirements of the SAF.

The realisation of six years of development, the Primus is the latest in a line of projects that the three organisations have collaborated on. Others include the Field Howitzer 88 (FH88), the Field Howitzer 2000 (FH2000), the 'BRONCO' All Terrain Track Carrier, the 'BIONIX' Armoured Fighting Vehicle, and the 'SAR 21' Assault Rifle.

The experience garnered from these past successes has proven beneficial in the development of this new system. The Primus is our most technologically complex product designed to date, as it includes sophisticated on-board computers and innovative automation.

The Birth of an Idea

The idea for a self-propelled howitzer within the SAF was conceived in the early 1990s, with the aim of providing better fire support to the armour brigades in the Combined Arms Divisions. This new weapon system would require the ability to keep pace with the high tempo of armoured operations, while providing the range, firepower and accuracy that the artillery is renowned for. The 155mm self-propelled howitzer was seen as the obvious choice.

Several commercial-off-the-shelf systems that fulfilled the prerequisites of possessing firepower with high mobility and battlefield survivability were considered. However, none could cater to our unique requirements in terms of lightweight and mobility. Hence the decision was made to develop a completely new SPH.

If You Can’t Buy It, Build It

In May 1996, the Primus development began.

From the outset, the major challenge the team encountered was in designing a platform that could satisfy all the required specifications. DSTA and ST Kinetics had to deliver an SPH that not only matched the performance of other SPHs available in the market, but one that would suit the SAF’s unique operational needs.

Some of these specifications include the ability to navigate and move on paved roads and soft soil terrain, common in our area of operations, as well as the capability to ‘come into action’ rapidly. Being lightweight would provide our SPH with this unprecedented mobility, thus emphasis was placed on limiting its weight.

Most of the system and its sub-components were customised to suit the SAF, and a large portion of the design work went into enhancing the weapon system performance through automation, increasing its efficiency and effectiveness. The result is a closed loop automated fire control system (AFCS) consisting of 5 main subsystems ranging from the patented Ammunition Handling System to the Laser Ring Gyroscopic Navigation & Positioning System.

In developing the Primus, SAF and DSTA were involved in assessing and reviewing the various design proposals and integrating the various components and subsystems. ST Kinetics brought its technical expertise and production know-how on artillery systems.

These agencies conducted extensive and intensive trials to test design reliability and safety as well as to prove that the SPH could deliver the desired operational performance. During the rollout phase, they looked into quality assurance issues and conducted acceptance tests on each SPH before delivery. Long term equipment maintenance, promulgation and retention of knowledge were other areas of focus.

Finally in April 2000, the first working prototype of the Primus was rolled-out. The next 2 years saw the system undergo a series of comprehensive tests to ensure that the Primus was able to withstand the rigours that were required of it.

In September 2002, the Primus was officially certified to have met the SAF’s stringent criteria, bringing to a close the successful evolution of an idea.

Small, but with a Big Heart

The evolution of the Primus, from drawing board to final product, is proof of Singapore's capabilities to operate state-of-the art equipment and capacity to produce them indigenously. This speaks volumes of our home-grown industry in developing world-class systems that are on par with, if not better than, systems currently available in the global market.

The SAF, together with its partners, DSTA and ST Kinetics, has once again proven that we need only look within our borders for solutions to our needs.

More pictures.......

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Originally posted by huaiwei

Hahaa...well.......actually BMT is the most fun aspect of NS for most people. Hell breaks loose after that, depending on where you are posted to. Lets see how many of you make it into Guards, for example. Commandos is clearly out of the question for both of you. :D

NS is a good experience but I only want to experience it once.

Originally posted by huaiwei

"retire early"??? :?

Isn't it that Commandos can stop going back for RS at an earlier age?

I phrased it wrongly, maybe retire from NS for good?

Originally posted by Cliff

Isn't it that Commandos can stop going back for RS at an earlier age?

I phrased it wrongly, maybe retire from NS for good? Is it? I cant seem to remember this one clearly...they are never in my mental scope. :D

Pilotless plane will transform warfare

But pilots will still be needed, says S'pore's air force chief as he maps out the future of military aviation

By David Boey

SINGAPORE's air force chief envisages the day when pilotless planes can be sent on risky missions, but adds that unmanned vehicles will complement and not replace fighter pilots.

Major-General Lim Kim Choon also predicts that military aviation will soon be dominated by developments in precision weapons, unmanned systems and stealth, as well as datalink technologies which allow aircraft to obtain precise knowledge of the battlefield. But the extent to which unmanned planes will replace those with pilots depends on how fast the technology matures, he added.

The Chief of Air Force offered his scenario of the future of military aviation in an e-mail interview with The Straits Times to mark the 100th anniversary today of the first aeroplane flight. This lasted all of 12 seconds and the plane - with a flimsy single propeller - flew only 37m. The attempt was made in the American state of North Carolina by Orville Wright, who had been working on it with his brother, Wilbur.

'The occasion is a special one for me not only because I'm a pilot, but also because it reminds me of how vision and perseverance can combine to change the world,' said Maj-Gen Lim, who can fly F-16s and A-4s. Today, military aviation has reached the stage where some pilotless planes can stay aloft for more than a day.

The air force chief noted how the speed and intensity of air warfare changed after the introduction of air-launched weapons that can strike their targets precisely. 'Instead of talking about aircraft per targets, we are now talking about targets per aircraft,' he said, citing how such weapons helped the allied forces hit the 'large Baghdad Nuclear Research Centre' in the 1991 Gulf War.

Combined with stealth technology, which makes warplanes less detectable, such factors increase the chances of a mission succeeding, he added. On datalinks, he reasoned that combat forces could integrate their operations better by using such technology to share information. 'Such a capability would allow a networked force to out-see, out-think and out-manoeuvre the enemy,' he said.

He also pointed to unmanned technology as 'one of the many areas that may yield high pay-offs' for Singapore, in view of its scarce manpower resources. At some point soon, technology in this area will reach such a stage that planners will be able to use robots for routine air missions, like surveillance, he said, adding that this would allow, say, fighter and strike aircraft to carry out the more complex tasks.

Despite the growing capability of robots, manned fighters will still be pivotal in the air, as only they can handle the uncertainties and rapid changes of aerial combat. 'It's important to note that warfare, by and large, is a contest between thinking entities,' he said. 'As such, it's the human behind the hardware that drives a mission to success.'

SYRIA DUPED BY AERIAL DRONES

IN 1982, the air forces of Israel and Syria clashed over the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, in one of the largest air battles since World War II. Syrian air defence sites were hard to detect, especially when their radars were not turned on. So the Israelis used aerial drones to fool the Syrians into thinking they were dealing with real aircraft.

When the Syrians switched on their defence radars to shoot down the drones, the Israelis bombed the anti-aircraft sites with anti-radar missiles. Without radar to guide their missiles, Syria's air defences were destroyed.

'Such use of unmanned aircraft raised worldwide attention in the potential of unmanned aerial vehicles,' said Chief of Air Force Lim Kim Choon (above, left), adding that this had resulted in huge improvements in these planes since.

Those early drones could stay aloft for about four to six hours. But two decades on, in Operation Iraqi Freedom this year, the aerial surveillance drones used then were in the air for 24 to 36 hours, while the manned fighters typically flew for four hours.

Added Major-General Lim: 'Such persistence promises to transform the air power arena and alter our war-fighting methodologies.'

What fewer babies may mean for SAF planners

By David Boey

WITH Singapore's birth rate this year set to be the lowest in 26 years, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) may not have enough 18-year-old national servicemen to man its guns in 2020 without advance planning.

Tackling population dynamics is not new to the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and the SAF. Defence planners began addressing sinking birth rates more than 10 years ago with various measures to offset the expected lean spell in national service (NS) enlistees.

These included trimming the size of SAF units while adding new weapons to ensure that units remained lethal, and farming out support services like cookhouse or transport duties to the private sector. Technology has also helped mechanise work processes, like building assault bridges or stores retrieval. Collectively, these have trimmed manpower needs significantly.

There were 40,864 babies born last year. But in the January to October period this year, there were only 31,171 births. This compares to 33,618 births in the same period last year.

Since the number of live births is monitored assiduously by various government agencies, defence manpower planners can quickly estimate how NS cohorts will fluctuate each year up to 17 years from now. This is done simply by taking the number of boys born in a given year and projecting it 17 years ahead. Child mortality may pare down the number of boys available for NS in each cohort, as would exemptions from NS on medical grounds. A small number of them are also lost through emigration or deferments from NS for studies.

What no one can put a finger on is how many babies Singaporeans will produce next year.

In a nutshell, defence planners have up to 17 years of lead-time to decide what changes are necessary to accommodate the erratic number of live births each year. The NS cohort peaked in 1976 with a bumper intake of some 32,000, but dipped to a low of some 20,000 males in 1995. The sparse number in 1995 was no surprise, given the low birth rate recorded 26 years ago in 1977.

Birth rates for recent years indicate that the SAF is in for another lean spell as we approach 2020. There were 41,451 births in 2001 and 40,864 last year. Assuming that as many boys as girls are born each year, this means an NS cohort of just over 20,000 boys will be available from each of these years.

The Government has said that Singapore needs at least 50,000 live births each year to sustain economic, defence and other national needs. As Singapore has a small population base, low birth rates will pose a serious problem when it comes to selecting people to perform physically and mentally demanding tasks like those performed by combat pilots or commandos.

At present, perhaps 5 per cent or less of each year's cohort have the mental and physical attributes that make for a good fighter pilot. The problem is magnified when one factors in the ever-increasing myopia rates among Singaporean children. Singapore has one of the highest myopia rates in the world, with three in four citizens being short-sighted.

A 2000 study found that 34 per cent of young Singaporean children were short-sighted. This dubious 'world class' accolade is something defence planners would rather do without.

The changing complexion of security threats may add another complication to manpower planning, for the SAF may need to field new units to address capabilities it once lacked. For instance, it decided several years ago to disband the 2nd Guards Battalion, an elite unit of heliborne infantry, thus reducing the number of active Guards battalions from three to two.

But it also established a new unit in the Singapore Combat Engineers - 39 SCE - which was formed under tight secrecy in the mid-1990s. This battalion gave the SAF a new capability to handle threats from chemical, biological or radiological weapons.

Changing threat perceptions mean the SAF has to constantly relook its order of battle to decide which military capabilities should have priority.

It also has to be mindful of the manpower demands of the police and civil defence - both of which enlist sizeable number of youths for NS annually. So looking at the big picture, defence and security planners will have to balance the SAF's staffing needs with those of the homeland security agencies to ensure that Singapore's security is not compromised.

Regardless of how the SAF tweaks its order of battle to deal with smaller NS intakes - or how it chooses to leverage on technology to augment its manpower - there will be a threshold below which the SAF's ability to engage and sustain combat operations will be compromised.

Singapore has not reached that absolute minimum yet, but if the number of baby boys born in a given year dips to 15,000 or so, drastic measures may be necessary to make up the shortfall.

A possible solution - though a hot potato in political terms - could be the induction of women into NS. Few realise it, but the Enlistment Act is gender neutral. It defines a national serviceman as 'a person in national service'. The good news for Mindef is that the 17-year window will provide it with more than enough time to weigh the need for enlisting women, if that is deemed necessary.

Combat positions have been opened to Singaporean women for more than a decade. As these women rise through the ranks, Mindef can use them to educate society on the duties women are already shouldering in the SAF. In some respects, perhaps the process of selling the idea of NS for women may have already begun.

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BALANCING STAFFING NEEDS


POINTS that SAF defence planners have to consider include:

- The changing complexion of security threats - the SAF may need to field new units to address capabilities it once lacked; and

- The manpower demands of the police and civil defence - both of which enlist sizeable number of youths for NS annually. Could the induction of women into NS be a possible solution?

Its really interesting to see our planners planning very far ahead sometimes:cool:

btw in 2005 or 2006 I remember RSAF will take delivery of some Apaches? I aint very familiar with military technology but I believe those really kick ass! I also remember the USA agreed to deliver them to Singapore ahead of schedule due to the regional security situation.

Hm...cant remember much about the Apaches too. Seems like ppl are still swooning over the Chinook? :D

The Chinook is made in which country?:?

Originally posted by RafflesCity

The Chinook is made in which country?:? America of coz?

Originally posted by huaiwei

America of coz?

Haha! I knew it. Seems we buy American eh?:angel1:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Haha! I knew it. Seems we buy American eh?:angel1: Yeah...but buying too many from one country is also a strategic weakness. ;)

2003 a dark chapter for SAF marred by RSS Courageous tragedy, training deaths

By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE : 2003 will be remembered as one of the darkest chapters in Singapore Armed Forces' history. The year began with its Navy ship colliding with a merchant vessel killing four servicewomen, and ended with questions on training lapses which resulted in more deaths.

With 44 crew members on board, RSS Courageous allegedly sailed against the flow of traffic on January 3 in the eastern Singapore Strait near Pedra Branca. In its path was the ANL Indonesia merchant vessel. At about 11.35pm, both vessels collided killing four Courageous crew members, and injuring eight others.

An operation was launched to recover the bodies of four missing crew. First to be found was Corporal Goh Hui Ling, her body sandwiched between the bunks in the sleeping quarters. The bodies of 1st Sergeants Seah Ai Leng and Heng Sock Ling were later found near the island of Bintan. But 2nd Sergeant Chua Bee Lin's body has yet to be recovered.

On the night of the accident, trainee officer Lieutenant Chua Chue Teng was at the helm with Officer of the Watch, Lieutenant Ng Keng Yong. Ten months after the tragedy, the two officers are standing trial for neglience while piloting the RSS Courageous.

Back on land, the Army also went through a tough year. In less than two months, three servicemen died during training. On August 21, sniper 2nd Sergeant Hu Enhuai was going through a 10-day combat survival training course in Pulau Tekong. Hu and other trainees were subjected to unauthorised training, when their heads were dunked in water. It was later found that Hu had water in his lungs and died from asphyxia and near drowning.

A sombre defence minister recounted in parliament what he told more than 400 senior armed forces commanders. Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean said: "I told them that this incident is a stain on the reputation of the SAF and they have to erase that stain by their actions." Among the actions taken, the removal of the Chief Commando Officer.

Two weeks later 2nd Sergeant Rajagopal Thirukumaran died in the selection process for the Ranger Course. The Guardsman collapsed after completing a 5-kilometre run at Hendon Camp. Just 20 days later, recruit Andrew Chew died during a 2.4-kilometre run at Pulau Tekong.

SAF personnel were also facing one of their toughest challenges yet. In January, more than 300 men and women were deployed to East Timor as part of the peacekeeping force. Nine months later, 192 SAF personnel were sent to Iraq, this time to provide logistic support in Iraq's reconstruction.

Back home, another controversy started in November when the Defence Ministry revealed the existence of "White Horses", identified as sons of influential Singaporeans. "White Horses" were singled out confidentially, so they would not receive special treatment when it comes to the assignment of combat vocations. But that was not what the public thought, because their perception was "White Horses" were given special treatment. The Defence Ministry said the "White Horse" classification system was scrapped in year 2000. - CNA

2003 was a bad year for Singapore:bleep:

Was it? Well at least such things make us sit up and take notice.

I took this picture from the top of Suntec City
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/85plane.jpg

Cool shot! Whats that mountain in the background?

I think its in Johor, don't know. But strange location, at the end of East Coast.:D

i was at east caost today and i saw that mountain too!! for me it was next to the cbd. looked like a mountain of containers or something. i thought it was a landfill that i never noticed before.

Are you sure its Johor? might be Indonesia. Your replies are spooking me btw:runaway:

nono so definitely not in indonesia. i should have taken a pic just now. it's just next to the tanjong pagar skyline, when seen from bedok jetty. in fact if i remember correctly it's continuous with the skyline.

Where's Huaiwei when we need him? He, Cliff and myself had a pretty interesting discussion about phantom mountains in Singapore lately.... :D

:bash: :D

I am busy doing damage control.....heheh ;) I have not even posted the weekly stats thing yet! :bleep: :colgate:

Originally posted by szehoong

phantom mountains

That's the word!:D

Btw in that picture of 'Panama City' those are really mountains and not clouds, I personally saw them on top of Suntec that day.

Which is even more strange....Mountains!
There are mountains everywhere!!

Originally posted by heirloom

looked like a mountain of containers or something

You're scaring me...

http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/85plane.jpg
So high??!!
But why would there be mountains on a piece of land thinner than Singapore? That part is already Johor, the thin part surrounding Singapore.

Take a look that this:
http://skyscraperpage.com/gallery/data/500/85mountains.jpg
What do you think it is??
That old picture.
http://pwp.maxis.net.my/szehoong/pix/spore/misc/panama%20spore%20sm.JPG

The shape is the same.

This is getting real spooky....

Oh no! My cloud theory has just been smashed!!! :bash: :D

If you see a mountain in the north-west of Singapore ,it'll be Gunung Pulai ,near Johor Bahru.The mountain is 625m tall.I used to see it from my house every day from my corridor.

Originally posted by redstone

If you see a mountain in the north-west of Singapore ,it'll be Gunung Pulai ,near Johor Bahru.The mountain is 625m tall.I used to see it from my house every day from my corridor.

OMG! How on earth did you know the name of the mountain that I see everyday!(i think):eek:

Amazing how you know more than most Johor Baru people(or whatever people from JB are called:D)

Originally posted by huaiwei
Oh no! My cloud theory has just been smashed!!! :bash: :D

Yes it has.
:colgate:

Originally posted by redstone

If you see a mountain in the north-west of Singapore ,it'll be Gunung Pulai ,near Johor Bahru.The mountain is 625m tall.I used to see it from my house every day from my corridor.

Gosh! You actually know how tall Gunung Pulai is ?!?!?! :eek:

my ...my......I wouldn't have imagined that would be Gunung Pulai.......I couldn't have guessed that it could be seen from Singapore! And I wasn't too sure bout the directions either......

Another factor is that Huaiwei is confusing me with his (now defunct) cloud-theory! :D :lol:

but the mound i saw was to the left of the cbd skyline... i was looking from east coast.. so it should nearer to sentosa or something.. maybe its mt faber?

Originally posted by Cliff

OMG! How on earth did you know the name of the mountain that I see everyday!(i think):eek:

Amazing how you know more than most Johor Baru people(or whatever people from JB are called:D)



Yes it has.
:colgate:

I keep seeing this mountain literally everyday ,going to and coming back from school ,watching TV ,or just enjoying the faraway sea breeze (I can see the sea from my house).

Naturaly ,I got curious ,so I went to take a look at maps of the Johor area in the bookshop.I found its name to be Gunung Pulai ,at 625m tall.Occasionally ,I can see the top of the mountain obscure by clouds.There are two telecommunications towers on top from my binoculars.Like those on Bukit Batok or Gunung Ledang.:D

Sometimes I'm at Changi Beach or even the skylobby of the UOB Plaza 1 ,I can see a mountain at the north-east direction ,but I have no idea what that mountain is.

(Oops ,double posts)

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean is in France for a four-day visit and today he will launch the RSS Formidable, the navy's first frigate, being built in Lorient. DOMINIC NATHAN and DAVID BOEY look at what goes into the making of the new stealth warship

TO GET a feel for what makes the new frigates the most formidable ships in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), sneak a peek under the hood.

Packed within the hull of the 3,200-tonne, 115m-long warships is some of the latest technological wizardry and automation that will allow the frigates to detect and destroy targets above, below and under the sea, much faster and more accurately than any other RSN ship.

And their ability to operate up to 4,000 nautical miles away from port and stay out longer than any other RSN combat ship will also give the navy a far bigger presence at sea.

Six are being built now - the first by French naval shipbuilders DCN in Lorient, France, and the other five by Singapore Technologies Marine, at its Benoi Road yard.

When fully operational, sometime around 2008, the frigates will be able to perform a wide spectrum of maritime operations and deal with all threats, said Colonel Wellman Wan, operations manager of the navy's frigate programme office.

While the 76mm gun, Harpoon missiles and Eurotorp A244S torpedoes may be similar or upgraded versions of weapons already in service in other RSN ships, Col Wan pointed out that the frigates will have a much-improved capability to detect submarines and defend against attacks from sea-skimming anti-ship missiles.

But it's not just the hardware that counts, noted Mr Vincent Lim, a programme manager with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), who, with a team of more than 100 engineers, put together various systems on board.

If the sensors and weapons bought off-the-shelf are the ship's eyes and arms, then DSTA made sure the locally developed brains that control them - the sophisticated command and control systems - will give the navy more bang for its buck.

'Steering the ship, as well as controlling and monitoring the various systems on board, is automated, requiring a crew of just 70, compared to more than 150 in a conventional vessel,' added Mr Lim.

There some other secrets, however, like the full extent of the ship's stealth capabilities, that will never really be known, unless you come up against it in combat.

The French La Fayette ships, on which the navy's frigates are based, use shape, special paints and building materials to seem smaller than actual size on enemy radar.

'This requires the enemy to move in closer to you, making him more vulnerable,' said Mr Lim.

That's as much as he would reveal of the new technologies that both the local engineers at DSTA and shipbuilders at ST Marine have acquired with the transfer of technology from the French.

For the stealth design to work, the workmanship at ST Marine will have to be very high as even the smallest kinks on the ship's surface could affect its 'radar signature', said a spokesman for the yard.

And just as the frigates pack more punch than any similar-sized warship, ST Marine too had to do more with less.

By automating the welding and other processes and building new facilities, ST Marine is on schedule to deliver the remaining five ships being built in a 200m by 400m yard, half the space available to their French counterparts.

Even as construction continues, the navy is preparing for the training of the new generation of servicemen who will man the frigates.

Warrant officers and specialists will be trained locally and overseas to undertake several responsibilities at the same time, said Col Wan.

'Their roles will be more specialised and more demanding,' he added.

considering how they are using less and less manpower for each role, one wonders how severe it will be by the lost of just one man?

23 Jan 2004

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/imagegallery/store/phpM27eUi.jpg

SINGAPORE: One of the three fighters in contention to replace Singapore's aging A4-Skyhawks is the Eurofighter Typhoon. Recently, a test pilot for this state-of-the art jet was in town and he told Channel NewsAsia why he thought the Eurofighter might win the dogfight for the more than US$1 billion contract.

Craig Penrice has more than 4,500 hours of flying experience in over 40 different types of aircraft.

Among them the American Boeing F-15 and the Eurofighter Typhoon, which are currently going head-to-head in a dogfight with the French Rafale to replace Singapore's Skyhawks.

But Mr Penrice, who is now testing the Typhoon, considers it the better of the two and the jewel in the crown is its cockpit.

"Things like being able to command the plane through voice control. I can do many tasks by simply talking to the plane. In my helmet, I have tactical information so wherever I'm looking, I don't have to look at the displays in the cockpit. Wherever I'm looking behind, outside I still have information available to me, this head-up-head-out looking out the plane is vitally important," he said.

BAE Systems which builds the Typhoon has been eyeing the Singapore contract for more than 4 years now.

Buying a new generation fighter jet is not a simple task.

It's much more complex than buying a new car for example. The technical details are so sophisticated and complex, BAE Systems specialists get questioned by MINDEF officials on technical issues a few times a day.

This is why Mr Penrice was in town recently to give the Defence Ministry his perspective as a Typhoon test pilot.

"Because we know what it is that the service pilot needs out of his airplane. Engineers appreciate that knowledge and they do listen to us. But with all the best intention something doesn't quite work as envisaged, we report on that and we discuss it and we come up with a plan to improve it," added Mr Penrice.

BAE Systems' Typhoon Export Programme Director, Andy Wilson, said: "The next phase we'll have to put formal information in front of the authorities here in terms of the specifications and costing data. All of that will be evaluated and assessed by the Singappore government before making their preferred choice."

Singaporeans may get a glimpse of the Eurofighter Typhoon next month at Asian Aerospace.

But the Defence Ministry is not expected to make its final choice till 2005. - CNA

30 Jan 2004

Old they may be, but the navy's submarines are still stealthy and deadly, Defence Correspondent DAVID BOEY learnt when he visited 171 Squadron, whose motto is 'Invisible, Invincible'

http://www.straitstimes.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-01-30/H8A_0130.jpg

THE Republic of Singapore Navy's (RSN) second-hand submarines, built in the late 1960s, are its oldest boats but their ability to strike unseen from below the waves puts them among its deadliest assets.

The four boats - submarines are traditionally called boats and not ships - have given the RSN cost-effective lessons in submarine warfare since Singapore announced in September 1995 that it would buy these Sea Serpent-class boats from Sweden.

RSS Conqueror and RSS Chieftain, the two already in Singapore, have fired torpedoes successfully in the South China Sea and given the RSN valuable pointers on submarine operations in the area.

Sea trials have proven these old warhorses are quiet and hard to detect. Their heavyweight torpedoes can sink ships at long range.

Their stealthy nature also makes them ideal when covert surveillance at sea is called for.

The two boats now in Singapore will be joined by two more submarines, RSS Challenger and RSS Centurion, when they arrive in Singapore from Sweden.

The RSN unit that operates submarines, 171 Squadron, will adapt and apply lessons learnt in Swedish waters to local waters, said its commanding officer, Colonel Cyril Lee, 43.

'In the Baltic, even in summer the sea water is 18 deg C. We don't need air-conditioning over there because the sea is sufficiently cool to cool the whole boat,' he said.

So Singapore's subs have special air-conditioning plants that are modified to operate quietly, so they're less likely to be detected even by underwater microphones, or hydrophones, in anti-submarine sweeps.

Also, since changes in the temperature of sea water affect how sound waves travel underwater, the submarine's sonar operators must know how to detect ships around them in warmer waters.

Many more ships use the South China Sea than the Baltic, and the ships in the sea lanes around Singapore tend to be much bigger.

This means a sub must operate at greater depths to avoid the bottoms of large ships.

This affects the 'safe depth', the depth at which the sub will be safe from collisions.

Col Lee said: 'The Baltic is a holiday area compared to the South China Sea.

'The traffic density in the South China Sea is four to five times what it is in Baltic sea lanes.'

The Baltic has one specific entrance for ships, and is commonly used by shallow-draught vessels.

There, he said, the deepest-draught vessels the RSN saw were bulk carriers with a draught of 12.7m.

'In the South China Sea, you can encounter 200,000-tonne supertankers which can be 18m to 20m deep when fully laden,' he noted.

The Sjoormen-class submarines - Sjoormen is Swedish for Sea Serpent - built for the Royal Swedish Navy more than three decades ago, may seem past their prime.

However, they will serve as cost-effective platforms for the RSN to learn more about submarine warfare.

Whatever the RSN and its partners from the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), defence scientists from DSO National Laboratories, shipbuilder Singapore Technologies Marine and the Swedish defence industry have done to upgrade the subs, they aren't giving much away.

Col Lee said: 'The shell is probably the oldest in the navy but when we got the subs, we changed a lot of the equipment inside the submarine.'

And it works.

'For all exercises with surface vessels, we've been able to remain undetected unless it's to facilitate the training of personnel on warships on the surface,' he said.

Locating a sub is like finding a needle in a haystack, he said.

Just 51m long, the RSN's subs are small compared to the nuclear-powered subs of Western navies.

But small is advantageous in regional waters, which are only about 80m deep.

Indeed, this could work against larger subs which will have less room to manoeuvre.

The RSN has drawn up a training programme to ensure it can sustain its ability to recruit and train new submariners.

'The training in Sweden will not last forever and we have to learn how to screen candidates who want to be submariners,' said Lieutenant-Colonel Tan Boon Ann, 34, an operations officer with 171 Squadron.

Anyone in the navy can ask for submarine duty, but they'll be asked why they want to sail underwater on missions that could last about a week.

Lt-Col Tan said: 'If his motivation is the challenges, the exacting training and sense of job fulfilment, we'll have a winner on our hands because you find these people will be more motivated.' However, big egos are not welcome on a submarine, where some two dozen men must live and work in a confined space.

Crew members need to get on well with each other because as one man gets up to start his six-hour shift, another moves in to rest on his still-warm bunk - hence the term 'hot bunking'.

While underwater, the sub maintains the same day-and-night cycle as the time zone in which it operates.

White light is used in the daytime, and red lights come on at night to indicate it's past sunset.

Lieutenant-Colonel Alec Lim, 40, a training officer with the squadron, said submariners are always wary of newcomers, even VIP visitors.

'There's always at least a pair of eyes watching you,' he said, adding that the crew monitor visitors to make sure they don't touch valves or switches without permission.

'Statistically, submarine operations are safe.

'It's only unsafe when you don't know what the hell you're doing,' he said.

The ones who do know what they're doing and have earned the right to wear the dolphin badge on their uniform have come through a few years of training.

Training is done in Sweden and Singapore and with other sub operators such as Australia.

When the RSN holds joint drills with the United States and other navies, it can pick up best practices and apply them here.

Submariners are taught the 'blind man's walk' so they can move about the boat and find what they need if there's a power failure.

'They must have the ability to take humiliation,' said Col Lee.

'For example, even when I was designated commanding officer of the squadron, I had to wash toilets because I need to know every part of the boat.

'Toilets on submarines are different from those on surface ships and this was the way I found out.'

just a note:)

The Sjoormen (Sea-snake) was built in my home town,Karlskrona. :) ;)

SAF big guns off to NZ for exercise

Primus guns can't be tested here as they are designed to hit targets 30km away, like from Changi to Jurong

By David Boey

SIX of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) newest artillery guns are now travelling aboard a cargo ship to New Zealand for a live-firing exercise called Thunder Warrior. This will mark the first time that full-time national servicemen (NSF) will fire the locally-developed Primus heavy artillery guns.

Six Primus guns were shipped out early this month, the Ministry of Defence told The Straits Times. Once they reach the New Zealand Army's huge live-firing range in Waiouru, on the North Island, they will be prepared for the mid-February exercise.

Looking like a tank, the Primus is a 155mm gun mounted in an armoured turret on a tracked vehicle. It's designed to blast the enemy with heavy artillery, then scoot off to a safe location before enemy guns can respond. It was designed and developed by Singapore Technologies Kinetics, defence engineers from the Defence Science & Technology Agency and Singapore Artillery gunners, under a project that began in May 1996. Being self-propelled and immune to small arms fire and shell splinters, Primus offers better mobility and cover compared to guns towed behind trucks.

NSF gunners from the 21st Battalion Singapore Artillery were the first to use the Primus. They trained with these weapons for more than a year before the Ministry of Defence unveiled them last November. As these guns can hit targets some 30km away, which is about the distance between Changi and Jurong, gunners from the battalion have never had the chance to fire these weapons here. Travelling to New Zealand allows battalion gunners to use the guns to full effect.

Captain John Tucker, Defence Adviser at the New Zealand High Commission, said the upcoming live-firing exercise underscored long-standing ties between the two countries' armies. He noted that Singapore is the only country that test-fires heavy artillery on New Zealand soil. 'The history of the relationship between our armies goes back a long way. New Zealand had an infantry battalion at Dieppe Barracks in Singapore until 1989,' Capt Tucker said.

wow! That sounds like pretty long range firepower! :eek:

I wonder if they are amongst the longest in their class. It would be good because Singapore doesnt have strategic depth.

Originally posted by drwho

just a note:)

The Sjoormen (Sea-snake) was built in my home town,Karlskrona. :) ;) Did you see it being launched? ;)

Originally posted by huaiwei

Did you see it being launched? ;)

i saw it when it was in the water and the media was there making a interview with people from Singapore and the construction firm ( http://www.kockums.se/ ) :)

Originally posted by drwho

i saw it when it was in the water and the media was there making a interview with people from Singapore and the construction firm ( http://www.kockums.se/ ) :) Oh is it? So do the town know of the cooperation between the two countries? ;)

Originally posted by huaiwei

Oh is it? So do the town know of the cooperation between the two countries? ;)

well some do..local media wrote about the defence cooperation between Sweden and Singapore:) :)

Originally posted by drwho

well some do..local media wrote about the defence cooperation between Sweden and Singapore:) :) Ic....quite intresting to know we get some form of coverage in such a faraway place! ;)

Originally posted by huaiwei

Ic....quite intresting to know we get some form of coverage in such a faraway place! ;)

yeap sure is:)

have you seen the Visby-stealth-vessel? could be something for Singapore navy :)

check out:
http://www.kockums.se/SurfaceVessels/visby.html

What a vessel!! :eek:

But the navy just had a contract with the french to build stealth ships too? They dont look quite sleak as these! :bash: ;) (refer to the first page of this thread)

Navy subs hitch a ride to Singapore

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-01-26/P3_0126.jpg

THREE of the Navy's submarines should arrive here next month, riding piggy-back aboard the Dock Express, a semi-submersible cargo ship. The submarines were photographed last week in the Swedish port of Karlskrona as the 160m-long Dock Express submerged its deck to float the Singapore-bound cargo on board. Two boats being carried here, RSS Centurion and RSS Challenger, will join the two submarines now at Changi Naval Base.

Swedish shipbuilder Kockums, which modernised the Sea Serpent-class boats for the Republic of Singapore Navy, said in a statement that the third and unnamed submarine is being shipped 'as a reserve vessel'. Kockums said Dock Express should take about a month to reach here.

It added that RSN submariners had recently completed their training programme in Sweden. Several batches of sailors have been trained by the Royal Swedish Navy in the past three years. -- David Boey

15 minutes in a gas chamber

Army opens test facility to reporter for first time

By David Boey

I HAVE never cried on the job but I did get a bit teary reporting on the smoke test facilities run by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) - the first time the SAF has allowed a journalist to write about this.

Thousands of national servicemen who have been trained in it since 1991 have also shed tears because of the peppery sting of tear gas. Chemical defence training for individuals takes place in two air-tight chambers, one in Pasir Laba Camp, off Upper Jurong Road; and the other, in a Seletar Camp storehouse where anti-aircraft missiles were once kept.

The name 'smoke test facility' is downright misleading, because it isn't smoke but a compound every bit as nasty as its chemical name - ortho- chlorobenzylidene malonotrile, or CS gas for short. Also known as pepper gas, it stings the eyes and nasal passages like an overdose of wasabi - that pungent condiment eaten with sushi - and irritates the skin like a hot oil massage gone wrong.

In 1991, when individual chemical defence training was introduced, the guinea pigs were Officer Cadet School trainees. Now, all national servicemen in combat vocations go through the one-day basic course. Chemical defence troops are put through more rigorous training. Soldiers are made to put on their masks and learn to change its filter while in the presence of CS gas.

While suited up, they also learn how to drink from a special water bottle that attaches to a tube on the mask, and also to answer the call of nature. They unzip, do the necessary then use special powder to absorb any chemical residue, before suiting up again.

The 39th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (39 SCE) put photo-journalist Ong Chin Kai and myself in chemical defence suits. They look like regular camouflage gear but have a carbon layer underneath which absorbs lethal gases, a tight-fitting hood, and string or velcro fasteners at wrists, ankles and waistband.

Rubber boots over the footwear protect the wearer in case he stumbles into puddles contaminated with nasty chemicals. Thick rubber gloves are pushed over white cotton gloves. A Swiss-made SM-90 respirator completes the ensemble. Mine was fitted with powered lenses that were a close match for my spectacles, to ensure I could see. Thus kitted out, I joined a group of full-time national servicemen for a round of five basic exercises.

All this while, a couple of battalion instructors heated CS pellets - which look like giant Panadol tablets - over a portable electric stove. At a certain temperature, the pellets vaporise in a puff of stinging smoke and flame, quite dramatic in a chamber no bigger than a badminton court.

The exercises include head rotation, chest expansion and trunk-bending drills that force a soldier to move in different ways and thus gain confidence that his suit is indeed gas tight. And if it wasn't? Well, the soldier would then learn the importance of suiting-up properly. Thankfully, we were suited up nice and snug.

The 15-minute session climaxes with each soldier being made to remove his gas mask and recite his name and identity card number before being allowed to leave the chamber. It seems the more adventurous sing.

Last in line, I was not exempted. Mask and hood came off. I happily rattled off what they wanted. I didn't feel the CS gas at first. Then it hit. As I stumbled out of the chamber, a safety officer advised me not to rub my eyes, as CS gas residue on my gloves could irritate them even more. A few minutes in the open air and all traces of CS gas were gone.

But the memory of its sting remains.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-01-26/P4B_0126.jpg
All kitted out in a chemical defence suit to join a group of full-time national servicemen for a round of five basic exercises.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-01-26/P4A_0126.jpg
Almost in tears after the gas mask came off and the CS gas hit. David Boey stumbled out of the air-tight chamber; a few minutes in the open air and all traces of the gas were gone. But the memory of its sting stayed.

SAF elite that's fighting the clean fight

Today, The Straits Times starts an occasional series that looks at the people, firepower and capabilities of special units in the Singapore Armed Forces and Singapore Police Force. To kick off the series, Defence Correspondent DAVID BOEY takes a look at an elite SAF unit on the front line against chemical, biological, radiological and explosive threats

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SINGAPORE's decision to build up its chemical-biological defence capabilities from scratch claimed an early 'casualty' in the late 1980s. It caused Captain Ho Kong Wai to lose the deposit he had paid for his wedding dinner. Worse still, he wasn't allowed to tell his wife-to-be that the wedding had to be postponed because he had to attend a chemical defence course in the United States. He and another man were the first SAF officers handpicked for the course in May 1988.

To the young officer, the honour was a bombshell. 'My marriage was to be held at a local hotel in the same month. The down payment had already been paid. Then, out of the blue, my chief called me up and said: 'You're going overseas. It's a classified course and you can't tell people about it.' It was so hush-hush,' he said.

Now 43 and a colonel, he heads the SAF's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives (CBRE) Defence Group. Formed several years ago, it was unveiled only last January. The US course Col Ho attended laid the foundation for the group's capabilities in preventing chem-bio, radiological or explosive threats to Singapore's interests.

As one of the national authorities on such threats, the group must ensure various parties - from police and civil defence staff to defence scientists - work together. Its mission is supported by homefront security agencies such as the Home Affairs Ministry, police and civil defence force.

The Defence Science and Technology Agency, DSO National Laboratories and the Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute also help CBRE acquire and maintain chem-bio defence skills. CBRE has to contain such threats and mitigate their impact on life and property. It also has to handle the consequences of incidents involving chem-bio agents, and help the authorities clean up contaminated sites.

The catalyst that spurred the SAF to study such capabilities was the impact chem-bio agents had on cities during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War. The 1995 Sarin gas attack in a Tokyo subway, which killed 12 people and injured more than 5,500 others, proved it was a far-sighted decision. With terror threats around the world, CBRE capabilities are much in demand and the group has been fully trained, organised and equipped to handle such threats for three years.

Three specialised units with complementary skills form the CBRE Defence Group:

- 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (36 SCE). This battalion handles explosive threats such as unexploded ordnance, disposal of war relics and preventive sweeps for home-made bombs, otherwise known as improvised explosive devices or IEDs, and chem-bio IEDs.

- 39 SCE handles surveillance and detection of chem-bio and radiological threats and also decontamination, if there is an incident.

- Medical Response Force is a specialised group of military doctors and combat medics trained to evacuate and treat chem-bio casualties.

These units are staffed mainly by full-time national servicemen (NSFs), and women SAF regulars also serve. As late as the mid-1990s, SAF chem-bio defence capabilities were so secret NSFs posted to the battalion got only an Armed Forces Post Number as a reference number. These NSFs couldn't tell family members what they were trained to do, or even the name of their unit.

So it was with some pride that CBRE soldiers told their loved ones what they had been trained for, after the announcement made page one headlines in various newspapers a year ago. Private Conrad Ho, 19, an NSF chem-bio defence trooper with 39 SCE, said: 'When I enlisted, I wasn't aware of this capability. I was quite surprised to know about the chemical defence battalion and feel rather proud of what we're trained to do. And special, especially when we go for training with our gas masks on.'

The veil of secrecy cloaking the CBRE enhanced its mystique, and chem-bio troops training in their chemical defence kit and gas masks caught the imagination of others who saw them train, including Third Sergeant Shawn Lim, 19, an NSF combat medic with the Medical Response Force (MRF). He said: 'When I was a trainee with the School of Military Medicine, I used to see the MRF medics train in their chemical defence gear and I told myself I must get into this force no matter what.'

When the SAF began to build its chem-bio defences, there were bigger problems to tackle, including training. 'In those days, chemical defence training was still classified, very sensitive...so we had to purposely look for a training area away from the public eye,' Col Ho said. 'A lot of exercises were done on Saturdays and Sundays and at night when people weren't around. If you ask me, those were the challenges.'

The Defence Ministry gave Col Ho several options after 39 SCE was formed. For one of the SAF's newest battalions, the colonel picked one of the oldest camps. It had few facilities, such as swimming pools or running tracks, found in more modern complexes. However, it was far from public view and in an inaccessible part of the island, which suited Col Ho's purposes. Moreover, its lush surroundings reminded him of a British army camp where he had gone on a chem-bio defence course.

Other specialised training facilities are the SAF's smoke training facilities, where CS gas or tear gas is used to teach soldiers how to respond to chemical incidents. Since the gas can drift downwind and affect civilians, it's used for training only in confined spaces, said Col Ho. From an observation room attached to the chamber, safety officers can monitor what goes on inside. The smoke chambers are fitted with powerful fans and air filters to scrub the air clean before it's released.

Another training aid, a decontamination facility, is built on a concrete platform once used by the air force's Bloodhound long-range anti-aircraft missiles. This facility is special too, as the chemicals used during clean-ups can't be allowed to spill into roadside drains. Such facilities offer CBRE troopers regular opportunities to test their equipment in a realistic setting - and prepare for the worst.

FIGHTING A CLEAN FIGHT

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Is the room booby-trapped? This combat engineer uses a fibre optic device to search for nasty surprises.

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Cleaning up sites contaminated with chem-bio agents is part of the CBRE Defence Group's work, along with preventing such threats.

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Using a water jet, a combat engineer aims to blast open a suspicious package.

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Men from the 39 SCE get a thorough cleansing before they are allowed to leave a contaminated zone. -- PHOTOS: ONG CHIN KAI

When being physically tough isn't enough...

SOLDIERS picked for bomb disposal training go through such a tough selection process that eight out of 10 fall at the first hurdle. The tests are not too demanding physically. But they are designed to eliminate those who may not be able to withstand the psychological pressures of bomb disposal. They test character, temperament and aptitude through a psychological analysis with 500 questions and face-to-face interviews.

Rank doesn't count much when a soldier seeks to join the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit of the 36th Battalion Singapore Combat Engineers (36 SCE). In one test, soldiers are ordered to run up several flights of stairs and then clear an obstacle course that simulates a bombed-out room. The soldier is then given a brain-teaser puzzle, like a Rubik's cube, to toy with.

All this is done while he is encased in an EOD 8 suit - a snug blast-proof suit that weighs more than 35kg. His vision is also restricted by a heavy helmet that resembles those used by deep-sea divers. The suit curbs movement of one's hands and fingers. That's why testers use puzzle games to check if trainees can still complete simple tasks. If the trainee fumbles in the suit, he's out. If he takes too long to complete the obstacle course, he's also out.

Soldiers who already feel the heat in a No. 4 camouflage uniform can well understand the heat stress of someone confined in a bomb suit in Singapore's heat and humidity. Those who fear confined spaces or feel claustrophobic after being zipped up in the suit won't make the cut. Some can maintain a Zen-like calm in the blast-proof ensemble, but focus so hard on not losing their cool they're unable to complete a task. Out.

The EOD 8 suit comes in handy when a robot can't be used to dispose of a suspicious package, or when the situation requires close-up inspection. It's designed so the wearer should survive the blast from 1kg of high explosive 3m away. In real-life situations, 36 SCE's combat engineers have worn blast-proof suits for an hour or more. That's why their mental and physical stamina are so important.

After selection, the men - there are no women in this job - undergo almost a year of specialised training to handle explosive threats from home-made bombs or chemical devices booby-trapped with explosives. Then, only a battery of practical and written exams stands between them and the coveted EOD badge.

huaiwei> cool article!:)

huaiwei,next time you have to lobby at the Singapore trade department for a Visby wessel :D :)

Do you mind posting the 'different' uniforms of the Army?'Cos it very confusing.No. 1 ,2 ,3 & 4.Thanks.

Originally posted by redstone

Do you mind posting the 'different' uniforms of the Army?'Cos it very confusing.No. 1 ,2 ,3 & 4.Thanks. Shit man....just realised they seem to have taken down the uniform pictures in the new website?

You will most likely get to wear No.4 and maybe, No.3.

No.4 is the green camouflage one, while No.3 is the office uniform, beige shirt and dark green trousers with belt.

Guardians of the sea

In the third of a series of articles on the capabilities of the military and police, Defence Correspondent DAVID BOEY joined the members of the elite Naval Diving Unit in action off Iraq and during their drills in Singapore.

NAVAL divers on duty in the Middle East were armed and ready to shoot if they needed to, when they searched ships in the northern Arabian Gulf last year. But by the end of their two months stationed off the coast of Iraq, the contingent aboard the RSS Endurance warship - which was there to support reconstruction efforts in Iraq - had not fired a single shot during their 70-plus boarding operations.

One of the divers, Captain Tan, 31, who had taught his colleagues how to conduct ship boardings, recounted how each time the men boarded a vessel suspected of smuggling items out of Iraq, they were all keyed up for action. 'Bullets can fly both ways in a firefight,' he explained, 'and going out with a live round in the chamber means there's a high possibility of a bullet coming your way.'

That's why he led by example and made it a point to be the first up the rope ladders of the ship they were checking, and the last to leave the ship after an inspection. 'There's no room for mistakes, no 'semula' kind of scenario, during real operations.' 'Semula' is a Malay term used during foot drill lessons when instructors want their men to repeat a movement.

Members of the Naval Diving Unit have to be prepared to board all sorts of craft, and in the Gulf these ranged from dhows to ultra-large crude carriers which towered several storeys above sea level. The on-board inspections were done in seas where waves around 2m high were common and the temperature could dip to around 10 deg Celsius.

The boarding of ships - whether their crews agree to have these inspectors on board or not - is one of the unit's less publicised capabilities. Its more lethal capabilities include augmenting the protection of naval bases and providing security for Singapore's warships deployed on peace support missions.

The unit's commanding officer, Colonel Chng Ho Kiat, 37, said: 'One contribution is the protection of friendly forces, particularly warships coming into port. 'We also help protect Republic of Singapore Navy warships sent on overseas missions against suicide bombers who may attack using speed boats. And if the SAF needs to investigate a merchant ship at sea, our divers can board it even when the vessel's crew is uncooperative and there's a chance the divers may be shot at.'

Indeed, the unit's men are experts at getting on board all manner of vessels, whether they are at anchor or under way. While how they do so is a closely guarded trade secret, it is possible to pick up clues from the extensive range of training facilities at the group's camp.

There, drills at a multi-storey rappelling tower show, for instance, how the divers can descend onto a vessel from a helicopter. There is also a large structure built over a swimming pool that's up to 10 metres deep. This allows divers to practise techniques used to board ships and other structures at sea. The pool has an underground viewing gallery that allows instructors to monitor the divers at all times. This adds an extra element of safety and the instructors can also easily spot mistakes made.

To become part of the select crew who carry out such daring and dangerous tasks, a national serviceman must pass a battery of medical and psychological tests. The 10 weeks of basic training at the Naval Diving Unit is similar to what other military recruits undergo. In addition to that, they also have about three hours of swimming training every day. The strict selection and manner of training mean a high percentage of each cohort earns the diver's qualification after six weeks of physical training and a diving course that lasts 12 weeks.

'The training is not a culture shock, as we don't expect a newcomer to run like the wind or fly like Superman,' said Second Warrant Officer Norris Lucius, 35, a training development officer with the unit. 'The recruits are brought up to standard progressively.' The warrant officer, who has been in the navy for 16 years, said recent recruits are different from those who joined in its early days. They are now better educated and more motivated. 'They absorb instructions very fast. You don't have to explain what to do many times,' he said. This means the pace of lessons can be speeded up, and trained divers are more self-confident when sent on operations.

'They are also very creative,' he added. He recounted how the men on the RSS Endurance had built the sandbag walls for their machine-gun nests on cargo pallets, so the nests could be moved quickly with a forklift when aircraft needed to use the flight deck.

The men's diving training has also improved because of the better facilities they are provided with, he said. The times they have spent over the years training with elite diving teams from countries like Australia, Britain and the United States have helped the group benchmark its capabilities against special forces from foreign navies.

A high level of dive proficiency and readiness for operations has proved useful after September 2001, when the unit was given more tasks to handle. The unit's commanding officer, Col Chng, said that since the 9/11 attacks and the heightened awareness of terrorist threats, the unit has had to take on more tasks, such as safeguarding warships in naval bases.

Col Chng said: 'What keeps me busy day to day is making sure the training we give them is relevant. The security environment out there is evolving. The full capability of the diver lies in the skills we impart to them. It is not simply giving them a bigger gun but making sure their minds are able to adapt.'

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STORM TROOPERS: How they do it is a closely guarded secret but naval divers can board all manner of vessels whether at anchor or underway. Mock exercises (above and below) are regularly carried out to hone their skills at storming ships.
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WATER WARRIORS: Trainees are put through vigorous tests at the Naval Diving Unit in Sembawang Camp, such as being tossed - while bound hand and foot - into a pool (below) and have to perform various manoeuvres like somersaults as part of their "drown proofing" programme. -- PHOTOS: JOYCE FANG
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'Hell Week' tests divers under taxing conditions

TEAM Building Week - popularly known 'Hell Week' - is the toughest stretch of a six-week long physical training programme that all naval divers have to go through. The aim is to build physical fitness and test the mental stamina of Naval Diving Unit trainees by giving them an exhaustive list of tasks to perform. Not all these tasks require brawn. Even essay writing is part of Team Building Week.

Second Warrant Officer Norris Lucius, 35, from the unit, said: 'The aim of the physical training phase is to build diver fitness. We train them progressively over five weeks to take the rigours of diving. The sixth week is Team Building Week. This is a test to assess the diver's capability of performing in extreme conditions, mentally and physically.'

2WO Lucius said Team Building Week starts with instructors 'creating chaos' for trainees. Such 'chaos' can tax even the stout-hearted, which is why this segment of the course has been dubbed 'Hell Week'. Trainees are allowed about three hours' sleep during the first few days of 'Hell Week' but they steal it in snatches and snooze away from the comfort of their bunks. Physical training winds down towards the end of the week. This is when the mental challenges start.

2WO Lucius said: 'That's where sleep deprivation kicks in and we get them to write essays. We also do a lot of coordination training where we have games in which you are told to use your mental abilities to coordinate things.'

Though trainees are exhausted at the end of the week, the Naval Diving Unit said the dropout rate is low because close supervision ensures that the trainees are not pushed beyond their limits. 2WO Lucius said: 'The instructional team is broken up into three shifts so that you don't tax or fatigue the instructors so much that their attention is diverted from the safety of the trainees.'

-- David Boey

Aye, aye, no bones in the meat, captain

By David Boey

SUBMARINERS are a lucky lot where meals are concerned. They don't have bones in their meat dishes and their prawns come shelled. Lieutenant-Colonel Alec Lim, 40, the training officer with 171 Squadron, said: 'We're very conscious about waste management so all the meat we get is boneless.'

This solves the waste disposal problem. He said: 'We have the privilege of choosing the types and quantity of meat we want to stock and also the types of vegetables.' The navy wants to ensure the crew get enough fibre in their meals. He said: 'Fibre is very important because fresh vegetables can't last past the fifth day at sea. After that, the amount of fibre in our meals goes down. So we have the liberty to choose canned foods high in fibre.'

Since they may be stuck in a steel shell for days on end, meals are important 'for the crew to have something to look forward to at the end of a watch', said Lt-Col Lim. Not only do the submarine's chefs have their choice of meat and vegetables, but they also get to shower every day, for hygiene reasons. Fresh water is rationed and other crew shower only every other day, in a cubicle the size of a phone booth.

Colonel Cyril Lee, 43, commanding officer of 171 Squadron, said that in a submarine, food is as important as the boat's weapons and sensors. 'The cook can't cook too much or he will have a problem with waste management. Cook too little and he will have to manage morale,' he said.

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Sleek on the surface and silent below it, the Sjoormen-class submarine gives the RSN a new ability to strike stealthily from the depths.

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Loading torpedoes into the submarine is a tough and time-consuming task that must be done carefully, to ensure they operate correctly. They are slid first into stowage bays, then into firing tubes.

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Cramped spaces are the norm on board any submarine, right up to the entry hatchway. The sub's crew must be able to live and work with each other in such confined quarters.

They look lethal! :eek:

Attack Apaches

Ordering the Apache helicopters was easy. Learning to fly them in combat was the hard part. The RSAF sent its men to Arizona to master the art. GOH CHIN LIAN finds out how they're coming along

THE Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) Apache detachment in the United States has just passed a major milestone. It has just been pronounced ready to operate eight of the world's most sophisticated and lethal combat helicopters. The US Army certified the detachment as Apache-ready after it completed the five months of training that every US Apache unit must undergo to turn operational.

Called Peace Vanguard, the RSAF unit was formed only in October 2001. In the US, it is based at the Silver Bell Army Heliport in Marana, Arizona. Its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Augustine Teo, 43, told The Straits Times in a telephone interview from Fort Hood, Texas: 'It's been a steep learning curve for our pilots and technicians because the Apache is a new and sophisticated aircraft.'

He described most of his 25 pilots as very experienced. Some have more than 20 years of flying the UH-1H, Super Puma or Fennec helicopters. The detachment's 79 technicians are also experienced crewmen who had previously worked on helicopters and fighter planes.

The Apache Longbow that his men have learnt to operate has many unique features: Its cockpit is fully digital, and all the tools it uses for flying and fighting appear on computer screens, instead of clock faces found in more conventional helicopters. This means that the pilot can do a lot more, but also that he must master more functions.

Instead of the two-man crew sitting side by side, the pilot actually sits behind the gunner. 'If you're driving and your wife sits beside you, she would know what gear you're using, at what speed you're driving, but not if she's sitting behind,' said Lt-Col Teo. That means there's a lot of communication going on in the cockpit so that each man knows what the other is doing.

The helmet that each man wears enables him to direct the night vision sensors on the helicopter's nose simply by moving his head. The view is projected on a monocle over his right eye. Lt-Col Teo said: 'Imagine that you are sitting in a car with all the windows blacked out. Then imagine driving the car by looking at a TV picture transmitted from a video camera on the front bumper.'

The commander said that their US Army counterparts and training facilities have been a tremendous help to them. During their advanced training in Fort Hood, Texas, simulation systems were used in the field to make training more realistic, such as battles pitting ground troops against the Apaches. A computer decided who 'killed' who.

The Americans also passed on their first-hand knowledge of operating an earlier version of the Apache in real combat. While at Fort Hood, the Singaporeans drew on their US counterparts' operational experience, especially what they had learnt during the Iraq war last year.

Although the RSAF men completed their certification training in Fort Hood in November, the detachment will stay on to train in the US. It hopes to take part in exercises with other US Army Apache units. The live-firing area in Fort Hood is as big as Singapore, and the area for their manoeuvres is several times bigger, said Lt-Col Teo.

All the RSAF personnel in Marana are committed to stints of about two years, so many have their families with them. 'The families have to be well taken care of, so that the servicemen do not have to worry and can put their heart and soul into their work,' said Lt-Col Teo.

The more than 100 RSAF personnel have a total of 141 family members there, including 66 children. The kids go to public schools there. They live in apartments in the city of Tucson, which is 'as big as Singapore but has only four shopping centres', said Captain Andy Ang, the detachment's manpower officer. They've all had to adapt to living in a desert climate, where temperatures can hit 44 deg C in summer and drop to zero in winter.

They also learnt to recognise - and avoid - desert creatures such as rattlesnakes, coyotes and venomous lizards called gila monsters. Snakes and scorpions are occasional surprise house guests, especially in the summer when the creatures come out of hibernation.

This Singaporean satellite colony has grown. The past two years have brought seven babies and 18 of the 75 wives there are pregnant. One happy father is Capt Ang, whose first son was born in the US in January 2002. His wife is expecting their second son in March.

Some of the detachment, having completed their stint, returned to Singapore last month. More are due to go to the US for similar training. The RSAF now has eight Apaches and another 12 on order. 'We want to continue operating in Marana for at least a few more years, to build a broader base of experienced Apache pilots and technical crew,' said Lt-Col Teo. 'It's been a really challenging two years. We have achieved a lot, but there is still a lot to learn.'

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Gearing up for a strong defence is the RSAF's Peace Vanguard detachment in the US, with the Apache attack helicopters in the background. -- MINDEF

Home front

Navy ship back from Iraq

THE RSS Endurance, the Republic of Singapore Navy landing ship tank (LST) deployed to the Middle East, came home yesterday morning. It had left Singapore with a crew of 160 late last October on a two-month mission, during which it patrolled the coast of Iraq, helped with helicopter missions and aided coalition countries in inspecting departing ships.

The RSS Endurance also performed logistics tasks, such as replenishing the supplies of other naval vessels in the Persian Gulf. It was Singapore's first military contribution to the reconstruction effort in Iraq, which is supported by about 30 countries. Chief of Navy Ronnie Tay was at Changi Naval Base yesterday morning for the homecoming ceremony.

=============

Thank goodness they got back safetly! Phew!!! :colgate:

Those apaches are really powerful and versatile IMO. I remember Singapore requested to have them delivered ahead of schedule.

And the Americans actually wont mind...because they are so worried their "allies" in this part of the world wont be able to counter the terrorist threat adequately! ;)

I remember Singapore was given the green light to get them ahead of schedule and this happened after 9-11.

I also feel better knowing these weapons are coming our way. Not sure why but they sound really high tech!

Apaches are cool! specially in forest warfare:)

Yeap...but isnt it ironic that in this day and age, we suddenly began acquiring more and more arsenal, more to combat the "invisible enermy" then those that typically march up your doorstep?

It would have been a political issue normally about us buying advanced weaponry, but all seems secondary nowadays?

Hmm.........

http://www.1ubflj.mil.se/images/local/imgp2098.jpg

This picture was taken in Karlskrona,Sweden when officials from Singapore was testing the submarine Sjoormen.

:)

That is true. I am more fearful of a terrorist operation here than of an actual invasion.

But then again I am assured against the latter because of our investment in the best weaponry. It is really a good deterrant although its for show. Singapore is one of those countries with one of the highest % of GDP expenditure on defence:cheers:

Nice pic drwho! :cool:

Originally posted by huaiwei

Yeap...but isnt it ironic that in this day and age, we suddenly began acquiring more and more arsenal, more to combat the "invisible enermy" then those that typically march up your doorstep?

It would have been a political issue normally about us buying advanced weaponry, but all seems secondary nowadays?

Hmm.........

yea....like our 'friend' across the ocean whom spend a Trillion USD on military.......are still threatened and shocked by this 'invisible force'.

After the Iraq and Afghan show they've put up......and after the capture of Saddam......they are more afraid than ever....cancelling flights on Christmas for example.....sigh.........:ohno:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

But then again I am assured against the latter because of our investment in the best weaponry. It is really a good deterrant although its for show. Singapore is one of those countries with one of the highest % of GDP expenditure on defence:cheers:Hm, and there are plenty of folks who took that figure and slam it as being "agressive," especially our western folks who compare it with expenditure in the likes of North Korea, and hence draw parallels between us! :bash:

Yes, red is the toughest colour of them all...

GOH CHIN LIAN goes to the home of the Red Berets in this last instalment of The Straits Times series on elite forces in the military and the police

THE Red Berets wouldn't exist today if not for Project Toothpick, a secret plan hatched more than 35 years ago. Spearheaded by then defence minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee, the plan was to assemble an elite unit of land and naval commandos to counter would-be saboteurs using unconventional warfare and guerilla tactics.

The first intake of 30 regulars in December 1969 has grown into an army formation made up of battalions of regulars, full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and NSmen. Their status as an elite airborne combat unit today is signified by the winged bayonet on their crest.

They take only the best. Said Chief Commando Officer Yeo Eidik, 44: 'We look for people who can take challenges. We don't want people who sit back.' But superhuman fitness isn't a recruitment must. 'Nobody is born to dive, parachute or to run fast. As long as they have a few physical and mental attributes, most people can be trained,' he said.

Every six months, they try out a fresh crop of 1,000 NSF enlistees with good eyesight and health. About 250 are chosen for three months of basic military training at the Commandos' base, Hendon Camp in Changi. Then follows two months of training to teach them how to operate boats, rappel down from heights, plus demolition and other skills.

The top 30 per cent train as section leaders and the others specialise in combat medicine, signals and support weapons, for example. Of that 30 per cent, the top 20 per cent go on to train as officers. Another three months of platoon and company-level training for all follows. They also learn to parachute in full combat gear, training that only the Commandos and members of the Naval Diving Unit are put through.

They get to know one another really well, said Corporal Sim Zhi Wei, 21, who will finish his national service in May. 'We recognise each other by our footsteps, by the way someone drags his slippers, and by our silhouettes when we go out for missions by night.' After more than 10 months of training, the finale is a 72km route march that ends with them receiving their red berets. But of the initial 1,000, only 160 will make it that far.

The training does toughen you up, said warrant officer Wong, 36, a commando for 19 years. He's done more than 300 free-falls. Once, he said, his equipment wasn't hooked up properly and came loose in mid-air. His rucksack banged about so wildly he couldn't regain control. He vomited into his oxygen mask. 'I had no time to think of the vomit. All I wanted to do was to land in the drop zone so I could stay with the team and not be a burden to them.' He made it and completed his mission.

Many Commandos go through the Ranger course, reputed to be the SAF's toughest, where they get little food and sleep for 65 days. Ranger-trained Major Goh, 29, has been in the service for nine years. 'It's the closest reality to war.'

Commandos are trained to operate behind enemy lines. Usually in teams of five, they recce and strike at key targets, unlike conventional forces that are organised in larger units to fight battles.

Champion snipers and pistol shooters, some have won international honours and one has even trekked to the South Pole. Some of the Red Berets have even topped training courses for America's elite troops, the United States Navy Seals and the US Special Forces, from which hundreds of dropouts are commonplace. They also learn from regular visits by foreign special forces, including those from France, Australia, the US, Thailand and Indonesia.

Their training is dynamic and an upcoming change is a switch from taekwon-do, a Korean martial art, to its Japanese cousin, jujitsu, which has a more lethal edge.

Monitoring security threats, wherever they may come from, and preparing for them, is part of the drill. When Chechen rebels seized a theatre in Moscow and took more than 700 hostages in 2002, for example, the Commandos trained in a theatre here to deal with a similar scenario.

Col Yeo said that his men must be nimble and flexible enough to handle uncertainty, and that means 'always changing the test questions, no model examination questions, and coming up with different scenarios for training exercises'.

It is not a matter of learning to deal with what terrorists came up with in their last operation. He said: 'Our challenge is to anticipate new tricks by terrorists, and ask, do we have an answer?'

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These 'silent' warriors are trained to operate behind enemy lines. Usually in teams of five, the Commandos recce and strike at key targets deep in hostile territories. -- TERENCE TAN

THE MAKING OF THE RED BERETS

Starting off as the SAF Regular Battalion 35 years ago, the commandos have been called into action many times over the years.

DEC 1, 1969
Ten officers and 20 other ranks form the SAF Regular Battalion in a secluded corner of Pasir Laba Camp. Another recruitment drive in 1970 finds another 29 out of 94 people suitable for the unit.

1971
The Regular Battalion is renamed the SAF Commando Unit, and later First Commando Battalion. It moves to Changi in July and the Commandos adopt the universal symbol for airborne and special forces troops - the red beret.

Jan 15, 1973
First national service company is formed, followed by three more such companies over the next two years. Later, it is recommended that a reserve Commando battalion be set up as well.

Jan 1974
Four terrorists attemt to blow up an oil refinery at Pulau Bukom and take hostage five crew members from a ferry boat, the Laju. After days of negiotiations, the terrorirsts agree to release the hostages in return for guarantors of safe passage to Kuwait. Four commando volunterrs are selected along with eight other government officials to take the hostages' place.

March 1974
The SAF Parachute Training School is set up to conduct basic airborne courses with instructors trained in the United Sates and New Zealand. It is renamed Parachute Training Wing in August 1982.

May 8, 1975
Operation Thunderstorm. Commandos storm boats carrying refugees from Vietnam to search for weapons and keep the peace on the vessels until they are replenished and escorted out of the habour.

May 1977
First anti-hijack team is formed with training from other special forces, such as Germans.

1978
Start of the Ranger course, the SAF's toughest course. Previously, pioneer Commandos attended the US Army Ranger School in Fort Benning, US.

1981
Formation of Headquarters School of Commando Training. The Commandos adopt their winged bayonet emblem representing the airborne combat unit, and their motto, For Honour And Glory.

Jan 29, 1983
Cable car incident. The tower of a drillship becomes entangled with the cables of the cable cars at World Trade Centre and, and four cable cars carrying 13 people are left dangling in the air. Four commandos are on standby to crawl along the cable to the cable cars, with 20 other Commandos on hand to assist, but the final decision is to winch the people out using helicopters.

April 1984
First Special Operations Forces starts. The SOF is inaugurated a year later, although its existence is not revealed.

March 27, 1981
Operation Thunderbolt. SOF's baptism of fire in which they storm a Singapore Airlines Airbus, SQ 117, and rescue all 123 hostages unharmed by gunning down the four Pakistani hijackers. First time blood is drawn in a mission.

Jan 27, 1993
Hendon camp, home of the Commandos, is inaugurated.

Feb 20, 1997
Mindef publicly acknowledges the existence of the SOF for the first time.

July 1997
Operation Crismson Angel. Commandos help to evacuate about 450 Singaporeans and foreigners back to Singapore from Cambodia, after fierce factional fighting breaks out.

1999-2000
Operation Blue Heron. Commandos are among the platoon task force sent to East Timor as part of an international peacekeeping force.

March 1, 2001
SOF put on high alert after receving news of security concerns regarding a commercial plane flying into Singapore. The plane is searched before the 211 passengers and crew are allowed to leave.

A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT
Shots flew over me... and I saw how deadly the crack troops are

By Goh Chin Lian

I WAS sitting in the living room of an HDB flat in total darkness, when men in black stormed in with guns blazing. I couldn't make them out, or even tell how many there were, as rapid volleys thundered around me and several spent cartridges bounced off my hand. Live rounds.

My only protection was the bullet-proof vest I wore, and strict compliance with instructions: 'Please stay within your seat in the red box. Don't stand up. And no camera shots. The men are trained to fire at flashes.'

Seconds later, the firing stopped and all was silent again. Of the shootout, only the pungent smell of gunpowder remained. The lights came on and the dozen of us in the red box were shown the cutout figures of the terrorists and civilians that had been placed side by side behind us.

All the shots had been to the cardboard terrorists' foreheads. Instant death - if those cutouts had been real people. 'They are trained to recognise the terrorist and go for the brain stem kill,' said an officer with the Special Operations Forces, who are the cream of the Commandos.

This was the same unit that stormed the hijacked Singapore Airlines Airbus SQ 117 in 1991, gunning down all four hijackers and rescuing all 123 hostages unharmed.

Recently, I visited the secret training ground of the SOF. High fences surround this four-storey building tucked away in a corner of the home of the Commandos at Hendon Camp in Changi. Few people other than the SOF men have ever been inside what is called the Close Quarter Battle building, off limits even to most Commandos.

Built in 1991 and upgraded in 1999, its facilities point to the crisis scenarios they are trained for, and the skills they strive to perfect. Every other day, they practise in the firing range in their 'main battle hall' to sharpen their shooting. They also blow up replaceable doors on one side of the hall for demolition practice.

Above the hall is a mock-up of an A310 Airbus plane fitted out with plywood figures of passengers on foam seats, and along the corridor, two panels open up to reveal a mock-up lift. A maze of rooms in the multi-purpose building can be configured for any crisis scene, even one as mundane as an HDB apartment, complete with sofa set and coffee table.

They weren't prepared to show them all to reporters. Secrecy is the watchword. Even from family members. Warrant Officer Chan, 48, a 20-year veteran with the SOF before he took on a different assignment last year, said: 'My family knew I was in the Commandos, but they didn't really know what I was doing. My wife was very supportive whenever I couldn't be home or had to go overseas.'

Like many in the SOF, he is a father. He has a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son. They were always in his mind when he went on a mission. 'But my priority is the mission, other people's safety and my safety.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-02-02/red2.jpg
Super shooter: Unlike a regular sniper, a Commando sniper is cross-trained in reconnaissance and learns more shooting techniques. He is also trained to survive longer in the field on his own, up to 14 days compared to three days for a regular sniper.

Originally posted by huaiwei

Hm, and there are plenty of folks who took that figure and slam it as being "agressive," especially our western folks who compare it with expenditure in the likes of North Korea, and hence draw parallels between us! :bash:

Really? I dont think Western nations are against Singapore's high expenditure on military. I could be wrong but we seem to have no problems buying from them;)

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Really? I dont think Western nations are against Singapore's high expenditure on military. I could be wrong but we seem to have no problems buying from them;) I once came across a thread about military expenditure in this forum, and when other members saw how Singapore ranks amidst countries like North Korea, South korea and Israel, they are basically wondering just what kind of threat is facing our tiny island here! :D

Of coz the figures was in terms of % of military expenditure out of the yearly governmental expenditure.

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Really? I dont think Western nations are against Singapore's high expenditure on military. I could be wrong but we seem to have no problems buying from them;)

well,the thing is..western countries may criticize the military expenditure and pretty often politicians in western countries always play that game and says " oh no dont let them have our guns" or "dont sell military goods to countries with high military budgets" etc.
But all the military hardware corporations are located in west and they want to export their goods to us .. :)
meanwhile politicans criticize the military export and they want to export becasue it brings in $ to their own country:)

funny dubble game :)

its all about $ and jobs:)

True and with the US its friend or foe and whether you can be strategically useful. In recent years Singapore appears to have gained favour in US I believe.

Originally posted by huaiwei

I once came across a thread about military expenditure in this forum, and when other members saw how Singapore ranks amidst countries like North Korea, South korea and Israel, they are basically wondering just what kind of threat is facing our tiny island here! :D


I remember that thread!
Well many forumers here need to know more about this red dot!:) :D ;)

Air force plane off on Iraq mission

AN air force transport plane took off for the Middle East yesterday for a two-month deployment. Carrying a crew of 31, the C-130 aircraft is part of Singapore's contribution to the multinational reconstruction effort in Iraq. According to a Defence Ministry statement, the aircraft will be carrying out airlift, transportation and supply missions. The contingent set off yesterday after a delay of some months ironing out administrative problems, including securing flight clearances from authorities in the Middle East.

The crew are the second batch of Singapore Armed Forces personnel to head for the Middle East after the Navy's landing ship tank RSS Endurance sailed to the region last November with 161 soldiers on deck. The ship returned on Saturday from its two-month stint, during which it patrolled the coast of Iraq, helped with helicopter missions and aided coalition countries in inspecting departing ships. The RSS Endurance also helped replenish supplies of other naval vessels in the Persian Gulf.

The military support follows last July's mission by police officers to Iraq to train 1,500 Iraqi cops. No decision has been made about extending or increasing Singapore's commitment to the Iraq deployment. However, Singapore is taking part in a larger effort to stop rogue nations from obtaining materials they need to make weapons of mass destruction.

Singapore is one of 11 countries which are part of a Proliferation Security Initiative, which will carry out joint exercises before moving on to stop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons in transit.

===============

Sigh....not another consignment??

Originally posted by huaiwei
Sigh....not another consignment??

Thats what the crew on board must be grumbling. Who knows you might be posted there to train police:happy:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Thats what the crew on board must be grumbling. Who knows you might be posted there to train police:happy: Dunno if they are grumbling or not, but they certainly did get alot of extra allowance! :D

And walao.....dont curse me leh.....I want no part with the Iraqi problem which I dont approve of! Send me to Timor Leste anytime thou. ;)

Wanted: Local partner to make Corner Shot

By David Boey

BARELY two months after it was unveiled to the world, a weapon system that can shoot round corners is in Singapore. Its developers are looking to break into the Asian market with a local partner.

Since its launch in Israel last December, police and military forces from 15 countries have bought 100 Corner Shots, and the company has secured orders for 500 more. Its inventor, Mr Amos Golan, 44, is in Singapore to explore working with a local company to manufacture the device here under licence for the Asian market. A basic Corner Shot, without special lasers, torch lights and sights, sells for around US$5,500 (S$9,370).

Having served with the Israel Defence Force for more than 20 years and commanded one of its special forces units, Mr Golan, a retired lieutenant-colonel, knows only too well the value of his invention. The deaths of friends during hostage rescues triggered the idea for Corner Shot.

It took about seven years to develop the hinged device, which is not a weapon itself. Working like an adaptor of sorts, a pistol is fitted into the front end of the device, which can swivel 62 degrees to the left or right. There is also a camera attached near the barrel of the pistol. It is wired to a plasma colour television screen the size of a credit card at the back end, which allows the shooter to see what he is aiming at without sticking his head round the corner. Squeezing the trigger of the Corner Shot fires the pistol automatically.

Being able to see round the corner will save lives on both sides, said Mr Golan: 'Every fighter who has seen it sees it as a dream come true. They don't have to change their fighting methods. The only thing is when they come to a corner, they don't have to put their head in the line of fire. It also gives criminals a chance to surrender before something happens to them.'

Reactions from special forces units have been extremely positive, with reports that British units in Iraq have already been issued with the Corner Shot and are likely to use it in house searches. Mr Golan is now just two months away from finishing his next device. This will allow troops to fire out of one window and hit a target hiding behind another window one floor above or below them.

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Target's around the corner but Corner Shot inventor Amos Golan still has reporter David Boey in his sights, thanks to the screen that shows him what he is aiming at. -- PHOTOS: TERENCE TAN
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The weapons guy who can bend it like Beckham

By Tracy Quek

AMOS Golan is the kind of dad who ferries his three children to and from school, insists on the family eating together, calls home several times a day when abroad and never travels without a stack of photographs of his wife and children, because 'I cannot sleep without these pictures'.

So why is this devoted family man designing weapon systems? To save lives, says the 49-year-old, responsible for the revolutionary Corner Shot, which makes it possible to see and shoot around corners.

'I designed it thinking of my family, my friends and myself,' says the retired lieutenant-colonel, who spent 24 years in the Israel Defence Forces, the equivalent of the Singapore Armed Forces. I feel proud to have done something that may save the life of someone who might save the lives of my loved ones. I didn't design a land mine or something that is uncontrollable or destructive, so there's no conflict for me.'

His experience in the military, where he saw 'agony and suffering' and comrades dying while trying to rescue hostages, triggered his idea for the device - the first of his systems that has garnered international interest.

'I was thinking how to minimise casualties on both sides.' If hijackers are holding hostages in a room, he explains, the Corner Shot allows rescuers to remain outside, protected by walls, but still be able to see into the room. Without the device, soldiers would have to charge into the room. In that kind of sudden attack, there may be more casualties on both sides,' said the man who used to be in charge of a counter-terrorist unit and who is in town to break into the Asian market.

Since his company launched the Corner Shot in Israel last December, it has sold 100 to the police and military forces of 15 countries and has orders for another 500. The basic version sells for about US$5,500 (S$9,300). Throw in special lasers and torch lights and the bill rises to at least US$7,000. It took about seven years to develop the hinged device, which is not a weapon in itself.

A pistol is fitted onto the device's front, which can swivel 62 degrees to the left or right; there is a camera near the gun's barrel. That camera is wired to a plasma colour screen the size of a credit card at the back end of the device. This makes it possible for users to see what is around the corner. p> It can take real bullets, as well as rubber ones.

Father to two boys and a two-year-old daughter, Mr Golan does not hide what he does from his sons, Ami, 12, and Ron, 11. He talks to them about his work, for even though they are young, 'they understand what I do'. His wife of 12 years, Ravit, 44, whom he met at a party, is his marketing manager.

Ironically, soldiering was not something he planned on doing when he was young. He studied agriculture to become a farmer. But after completing his national service, he stayed on in the forces as he felt he had 'a duty to my country'.

He is philosophical about his business: 'I'd rather be known as the inventor of a new breed of orchid. But in an emergency, it's not easy to use a flower against a threat to your life.'

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'I'd rather be known as an inventor of a new breed of orchids. But in an emergency, it's not easy to use a flower against a threat to your life.' -- Mr Amos Golan, whose device makes it possible for one to see and shoot a pistol around corners

Meet SAF robots at Total Defence show

WHEN all it takes is a whiff of a potent chemical to kill a human being, the army will send in the robots to sniff and snuff it out. The Singapore Armed Forces' Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives Defence Group got these machines, which can climb stairs, mount kerbs and squeeze into crevices, less than a year ago. It will show them off to the public for the first time next weekend at the two-day Total Defence exhibition in Suntec City.

Also on display in this showcase of anti-terrorist gadgets and measures, among other items, will be the protective suits the military will use when dealing with chemical and biological attacks, and the civil defence force's 'shower facilities' to decontaminate people in such situations.

In another first, the police will give visitors a peek into how they select and train armed air marshals. These people are deployed on flights to guard against terrorists. They are experts in unarmed combat at close quarters and in handling improvised explosive devices.

Coordinating Minister for Security and Defence Tony Tan will launch this year's Total Defence campaign on Saturday. The theme this time: It's Not Complete Without You. A nine-month media blitz via TV, newspapers, radio and 30 buses will drive home the message that every Singaporean has an important role to play in helping the nation deal with the terrorist threat.

In the next few weeks, each household will receive a postcard-cum-refrigerator magnet with the numbers to call in an emergency. Schools, museums and grassroots organisations have lined up a slew of activities to promote the five-pronged concept of Total Defence - psychological, social, economic, civil and military defence - mooted 20 years ago.

Singaporeans can sketch out what this means to them on white ceramic tiles at Safra Yishun Country Club on Saturday and next Sunday, which is also Total Defence Day. Their efforts will be displayed as one large montage at a Safra club.

Singapore subs all home

ALL four of Singapore's submarines are finally home and ready to perform their duties here. The last two - RSS Centurion and RSS Challenger - docked at Changi Naval Base on Wednesday. The vessels have been in Sweden since 1996, where their crews were trained by the Royal Swedish Navy in how to manoeuvre and operate the vessels. The crews were welcomed home by the head of naval operations, Rear-Admiral Sim Gim Guan, and other senior navy officers.

The boats are of the Sjoormen-class of submarines built for the Swedish navy more than three decades ago. They have been modernised for the Republic of Singapore Navy. But the Defence Ministry declined to say what changes had been made. The other two boats in the submarine squadron are the RSS Chieftain and the RSS Conqueror.

A ministry statement said the submarines would enhance the navy's all-round capability to safeguard Singapore's waters and protect vital sea lines of communications.

i like Amos Golan new weapon..very cool techology :)

Originally posted by drwho

i like Amos Golan new weapon..very cool techology :) Considering it was created by an Israeli, it might end up ruffling sensitivity feathers! :D

SAF field chiefs to learn new lifesaving skills

Aim is to boost numbers on the ground who can help keep casualties alive, after deaths last year of three servicemen

By K.C. Vijayan

THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will, from next month, train its field commanders in new life-saving skills for medical emergencies, following the deaths of three servicemen during training last year. The move is to boost the number of staff present on the ground who can help trained medical staff keep casualties alive.

The new skills include how to control and stop haemorrhaging, how to resuscitate a heart, and providing respiratory aid to those with breathing difficulties, said Colonel Surya Kumar, the SAF's Chief Army Medical Officer, yesterday. 'The main advantage of the training is that immediate first aid can be given to a casualty by those who are there,' he told reporters after briefing grassroots leaders on the SAF's medical support system.

These additions are part of a new training package known as the combat lifesaver's course and will be introduced to new entrants at the Officer Cadet School and the School of Infantry Specialists.

The new skills are in addition to an SAF decision in December to distribute a portable gadget for reviving a collapsed heart to every combat unit. These automated external defibrillators (AED) can stun the heart back into a normal rhythm if, say, a soldier gets a heart attack during a 2.4km run. Some 200 of these machines will be acquired, said Col Surya Kumar. The first lot was given to units conducting basic military training as the trainees were new to military service and their medical status less known.

These new measures were well received by the 200 grassroots leaders who visited the Medical Services Headquarters in Transit Road in Yishun for an inside view of the Army's medical support system. Hosted by Associate Professor Khoo Tsai Kee, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Defence and the National Development Ministries, the group included MPs Ong Ah Heng, Penny Low, Yeo Guat Kwang and Warren Lee, among others.

Grassroots leaders told The Straits Times they were reassured by what they had seen and would brief residents on the system. Said businessman Chen Chuan Hua, 48, whose son recently started national service: 'I was concerned about the medical system as I had read about the three deaths in training last year. But after this visit, I feel the system is safe and sound.'

A national serviceman died from suffocation after having his head dunked in water during an exercise in Pulau Tekong in August. Two others died the following month after collapsing in separate training runs of 2.4km amd 5km.

Commenting on the visit, Assoc Prof Khoo said: 'Grassroots leaders... have been reassured once more that every soldier in the SAF is well taken care of, medically speaking.'

Originally posted by huaiwei

Considering it was created by an Israeli, it might end up ruffling sensitivity feathers! :D

Its no secret that Singapore military has been trained by Israel initially and that SAF has purchased Israeli equipment before. In fact I read that both are in a joint cooperation to develop satellite reconnaisance technology:cool:

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Its no secret that Singapore military has been trained by Israel initially and that SAF has purchased Israeli equipment before. In fact I read that both are in a joint cooperation to develop satellite reconnaisance technology:cool: Actually, that fact was still not publicised widely, for obvious reasons, and there are no reason to for now, I suppose, considering just how badly the world is doing? ;)

Of course, I would say the Singapore authorities have been as discreet as possible about this in deference to its neighbours. But you will get those who like to sensationalise events that will find a way to do so. Remember not too long ago some media were comparing Singapore to Israel?;)

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Of course, I would say the Singapore authorities have been as discreet as possible about this in deference to its neighbours. But you will get those who like to sensationalise events that will find a way to do so. Remember not too long ago some media were comparing Singapore to Israel?;) Actually, we did equate ourselves to Israel sometimes to, isnt it? :D

Originally posted by huaiwei

Actually, we did equate ourselves to Israel sometimes to, isnt it? :D

yup. and Switzerland, and Venice..

at least I've seen some forumers here equating Dubai to the 'Singapore of the Middle East':D

Originally posted by RafflesCity

at least I've seen some forumers here equating Dubai to the 'Singapore of the Middle East':D And Ireland was often equated to the Singapore miracle too! :D

and umm there's a brazilian town named 'cingapura' too..

Originally posted by heirloom

and umm there's a brazilian town named 'cingapura' too.. There is also a town in India named after Singapore.....at least this one is intensional? :D

i know the brazil one was intentional... but not the india one? what's it called? singhapura? why was it named after sg?

Originally posted by heirloom

i know the brazil one was intentional... but not the india one? what's it called? singhapura? why was it named after sg? Cant remember, but it was a town built by a Singapore-Indian consortium...something like Suzhou in China.

Heres something more bizarre..the Newpaper ran an article on 2 people who had the names Mr Malaysia and Mr Singaporewala.

Bang on target

SAF's new artillery guns prove a big hit in NZ live-firing exercise, but it took 2 1/2 years of tests and 2,000 shells to get them there

By David Boey

THE army's newest artillery guns went into action for the first time this week with a battalion of gunners in a live-firing exercise in New Zealand. But before full-time national servicemen from the 21st Battalion Singapore Artillery (21 SA) fired the six Primus 155mm self-propelled howitzer guns, the weapon had to be put through stringent tests to prove that it would be bang on target.

It was driven across 5,000km of terrain, from desert ground and steep slopes in South Africa to muddy tracks near Pasir Laba Camp here to test its durability. More than 2,000 shells were also fired over 2 1/2 years. The big guns proved their worth this week in Exercise Thunder Warrior at New Zealand's Waiouru live-firing range.

Looking more like a tank, as it moves on tracks and has its gun mounted in an armoured turret, Primus is the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) first self-propelled heavy artillery gun. It was developed jointly by a team from the SAF, the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), the national authority on military procurements, and Singapore Technologies Kinetics, a local weapons company.

DSTA programme manager for the Primus, Mr Koh Weng Kin, 43, said they had to convince the SAF that the new design worked, could endure the rigours of the battlefield, would not pose a maintenance nightmare and, most importantly, was safe to fire.

After ditching the idea to mount the big gun on the modified chassis of existing armoured vehicles, as these would end up being too heavy for use on local terrain, the team came up with a prototype vehicle in April 2000. Having only one prototype meant that every problem, no matter how small, had to be identified and solved, sometimes using computer simulations, before proceeding to field testing.

Things did not always go as planned, especially when the first shells were fired, said Mr Koh. 'We came back with a long list of failures and had to change the design of some components.'

Captain Dinesh Vasu Dash, 29, weapons staff officer from Headquarters Artillery, explained that changes had to be made to the components used in a motor-driven conveyor system which moves 22 shells, each weighing more than 40kg, from their storage racks into the gun.

Size also mattered. As the SAF wanted the vehicle to be about 3m wide, the team had to size the components as small as possible to fit the turret. 'But from the third firing onward, it was smooth sailing,' said Mr Koh.

In between firing trials, the 28.3-tonne vehicle was put through some mundane tasks. 'We filled up the fuel tank to the brim and ran it until it was dry to see how many kilometres we could achieve.' The trials took place in a vast, arid desert range in South Africa, where summer temperatures soared past 40 deg C, sapping the endurance of engineers. When winter arrived, sub-zero temperatures were common.

Said Mr Koh: 'We spent a lot of money flying the gun out so we wanted to maximise the time there. We made sure the mechanical systems did not crack under the firing stress.'

As the gun was new, more than 1,700 rounds were fired without anyone in the vehicle's turret for safety reasons. The engineers attached a long rope to the firing lever in the turret, yanking it from a safe distance outside the turret to fire the gun.

It was a big day for the team, when a crew was finally allowed in the turret to fire the gun, said Mr Koh. 'It was people from ST Kinetics and DSTA inside... It showed we were almost there.' Another 300 rounds were fired by the engineers before the weapon was introduced to Singapore Artillery gunners. In September 2002, the Primus prototype was officially certified to have met SAF requirements.

Said Staff Sergeant Dorairaj, 27, a battery sergeant major with the 21 SA: 'The gun's maker had its general manager go inside to fire first. He came out alive, so that boosted our confidence,' he added with a laugh.

NSF gunners helped tweak weapon

ENGINEERS and defence scientists may have developed the Primus, but its users, including artillery gunners in their late teens, had a say in how it would be deployed. In fact, gunners from the 21st Battalion Singapore Artillery, the first unit armed with the Primus, helped change some 30 per cent of procedures for using the weapon.

Captain Helen Ang, 30, a battery commander with the unit, said her gunners helped weed out procedures that could be done better while being trained to use the self-propelled guns. Most suggestions were offered by full-time national servicemen (NSF) in their late teens.

She said: 'NSF input is very important as they are the people on the ground who know whether things can be executed or not. As different batteries went out for exercise, we came back for after-action reviews. From there, we put up suggestions that helped revise the training manuals.' For instance, gunners proposed changing the positions at which they stood in the gun turret so the loading process could be less cumbersome.

Having an armoured heavy artillery gun which can move about at speeds of 50km/h and fire a burst of three shells in about 20 seconds has spurred a mindset change among gunners on how the weapon can best be used.

Captain Dinesh Vasu Dash, 29, a weapons staff officer from Headquarters Artillery, said the development of the weapon took place alongside efforts to draw up a training programme and methods for using it during wartime. On the weapon's impact on tactics, he explained: 'It opened up new tactics, training and procedures that we have incorporated into our system, like the shoot-and-scoot tactic.'

The gun's unique fire control computers and navigation equipment allow it to dash out from cover, aim and fire three rounds in about 20 seconds, then race to a new hiding place before enemy guns can respond - a tactic big guns towed behind trucks cannot match.

Added Capt Vasu Dash: 'This gave us insights into a new method of operation, having to decentralise our batteries so a gunner can make decisions on the battlefield on his own and achieve the mission on his own, rather than the traditional view of the gunner as a muscleman who lugs and chucks rounds from one point to another.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PRIMUS

Width: 3m
Weight: 28.3 tonnes
Gun calibre: 155mm, 39 calibre
Gun range: 30km

25 Feb 2004

F-15 Strike Eagle and Dassault Rafale to take part in intensive flight trials after airshow to prove the planes work well in S'pore weather

By David Boey

DON'T be surprised to see warplanes like the F-15 Strike Eagle or Dassault Rafale roaring through Singapore skies weeks after the Asian Aerospace airshow winds up this weekend.

These jet fighters, flown here for the airshow, will remain for flight tests, part of the last few rounds left in a three-cornered battle with the Eurofighter Typhoon for a $2-billion deal to replace Singapore's ageing A-4 Super Skyhawks.

During the trials, the new fighters are expected to be pitted against front-line aircraft of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), like the F-16C/D and upgraded F-5 Tiger II.

The Defence Ministry told The Straits Times yesterday that 20 new fighters will be bought in two batches once a decision is made next year. 'In the first stage, we intend to acquire between eight and 12 aircraft, with the remainder to be acquired over the subsequent five years,' said a spokesman.

Defence contractors vying for the deal are pulling out all the stops for what could well be the last major fighter deal in the Asia-Pacific this decade.

Mindef's evaluation is now at a crucial stage. The upcoming flight tests are designed in part to convince Mindef that the warplanes work as advertised in Singapore weather.

As such, French defence contractor Dassault is sending a single-seat Rafale to join the twin-seater already here, for the intensive flight trials lasting about three weeks.

Two F-15s are also expected to remain here for similar trials.

The Typhoon could not make it down for the airshow, as the few Typhoons produced are still being evaluated by air forces in Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain, explained a BAE Systems spokesman. But it will be seen over Singapore skies around June for the trials, in its first trip outside Europe.

He said: 'While we would be delighted to see Europe's newest swing role combat aircraft displaying alongside established airshow stalwarts such as F-16, F-15 and Rafale, our priorities must lie with the evaluation programme.'

At the airshow yesterday, the marketing men from three companies were hard at work. Mr Thomas Lillis, Asia-Pacific director of Boeing's integrated defence system, minced no words when he said the F-15 was clearly superior to its rivals and 'has proven itself in combat'. He said 48 F-15s destroyed 60 per cent of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard division during the Iraq war last year.

Selling the F-15's range and speed, he added: 'We're faster, we go farther and we carry more (weapons)... From a customer who wants to use this airplane either as a deterrent or in actual combat, it's pretty lethal.'

The Typhoon may not be battle-tested, but its makers hope to swing the deal by pledging that 'export customers' may be allowed to make certain components of the plane.

'We're prepared to give a full technology transfer,' said Mr Mike Rouse, group marketing director at BAE Systems, who explained that this sweetener would bring top-tier aerospace know-how to the customer's aviation industry.

The significance of deal sweeteners has not been lost on the French, who have indicated that Singapore could develop an advanced radar for the Rafale - if it bought the aircraft.

Other incentives would include greater access to air force training areas in France, where an RSAF A-4 training squadron is already based.

Mindef's intention to announce a winner next year means Asian Aerospace 2004 will be the last chance for the three plane makers to woo the home crowd.

The result: four F-15 Strike Eagles at the airshow (the largest ever contingent of F-15s at the event), piles of colourful warplane posters, glossy brochures, CDs with plane images, and an assortment of aircraft keepsakes like pins, caps, badges and scarfs to keep souvenir hunters happy.

The Rafale and F-15 will also take to the skies off Changi Point during the airshow's daily aerial display to show off their manoeuvrability. Catch them between 11.30am and 1pm till Saturday and between 11.30am and 1.10pm on Sunday.

25 Feb 2004

SINGAPORE is expected to increase its involvement in the United States-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme to develop a new multi-role fighter with stealth capabilities.

Industry sources said Singapore should, in a month or so, join the multinational programme as a security cooperation participant.

In return for an undisclosed financial contribution, it will gain access to more frequent and detailed updates on the programme's progress than is available to countries not involved with the programme.

Israel is currently the only nation involved at this level, one rung down from the nine JSF programme partners.

The multinational effort to develop the plane groups the US, Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.

Singapore's decision to get more involved in the F-35 programme comes a year after the Defence Ministry signed a letter of intent to participate.

Last February, Mindef said the plane was 'a potential candidate' to meet the air force's 'longer-term requirements for a multi-role fighter'.

Mr John Smith, the F-35 communications manager with Lockheed Martin, a US-based aviation and defence powerhouse, told The Straits Times yesterday: 'This is the most complex and comprehensive fighter programme in history.

'The industrial work going on in each partner country is significant as they contribute their specific expertise.'

He added that Singapore should receive its JSFs only after 2012, if it decides to buy.

And while the F-35 will pack more lethal capabilities than the current generation of warplanes, Mr Smith said it should sell for around US$40 million (S$68.2 million) to US$45 million in today's dollars.

'That is comparable to current-generation aircraft like an F-16,' he said.

'But the JSF will provide significantly more military capability... due to its long-range, stealth and sophisticated avionic systems.' -- David Boey

I heard of this initial cooperation before...so they plan to have the F16s replaced with the F-35? Kinda fast, when most of them are rather new?

The more hightech and powerful the better:guns1:

although very $$$:bash:

Given the F16s are stil so new, they wil be worth alot selling away again. :D

Navy warships to get cool paint job

Tests show that the special haze grey paint can lower temperatures aboard ships, which would mean significant savings for the navy

By David Boey

NAVAL engineers have come up with a really cool idea for the navy's warships: special haze grey paint that keeps the ships as much as 7 deg C cooler. This means the ships use less power for air-conditioning, the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) found when it tried out the paint.

A team of five from the RSN and paint supplier International Coatings, helped to develop the paint. The results were unveiled at a naval technology seminar last year. Gradually, all the RSN surface ships will be repainted with the new formula. All will be coated in haze grey paint to make them less visible at sea.

The temperature reductions achieved mirror those in similar tests done by the United States Navy and Royal Australian Navy in the 1990s. This success has motivated the RSN team to see if the new paint can also be used on military buildings and vehicles.

Mr Ong Li Koon, a staff officer with the Naval Logistics Department, said the project aimed to cut down the heat that the warships absorb from the sun. If the ships are cooler, less fuel needs to be consumed for air-conditioning on board. This cuts costs and also allows the ships to stay out at sea for longer spells. Heat build-up not only saps sailors' morale, but can also affect temperature-sensitive electronic equipment.

Warships are painted grey to make them less visible at sea. The grey paint currently in use is a mix of black and white paint bought off the shelf. The team said the black element is replaced with a 'combination of pigments', but declined to say what makes up the concoction. It was made to the specific requirement of RSN and is not available off the shelf.

Explaining how sunshine warms up warships, the team's paper said: 'Exposed surfaces on naval vessels that are subjected to direct sunlight, or even partial sunlight, such as superstructures and decks, tend to absorb the infra red radiated heat from the sun.' It noted that during the day, sunshine can result 'in significant extra heat build up in the internal areas of the vessel', thus taxing the air-con plants.

Mr Ong and his team painted one compartment of a navy ship to see if the new formula worked. They found that 28 per cent less air-conditioning power was needed to cool the space to the desired temperature. He said: 'This shows that a problem can be solved by creative means that require only a small investment, but offer large returns.

'In this case, heat built up in the internal compartments of RSN ships is reduced by changing the formulation of the paint, instead of fitting a new air-con system to increase cooling capacity. Not only is this method less costly to implement, it is also expected to save on maintenance costs for the navy.'

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Special grey paint will keep navy ships up to 7 deg C cooler. The team members for the project include (from left) Mr Ong Li Koon, Dr Lee Kok Leong and Captain Toh Tee Yang, who are aboard RSS Vigilance. -- JOYCE FANG

SAF soldiers hurt as jammed bullet explodes

FOUR Singapore Armed Forces soldiers were injured yesterday morning when a bullet, jammed in the chamber of a heavy machine gun, exploded in their faces as they tried to dislodge it.
The incident occurred during a live-firing exercise, after the 0.5-inch calibre weapon mounted on an armoured vehicle jammed while a full-time NSman was firing it.

The stuck round exploded while the NSman and a safety officer tried to rectify the problem. The soldier who had been firing the gun was the most seriously wounded - shrapnel from the exploding round hit his face and eyes. He is now in a stable condition and is warded at the National University Hospital.

The safety officer and two other full-time NSmen nearby were also hurt. They suffered minor injuries and received outpatient treatment at the hospital. All four soldiers, aged between 20 and 24, are trainees at the SAF's Armour Training Centre at Sungei Gedong Camp in Lim Chu Kang.

A Defence Ministry spokesman said the SAF was investigating the matter to determine the cause of the incident.

Surgery for soldier hurt in jammed gun explosion

THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) soldier who was seriously wounded when a bullet jammed in the chamber of a machine gun exploded on Tuesday, had surgery on his eyes and face yesterday.

He is now in stable condition at the National University Hospital. He was struck by shrapnel from the explosion. Three other full-time national servicemen, including a safety officer, who were slightly injured in the incident were treated as outpatients and are well and recuperating at home.

All four soldiers, aged between 20 and 24, are from the SAF's Armour Training Centre at Sungei Gedong Camp in Lim Chu Kang. They were trying to repair the 0.5-inch calibre machine gun when the gun's chamber exploded.

Providing more information yesterday as to how it happened, the Defence Ministry said the gun had jammed during a live-firing exercise on Monday and was taken to the camp in Lim Chu Kang, when it could not be fixed.

At the time, the weapon was checked, but wrongly assessed to be clear of ammunition, said Mindef yesterday. Preliminary investigations indicate that neither the gun nor ammunition was faulty. The SAF is continuing its investigations into the incident.

Share know-how to secure deals here, says DSTA

By David Boey

DEFENCE companies aiming to land a Singapore contract were told in no uncertain terms yesterday that their sales pitch had better include the sharing of defence know-how with Singapore.

Arms deals with Singapore had stalled when vendors failed to recognise that the transfer of technology could be a deal-breaker, said the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), the national authority on military technology and weapons procurements.

Making the point at a two-hour briefing for some 130 defence companies, Mr Soh Kong Pheng, deputy chief executive (operations) at DSTA, said: 'Many of our suppliers can't understand, or underestimate, the importance we place on having technology transfers... We do this so we can, if we need to, upgrade the hardware. Suppliers can achieve an important competitive advantage if they understand this requirement well.'

Citing the ongoing evaluations to find a replacement fighter for the A-4 Super Skyhawk, he said the new warplanes might need to work with unmanned vehicles in future and DSTA also needed to understand how the fighter worked if it were to be upgraded.

Warplanes being evaluated in the deal, estimated to be worth $2 billion, are Dassault Aviation's Rafale, the Boeing F-15T Strike Eagle and the Eurofighter Typhoon. While contractors would not want to give away all their trade secrets, Mr Soh said 'at the minimum' they should ensure DSTA can 'upgrade, modify and integrate' the warplanes at reasonable cost.

Another key concern was maintenance costs. As much as 40 per cent of the acquisition cost goes to supporting the aircraft through its 20- to 30-year life cycle. 'We need to buy spares, maintenance and support equipment, and so on. And for readiness reasons, we buy much of these upfront... This is too costly,' he said. He suggested that the three warplane makers think up an 'investment strategy' for maintenance to minimise the upfront expenditure.

India-Singapore joint naval exercise begins off Cochin coast
Cochin| March 07, 2004 9:16:00 PM IST

An India-Singapore joint naval exercise began off southern Cochin coast on Sunday.

Three Royal Singapore naval ships- RSS Vigilance, RSS Brave and RSS Victory- are taking part in the exercise.

The Indian Navy will deploy submarine Shalki and three ships, - Brahmaputra, Taragiri and Amba.

Maritime patrol aircraft TU-142M and Dornier, helicopters Seaking MK 42B and Chetak and fighter aircraft Kiran of the Indian Navy will also be participating in the exercise.

Officials said there would be extensive interactive sections between the two navies during the 12-day long exercise.

"In the first two days there will be an interaction in the harbour where the sea exercise will be discussed in full length. Also the visiting friends will go to various training schools in Cochin. They will also have social engagements where they will visit handicapped children," Commodore M.S. Pavitran, in-charge of Indin naval forces in Cochin and Lakshadweep, said.

The exercise comprises three harbour phases and two sea phases, including intermediate and advance level exercises. India and Singapore had signed an agreement in October to boost defence ties.

The two sides have also planned naval cooperation to prevent high sea piracy in Andaman sea. (ANI)

http://www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=33110&cat=India

Made-in-S'pore smart weapons

Unveiled: Singapore Technologies Engineering, one of the world's top arm developers, got to shrut its stuff at the recent aerospace show

By Felix Soh

THE enemy can run - but can't hide. Ensuring this outcome is a new range of smart weapons being developed by Singapore Technologies Engineering, one of the world's top arms company.

The new products by its subsidiary companies - ST Kinetics, ST Marine, ST Electronics and ST Aerospace - were unveiled for the first time at the recent Asian Aerospace 2004 show. They reflect the growing technological sophistication and ground-breaking innovation of made-in-Singapore weapons.

One that created a buzz at Asian Aerospace was the Stars Wars-like Squad Support Weapon (SSW), which integrates a 40mm grenade launcher into a rifle as a single, seamless handheld weapon. The revolutionary dual-calibre weapon, still under development, is designed for urban warfare, which is easily the most deadly and difficult type of combat operations today as the ongoing conflict in Iraq shows.

The SSW equips foot soldiers with lethal firepower. Its next-generation programmable 40mm Air Bursting Munition, a world's first in cutting-edge technology, can hit enemy troops concealed behind windows or on rooftops. The weapon's ability to hit targets beyond the reach of conventional ammunition extends to enemies hidden in bunkers and caves.

Another product that attracted much attention at the air show was the Fantail, a mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) ideal for use in urban missions. It can hover over an area to give a 'god's-eye' perspective to infantrymen in a variety of battlefield scenarios.

Equipped with a day, low-light or night camera, the Fantail provides over-the-hill, around-the-corner and over-the-next-building surveillance and reconnaissance. When fitted with chemical sensors, it can detect a chemical attack and track the source.

And it is not just for war fighting. The mini-UAV has law enforcement and civil defence applications as well. For example, it can observe a forest fire from positions that would be too risky for humans.

Also well-received at the air show was the launch of Maps - Maritime, Aviation and Port Security Solution - which generated much interest from visitors because of concern over the vulnerability of ports to terrorist attacks from the sea.

The integrated Maps system provides vital installations such as ports, petroleum refineries, seaside resorts and oil rigs with automated surveillance, detection, assessment and immediate response to threats.

It offers 24-hour, all-weather surveillance cover for ports and their cargoes with a panoply of sensors like radars, sonars, day and night video cameras - and even intelligent fences with intrusion and motion detectors.

'Maps is a cost-effective system because it reduces manning levels,' said Mr Lee Fook Sun, ST Electronics' president of defence and international business. 'Only a limited number of people are needed to manage multiple threats.'

One new product that made many heads turn was the Spider Light Strike Vehicle. The six-seater is probably the world's only centre-wheel drive vehicle - with the steering wheel and driver's seat positioned in the centre in the front, with two other seats on either side.

What next? Even smarter weapons and systems. Said Mr Sew Chee Jhuen, ST Kinetics' executive vice-president for defence business: 'We are developing smarter munitions, guided weapons and putting more intelligence into vehicles. 'We are also more network-centric, that is, further enhancing the situational awareness of commanders.'

Stealthy, unmanned weapons and systems will also be a main area of focus. 'The future will see more autonomous vehicles and other equipment that can navigate by themselves and give soldiers a forward view without endangering any lives,' said Mr Sew. 'Robots will be big.'

GUN BLAST: MANY WRONGS

SAFETY officers wrongly determined there was no live ammunition in a machine gun that jammed during a live-firing exercise at the Armour Training Centre last month. As a result, the gun was brought back to the unit where, on Feb 24, a day later, an explosion occurred when personnel tried to fix the problem.

'Incorrect procedures were adopted by the two officers at the range, to check whether the jammed weapon was free from any ammunition,' Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean told the House. 'The actions taken to rectify the jammed weapon after they brought it back to the unit were also incorrect.'

A Board of Inquiry has been convened to investigate the incident. Disciplinary action will be taken against anyone found negligent or who contravened the established procedures. Four servicemen were hurt in the accident.

NS for women? Yet another nay

16 March 2004

THE Defence Ministry once again turned down a call - this time led by several women MPs - to conscript women into national service (NS).

Women here already contribute to nation-building and total defence through the workforce and are also 'critical pillars in support of civil, psychological and social defence', Minister of State (Defence) Cedric Foo explained.

While thanking Mrs Lim Hwee Hua (Marine Parade GRC) and Nominated MPs Jennifer Lee and Braema Mathi, among others, for supporting national service, he addressed the reasons they put forward - and explained why the ministry saw it differently.

On the point that women could be trained in nursing during NS to cope better in crises, at home or even in hospital, he said that a proper nursing course would take at least three years. This is longer than the two-and-a-half-year NS period.

As for the argument that conscripting women could solve the Singapore Armed Forces' manpower shortage, he said the shortage was a problem that could be managed by making greater use of technology and outsourcing.

On NS enabling greater social cohesion among men and women, he said its primary purpose is the defence of Singapore.

'We have to examine whether the objectives of social cohesion and nation-building can best be met by means other than compulsory NS for women,' he said, adding that it would remove them from the workforce at significant cost to Singapore and to themselves.

More funds to keep SAF at cutting edge

16 March 2004

Additional Mindef money will be spent on research and development to enable the armed forces to fight a high-tech war

By David Boey

IN A year when every other Government ministry suffered a 2 per cent cut in their budget caps, defence was spared.

And yesterday, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean spelled out how the military will use its $8.62 billion to safeguard Singapore's interests and transform itself to fight a new kind of warfare, in which technology plays a paramount role.

In this, research and development is critical, with Mindef 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 sum is on top of the regular 4 per cent to 5 per cent it budgets annually for research and development, which this time can amount to about $430 million.

While much of the research used to modernise the SAF is classified, 'some is in technologies one reads about on the war in Iraq,' Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo told Parliament during a debate on his ministry's budget, which is up 4.5 per cent from last year.

A selection of such cutting-edge technology will be on show later this year at a defence exhibition here, to demonstrate its importance in developing what RADM Teo called 'the third generation SAF'.

At the heart of this 3G SAF is the use of defence technology to deliver a deadly punch.

'Platforms, manned and unmanned, weapons and sensors that are fully networked into such a fighting system will have their combat power magnified many times.

'Tanks or ships or aircraft that are not, and which are capable of operating only in the conventional way, may find that they are merely targets,' said RADM Teo.

Responding to questions from more than 30 MPs, he also gave them an update on how SAF guards the country against threats like terrorism, how it stretches the defence dollar and the various ways in which it looks after the welfare of its servicemen.

To underline his point on the new direction in modern warfare, RADM Teo pointed to last year's Iraq war.

In it, just one precision-guided bomb was all that was needed to destroy a target, compared to the 9,000 bombs that had to be dropped during World War II.

In addition, a new-type of soldier is needed. He is Mindef's 'Advanced Combatman', a concept that envisions a heavily-armed soldier wearing a helmet with a visor that can display text or pictures.

He will also be equipped for night fighting. With a wrist-mounted computer, he can communicate with his commander and control unmanned vehicles fitted with cameras, to see beyond the next hill or street corner.

But amid all these new projects, RADM Teo assured MPs the military takes great care with every dollar spent.

This stringent approach has earned it a reputation as what Britain's Financial Times calls a 'reference customer', one of a handful of countries that stand out in the military world for its proper procurement process.

Earlier, MPs like Dr Ong Chit Chung (Jurong GRC), chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Defence and Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) called for prudent spending.

Dr Ong said: 'We want the SAF to be a strong and mighty stallion guarding the gateway to Singapore. We don't want a runaway horse galloping away... allowing costs to escalate and spin out of control.'

In reply, RADM Teo described Mindef's various cost-saving measures.

He added: 'Ours is not a feast or famine approach. We do not splurge in good times nor do we leave ourselves exposed in difficult times.

'Defence is not an optional extra for Singapore - it is critical for a small state for which there will be no second chance if we lose the first battle.'

Originally posted by RafflesCity

NS for women? Yet another nay Oh MAN!! What silly excuses they have now!!

I am a strong advovater for NS to be introduced to women! :D

SAF game plan

Computer wargame adapted to local context for training

By David Boey

A POPULAR computer wargame, Operation Flashpoint, has been customised by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in a bid to see if it can be used to train soldiers here more realistically. The SAF modified the game by replacing the weapons used in it with its own arsenal, including the SM-1 light tank and the locally developed SAR-21 assault rifle. It hopes that by adding its own weapons, soldiers here will have a better idea of how such firepower is used.

Major Adrian Koh, head of the SAF Armour Simulation Centre, said armour units are spearheading a project to assess the usefulness of virtual wargames. He said: 'We're looking into creating a roadmap for simulator training, where some form of simulation will be introduced at every level of training. This will allow us to iron out kinks and creases during simulated training so that training time in the field is more effectively used.' He said games like Counter-Strike and Steel Beast were also studied, but the SAF settled on Operation Flashpoint because it could be re-programmed extensively to meet its training needs.

Maj Koh said virtual battles allow soldiers to test their mental agility in combat situations. All this can be done repeatedly, in different terrain or weather conditions, against any number of hostile forces, and at a fraction of the cost of actual field training. Already, one of the things the SAF has learnt is the importance of avoiding what the military calls blue-on-blue encounters - friendly fire, or fratricide.

Maj Koh said the wargame can help soldiers avoid such situations by training them to recognise combat vehicles quickly. Such recognition skills will come in useful when soldiers have to make a decision on whether to fire or not in actual battle. But Maj Koh said computer games with realistic sound and animation will complement, not replace, field training. The Operation Flashpoint project, which began in late 2002, has led to the centre packing the game with numerous scenarios which SAF troops could face.

The work involved in customising the game is painstaking. First, each new weapon has to be computer-generated in 3-D to capture its exact shape. Then, it has to be painstakingly painted and weathered pixel by pixel to mimic the real thing. This attention to detail has highlighted the game's potential as a learning aid for soldiers to recognise various types of vehicles and weapons.

Corporal Raymond Koh, 22, is the full-time national serviceman who re-programmed the game with new graphics. He enlisted in November 2001 with a diploma in film and media from Ngee Ann Polytechnic. This qualification, plus the 10 years Cpl Koh spent playing computer games as a child, made him a natural choice for the project.

He said: 'I had to consider the characteristics of various SAF vehicles - their speed, the velocity of the rounds they can fire and whether the vehicle can 'swim'. These have to be plotted into the game to deliver a realistic experience for players.'

And in rewriting part of the program, Cpl Koh helped maximise the potential of software used to create Operation Flashpoint so complex virtual battles can be fought. He said: 'The game simulates terrain that Singapore doesn't have. It can also create scenarios, like armour troops training with air support, that would be costly to do in real life.'

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THE S'PORE TOUCH: The SAF has modified the Operation Flashpoint program to include virtual soldiers armed with weapons like the locally developed SAR-21 assault rifle (above, soldier in the centre). Virtual battles feature SM-1 light tanks (below) which are part of the SAF arsenal. -- PHOTOS: MINDEF
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-03-10/H7B_0310.jpg

Originally posted by huaiwei

Oh MAN!! What silly excuses they have now!!

I am a strong advovater for NS to be introduced to women! :D

Is it? lol..I think its not necessary unless the shortage is critical. Besides a lot of issues have to be worked out, like separate training camps etc, but I believe the most pressing reason is the economic angle:cheers:

Singapore signs up for Joint Strike Fighter development programme

16 March 2004

SINGAPORE : Singapore has signed up to join the multi-nation project to develop the Joint Strike Fighter, or JSF.

It is the only Asian country in the project, which is being led by the United States.

The JSF is widely touted as the most advanced stealth strike figther of the next generation.

It will be capable of air defence and ground attack missions, and boasts enhanced combat survivability and cheaper maintenance.

As part of the arrangement, Singapore gets to assess whether the joint strike fighter meets its own needs.

Singapore can also ask to buy the JSF for delivery from 2012 onwards. - CNA

Originally posted by RafflesCity

Is it? lol..I think its not necessary unless the shortage is critical. Besides a lot of issues have to be worked out, like separate training camps etc, but I believe the most pressing reason is the economic angle:cheers: Yeah..but nothing beats boosting national unity by 100% overnight! :D

NS is neneficial in more ways then there are against it, so I dont see why women should be denied the chance?

True lah..but very important aim of NS is defence, so if the manpower needs become critical I believe they will draft women in. Meanwhile dont civilians also play a part in Total Defence?

Originally posted by RafflesCity

True lah..but very important aim of NS is defence, so if the manpower needs become critical I believe they will draft women in. Meanwhile dont civilians also play a part in Total Defence? I wished Total Defence was that effective. Most people have proven to be ignorant and complacent, esp if u remember that poll conducted by ST just a month ago?

Defence runs in the blood of this merchant ship

Sold by Mindef for $1.65m, the vessel will undergo a $3m makeover and will be used to protect navy ships against terrorists

By Goh Chin Lian

A 40-YEAR-OLD landing ship which saw action in the Falklands War and served in the Republic of Singapore Navy, has been given a new role in defence - protecting navy ships against terrorists. Now retired, the former RSS Perseverance will become a merchant ship, carrying X-ray machines for security checks, floating barriers to block small craft from ramming into navy vessels and more.

It has been renamed Glenn Braveheart - after the Mel Gibson movie of the same name inspired by Scottish leader William Wallace's victory over the English in 1297 - in keeping with the ship's military past and its new owner's Scottish origins.

Singapore-based defence logistics company Glenn Defense Marine (Asia), which bought the vessel, will use it to support its main client, the US Navy, as well as other countries' naval forces. It is expected to be called into action when the ships call at ports in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, East Timor and Hong Kong.

The company's managing director, Mr Leonard Francis, said having the vessel means Glenn Defense Marine no longer has to rely only on subcontractors at the ports.

The landing ship was built in 1964, and was christened the Sir Lancelot. It was part of the British navy, surviving two hits when Britain went to war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982. It was sold in 1989 and became a casino ship called the Lowland Lancer, cruising off South Africa.

The Singapore navy acquired it in 1992, retrofitted it and commissioned it the RSS Perseverance in 1994. Measuring 126m long, it was the largest vessel in the fleet then, capable of carrying up to 300 people.

Naval divers used it as their command post when they scoured the river in Palembang, Indonesia, for bodies and wreckage following the MI185 SilkAir plane crash in 1997. Peacekeepers from the Singapore Armed Forces sailed on it in 2000 to Dili, Timor Leste, then called East Timor.

The 'RSS' was dropped from its name when it was decommissioned the year after, but it remained under the navy to support submarine rescue operations with a civilian crew. It sailed into action in January last year, supporting diving operations in the massive search and rescue effort after patrol vessel RSS Courageous collided with a container ship.

Three months ago, it changed hands again. Glenn Defense Marine paid the Defence Ministry $1.65 million for it. 'It was very well maintained by the Singapore navy and has a good track record,' said Mr Francis. Still, it is spending more than $3 million to refurbish the vessel, which is expected to last for the next 10 to 15 years.

However, one thing will remain - a black-and-white picture of its days as Sir Lancelot, that has apparently hung on the wall of a navigation control room for many years. The vessel's previous commanding officers have all left instructions that the photograph must remain, said the marine company's naval defence manager Tay Chee Hong. 'We'll keep it there because it's a tradition,' said the former navy head of fleet operations, who retired last year.

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The 40-year-old landing ship has been renamed Glenn Braveheart, in keeping with the ship's military past and its new owner's Scottish origins. In the foreground is the marine company's naval defence manager Tay Chee Hong. -- TAN SUAN ANN

Same payout for all SAF casualties

NSFs or NSmen, all will be compensated at same rates as regular soldiers if they're killed or injured during service

By Soh Wen Lin

FULL-TIME national servicemen (NSFs) and operationally ready NS men (NSmen) who get injured or killed during service will now be compensated at the same rates as regular soldiers.

Thus, they will get an additional lump-sum pension of at least one year's pay of an equivalent regular, on top of the current compensation rate, if they die due to service.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean announced the new scheme in Parliament yesterday when he gave an update on the review of the national service training safety system.

He was responding to concerns about military training and safety expressed by several MPs, in light of three servicemen dying last year during training.

After a full review, the system was deemed robust. Improvements centred on taking more preventive action.

In the works are a knowledge management system for safety information, trend forecasting methods to anticipate and address potential safety problems. Near-accidents are thoroughly investigated to glean lessons.

Other measures taken include providing better resuscitation equipment and better-trained medical staff at training centres, introducing safety hotlines to encourage feedback, and stepping up audits and senior commanders' visits.

On the issue of compensation, the Defence Ministry (Mindef) is formalising a framework for compensation to make the guidelines clearer.

Currently, basic compensation is based on provisions in the Workmen's Compensation Act. Mindef also has the flexibility to pay up to 30 per cent in extra compensation on a case-by-case basis. In some cases Mindef paid more than the 30-per-cent cap.

Additional sources of benefits include the SAF Benevolent Fund, a dependants' pension, and an insurance scheme which provides coverage of up to $400,000 at a premium of $16 a month for every $100,000 of coverage.

Said Rear-Adm (NS) Teo: 'Mindef knows that no amount of compensation or benefits will alleviate the grief or make up for the loss of the serviceman's family.

'However, with these improvements... we will be in a better position to compensate our serviceman's families as fairly as possible.'

It's the people who count in national defence

By Eugene Low

TALK of war these days tends to be peppered with references to gizmos and gadgets.

It was evident in last year's United States-led war in Iraq where sophisticated technology operated by personnel hundreds of kilometres from the front line was used to devasting effect.

Even some of the equipment on the ground in the theatre of battle was far from its intended targets but homed in with pinpoint accuracy.

With such new technology, it is often easy to lose sight of the men and women behind the elaborate machinery of war.

At the end of the day, it is not the latest and most sophisticated weaponry in itself that proves decisive but the 'boots on the ground', the minds that process the information and fingers that push the buttons, that matter most.

The shift to technology is understandable, population growth being what it is and the smaller cohort entering national service these days.

Indeed, size in this instance does not really matter - nor will it constrain Singapore's ability to mount a stout defence against any aggressor.

Against such a backdrop, it was heartening to hear Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean speak about 'looking after our servicemen' yesterday, even as the Singapore Armed Forces leverages more decisively on technology.

He focused on three areas: improving training safety standards, better compensation for full-time national servicemen and retirement schemes.

At the heart of these measures is the belief that the armed forces must take care of its people.

Expressing the concerns of parents, spouses and children when their loved ones don camouflage and leave for military training, at least four MPs yesterday sought assurances that servicemen can go about fulfilling their national duties safely.

Families need to know their sons and loved ones will return from national service training in one piece, said Mr Tan Soo Khoon (East Coast GRC).

However, looking after servicemen goes beyond improving safety standards and offering fair compensation in the event of injury or worse.

As a national serviceman about to attend in-camp training, I admit I'm bothered by a nagging doubt over whether the whole exercise will be time well spent.

A common grouse is that in-camp training is a waste of time - an inconvenience that keeps NSmen away from their jobs and families.

The Defence Ministry has addressed this by reducing the number of in-camp training stints required for each NSman from nine to seven. It has also restricted the number of times an NSman can be called up for NS duties to no more than three times a year.

To keep this from hindering entrepreneurship, NSmen who have established new businesses just before being called up for training can ask for deferment.

These are good steps, but more can be done to tell NSmen the intended aims of each in-camp training stint.

NSmen often show up with little idea of what to expect or what is expected of them.

More information about their role and the goals of upcoming training will go a long way to help them be better prepared, psychologically ready and in a position to contribute meaningfully.

Even as the SAF transforms itself into a 'third-generation' outfit by making greater use of new technology, it must not leave soldiers out of the loop.

A clear communication of the SAF vision must be the crux of its strategy. Transforming the military is not simply a top-down initiative. The rank-and-file must also be convinced of the need to build a better armed forces.

The SAF has little choice but to move in this direction as technology rapidly changes the face of warfare.

As Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said, it took 9,000 bombs delivered by waves of bombers to ensure one successful strike against a strategic target during World War II.

In the Iraq war, one aircraft in a single sortie could destroy several such targets with precision-guided bombs.

'The advantage in the battlefield of the future lies with the force that can harness technology to make maximum use of these transformational capabilities,' the minister said.

In other words, the SAF must do more with the limited manpower it has.

The good news is it already has a headstart - with 'well-educated soldiers who can easily master the technologically sophisticated weapons and equipment'.

The armed forces must therefore make every soldier count.

Ultimately, however, the sum of a nation's defence is not merely the strength of its military. So women, who are not conscripted, should not feel left out.

Although Minister of State (Defence) Cedric Foo rejected a call led by several women MPs to also make national service compulsory for women, he was careful not to play down their role.

Indeed, women here already contribute to nation-building and total defence through the workforce.

As he put it, they are also 'critical pillars in support of civil, psychological and social defence'.

The experience of the British and Americans during World War II illustrates this principle well.

While the men were at the front line, the women were in the factories manning machines and churning out ammunition and even aircraft for troops who were somewhere 'over there'.

Even though they had different roles to play, women were no less important than men in the war effort.

When it comes to national defence, including guarding against the terrorist threat, it is not the sophistication of the technology that counts but how everyone chips in.

Kudos for SAF peacekeepers

THE Singapore Armed Forces' participation in operations in Iraq and Timor Leste, among others, has been valuable in boosting the professionalism of its personnel.

It also reinforces servicemen's confidence in the equipment they use and their training.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said in such missions, servicemen operate in difficult conditions and face real-life challenges and dangers.

In Iraq, a C-130 aircraft began operating in the Gulf from Feb 9, flying missions into Baghdad, Kirkuk, Mosul, Tallil and Basra. One of the navy's vessels, a Landing Ship Tank, spent 42 days in the Gulf. Its personnel queried over 250 ships in that time and searched over 70 of them.

Rear-Admiral (NS) Teo said as a responsible member of the international community, Singapore had responsibilities and contributions to make. 'We have to get involved in international issues which have implications for our security; and we have to work with other countries to fight transnational threats.'

SAF peacekeepers in Timor Leste got a pat on the back when Rear-Adm Teo revealed that New Zealand's defence chief was impressed by their high level of professionalism. They were considered 'an asset to the New Zealand Defence Force battalion to which our unit was attached. The New Zealanders are seasoned and highly regarded peacekeepers, so this was a worthy endorsement'.

About 1,500 SAF personnel took part in the Timor Leste and Iraq missions. -- Azrin Asmani

Originally posted by huaiwei

Indeed, size in this instance does not really matter - nor will it constrain Singapore's ability to mount a stout defence against any aggressor.



In a book I read it said Singapore can be classed by some as a medium power, lacking strategic depth.

India, Singapore hold talks on defence policy

Singapore, Mar 22 (UNI) Officials from the Indian and Singapore Ministries of Defence today held discussions at the inaugural Defence Policy Dialogue between the two countries.

The talks were co-chaired by the Singapore's Permanent Secretary for Defence Peter Ho and Indian Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad.

Mr Prasad also called on Minister for Defence Rear-Admiral Teo Chee Hean this morning, a statement from the Singapore Defence Ministry said.

http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?newscode=47451&catcode=ENG4&subcatcode=

Originally posted by RafflesCity

In a book I read it said Singapore can be classed by some as a medium power, lacking strategic depth. No strategic depth?? Whats that anyway?? :D

Which means Singapore is too small and any war that is fought cannot be fought on Singapore's territory but on the enemies. Which is why we have a pre-emptive offensive doctrine apparently.

I tot that is supposed to be a "strategy" in itself? I dont get it!!! :bash: :D What book is that?! ;)

hm,i dont know much about Singapore defence policy but which is Singapore main rival when it comes to defence? :)

Originally posted by huaiwei

I tot that is supposed to be a "strategy" in itself? I dont get it!!! :bash: :D What book is that?! ;)

"Singapore Politics Under the PAP" by Diane K Mauzy and RS Milne.

Originally posted by drwho

hm,i dont know much about Singapore defence policy but which is Singapore main rival when it comes to defence? :)

No rivals as no country has ill-intentions on us but the SAF prepares for any contingencies in its strategic geopolitical environment I guess.

President Nathan checks out Brunei jungle survival training

He also meets Singaporeans during day two of his state visit

By M. Nirmala

PRESIDENT S R Nathan got a taste of Bruneian army life yesterday, trekking through a jungle and seeing how servicemen could rely on nature not only for food, but also for cures for many ailments. During a 90-minute visit to the Penanjong Garrison, which provides training for recruits, he went on a tour to see how the men could survive in the jungle.

The soldiers showed Mr Nathan how they built traps to catch chickens and monkeys, and used hollow bamboo stems to make cups after eating the pith. He listened with interest when told the cooked leaves of the pawas tree could cure diabetes and high blood pressure.

The jungle version of Viagra, they also told him, came from the root of the tongkat ali plant. The President's rejoinder on the plant's supposed aphrodisiac qualities had the delegation accompanying him in stitches: 'During jungle training it can be dangerous for them to take this!'

Mr Nathan, who was on the second day of a three-day state visit to Brunei, also observed how servicemen trained in realistic battleground situations, amid gunfire and tanks, to capture 'enemy' positions. The armour live firing range at Penanjong Garrison is also used for training by the Singapore Armed Forces.

Mr Nathan is the first Singaporean head of state to tour the garrison for a close-up view of training. The arrangement was made possible because of the strong and friendly relations between Brunei and Singapore. He was accompanied by Brunei's Deputy Defence Minister Pengiran Haji Ibnu Ba'asith, who said the visit underscored the importance of economic, defence and cultural ties between the two countries.

Later in the day, the President and Mrs Nathan met about 200 Singaporeans living in Brunei at a tea reception at the Singapore High Commission. In an impromptu speech, he said he could see from the many happy faces that Brunei was special to them. Brunei, he said, is special to Singapore too, and Singaporeans should help it develop further: 'When we are among close friends, that is the least we can do.'

Several Singaporeans said they liked the friendly nature of the Bruneians and saw the benefits of operating in a small market. 'It is like a kampung here and the businessmen know each other well. We feel very secure here,' said Mr Lee Chiap Kiang, 55, who came here 18 years ago and runs a wholesale business in the supermarket industry.

Today Mr Nathan travels by helicopter to Lakiun Camp to see how Singapore soldiers train, while Mrs Nathan visits a gallery that houses the Brunei Sultan's private collection of Islamic artefacts. The President and Mrs Nathan will return to Singapore later today.

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-03-18/P6B_0318.jpg
Mr Nathan raised a laugh with a quip that using "aprodisiac" tongkat ali in the jungle may be dangerous. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO

3G SAF? Mind the pitfalls

By David Boey

SO THE Ministry of Defence will spend 1 per cent of its budget, or some $86 million, on 'experimentation' in new ways of combat.

Minister Teo Chee Hean considers this 'so critical' that these experiments will, for the first time, be funded separately from the '4 to 5 per cent' of his ministry's budget spent annually on military research and development.

In his words, the money will be used to transform the Singapore Armed Forces into a 'third-generation' fighting force.

With so much money at stake, it won't be long before cost-conscious civil servants try to measure the success of this drive to build a 3G SAF.

But here's where the difficulty lies: It's next to impossible to measure effectiveness of combat power using management yardsticks like key performance indicators (KPIs).

How does one, for example, gauge the 'value added' that comes with adding one battalion of unmanned vehicles to one's army, as opposed to, say, one battalion of infantry?

In Vietnam, the United States Army learnt the hard way the futility of using body counts as an indicator of wartime success.

It's also fallacious to use the amount of ground won on the battlefield as a crude KPI. For instance, US-led coalition forces can now travel the length and breadth of Iraq at will, but the conflict is far from over. Coalition forces have yet to come to grips with a shadowy enemy intent on evicting them.

Next, a 3G SAF should not gun for wholesale adoption of high-tech weaponry when a simple one will suffice.

During World War II, British scientists found that thin strips of metal foil could reflect radar energy. British bombers carried such strips, codenamed Window, to fool German air defence radars as to the size and direction of bomber attacks. So German radars were overcome not with brute force, but with clouds of metal foil.

There's another pitfall strategists have to grapple with when working with cutting-edge technology: Such technology may be so advanced, strategists may be unwilling to exploit its benefits for fear of alerting the enemy to its existence.

During World War II, for instance, Allied scientists developed a fuse that could detonate anti-aircraft shells near an aircraft without actually hitting it. These 'proximity fuses' were ready for combat use in late 1942, but they were fired only at sea to prevent enemy forces picking up unexploded shells and studying their secret. The ban on using them on land was lifted only in mid-1944. So for almost two years the benefits of these fuses were not exploited to the full - all in the name of secrecy.

Today, the challenge facing the SAF in going 3G is compounded by the fact that it is relatively new at the war game and has limited historical experience to draw upon.

It is also unbloodied in combat. Apart from a brief terrorist incident in 1991, the SAF has never fired in anger.

Bureaucratic mindsets are hard to change. This applies more to military organisations where standard operating procedures, rigid discipline and esprit de corps built over the years can stifle the capacity for change.

In the 1920s, a US Army officer called Billy Mitchell tried to prove the vulnerability of US Navy battleships. He used bombers from the US Army Air Service to sink several retired navy battleships. But the US military remained unconvinced. Mitchell was court-martialled for his outspoken views in 1925, and when he died in 1936, this maverick officer was almost forgotten.

The US learnt the hard way when, on Dec 7, 1941, Japanese planes pummelled the fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor.

The SAF, a relatively young organisation compared to other military forces, should suffer less from such inertia. However, policymakers should recognise that SAF officers may not be prepared to stick their necks out too far lest their careers are jeopardised.

On the flip side, there may be officers who, thinking 3G is the flavour of the day, craft ideas and proposals not because they truly believe in them, but simply because they think this will fastforward their career prospects.

These very human failings are the enemy within, which SAF planners need to guard against as the quest for a 3G SAF evolves.

Why NS means fewer babies in Singapore

I REFER to the parliamentary report on the proposal for women to do national service ('It's the people who count in national defence'; ST, March 16).

I think it's a good idea to balance the 'human ecology' in Singapore.

Currently, women are 2 1/2 years ahead of men in their careers, they earn more money and hold more senior positions. A lot of women do not want a partner who earns less than them.

To make matters worse, some companies hire only women or male permanent residents in important Cannot distribute vertically positions because they can't afford to have their managers or engineers on long reservist training which could last up to a month.

So young Singaporean men find it harder to get a job and earn less than women. And most women are unwilling to marry men who earn less than Cannot distribute vertically hey do.

We'll end up with fewer babies in Singapore. That's what I mean by 'ecological balance'.

I think reservist training should be less than a week to make Singaporean men more acceptable for employment.

LIM CHANG SIAH

Singapore ends military presence in Iraq

AFP[ MONDAY, APRIL 05, 2004 01:05:39 PM ]


SINGAPORE : Singapore no longer has a military presence in Iraq after the last of its troop returned home on Monday from a two-month stint in the war-torn country, the government said.



Thirty-one Singaporean Armed Forces personnel and a C-130 transport plane were deployed on February 4 to help the US-led forces in Iraq conduct supply and humanitarian aid delivery missions.



With the expiry of the scheduled two-month deployment, a first batch of troop returned to Singapore with the C-130 on Sunday while a second group arrived home aboard commercial flights on Monday.



"With the return of the troop today, we have no more personnel in the Gulf," defence ministry spokeswoman Felicia Tang said in an e-mailed response to questions.



The crew, which previously had never experienced a hostile environment, came under fire on about one quarter of the sorties flown in Iraq , the Straits Times newspaper said on Monday.



"This was by far the riskiest exercise we undertook and the first time we were operating in a non-benign area," contingent leader Major Francis Ngooi, who returned on Sunday, said.



Singapore has consistently shown a strong commitment to the US in its campaign in Iraq , giving strong political and limited military support.



Aside from the C-130 crew, 160 personnel on a landing ship tank returned to Singapore in February after two months in the Gulf.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/600786.cms

Thank God......I do not support their invovlement in the Iraq situation, and thankfully, we didnt pay anything in terms of life and limbs for it!

yeap...specially now with the civilian uprising..it is a scary thing to be a soldier in Faluja.

Sigh.....I wonder just how long before they realise popular opinion needs to be respected. These iraqis are hardly ever going to consider the Americans their friends, and its about time they do something about it.

Meanwhile, if casaulties are sustained by any other supporting member of other nationalities, I wonder how their governments are supposed to explain it to their citizens back home...

yeah,just look at the Al-quedia threats against Spain and the Madrid-bombing

Now Spain wants to take their troops home.

I still wonder what the U:S administration was thinking on "democratization" of Iraq.

Well..it is all coming closer to home like an unstoppable plague. I do not want to be a selfish global citizen, but sometimes, one need to use our heads to analysis the costs and benefits at stake more intensely for matters as serious as this?

Wasn't sure where else to post. This is a tremendous milestone in the Indo-Singaporese, and Indo-ASEAN relationship.


India to Singapore: you can hold military exercises on our soil (http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=44236)

City state gets Delhi invite since it has no space for firepower training

BHAVNA VIJ-AURORA

NEW DELHI, APRIL 1: It’s a privilege that India has never extended. Not even to its closest neighbours. Come October, fighter arcraft from the Republic of Singapore Air Force will be allowed to conduct exercises over Indian airspace while its army has also been given permission to train on Indian soil.

The unusual arrangement was finalised last week when India’s Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad met his Singapore counterpart Peter Ho.

Apart from signalling the growing closeness between the two countries, the decision to allow a foreign country to use Indian airspace and land was intended to address a unique problem facing the city state.

According to Defence Mnistry sources, Singapore told New Delhi that it did not have enough space to carry out training exercises for its small but highly-sophisticated army and air force. Singapore has a total area of just 647.5 square kilometres.

‘‘So they asked India if they could conduct their training exercises here. They have been allowed. The first exercises — for Singapore air force — will be in October,’’ disclosed a senior Defence official. The two sides have also agreed to conduct joint exercises of air force, army and navy.

Diplomatic sources told The Indian Express that a fleet of five fighter aircraft from Singapore might be allowed to train in Gwalior while its armed forces would be allowed to fire live field ammuniton in Pokhran.

Singapore has been on the lookout for new training partners. On account of occasionally prickly relations, it is nervous about holding joint exercises with its neighbour Malaysia and it also does not want to depend too much on Taiwan to avoid hurting the sensitivities of the Chinese.

The partnership with India has been growing on other fronts, too. A major economic accord is in the works as Singapore has offered to serve as a bridge between India and China.

Also, alarmed by the threat of the extremist outfit Jemaah Islamiyah in its neighbourhood, the city-state wants to draw on India’s long experience in fighting terrorism.

The Indian Express has also learnt that the navies of the two countries have decided to work together to exchange information on gun-running, piracy and narco-trafficking in real time.

Wow! Anyway this can go to the "Defending the Lion City" thread....let Raffie do the magic. :D

Hahaa...well.......actually BMT is the most fun aspect of NS for most people.

That includes me. :) It's dreadful to book in to Tekong on Sundays, but overall, it's still the most fun aspect of NS. Don't get me wrong though, I dislike the SAF.

That includes me. :) It's dreadful to book in to Tekong on Sundays, but overall, it's still the most fun aspect of NS. Don't get me wrong though, I dislike the SAF.
Haha....there is nothing "wrong" with disliking or liking the SAF. I would still think, that my NS days were very important in moulding me as a person, but no, I wont ever want to do is all again.

And I would still thank the SAF for making me realise that I could actually thrive in a regimental lifestyle, and that it can be a career option, but no, I wont ever want to sign up into the SAF!

:D

Anyone wanna share your NS experiences? I certainly wont mind (but make sure we keep to our oath of secrecy!!)

Haha....there is nothing "wrong" with disliking or liking the SAF. I would still think, that my NS days were very important in moulding me as a person, but no, I wont ever want to do is all again.

And I would still thank the SAF for making me realise that I could actually thrive in a regimental lifestyle, and that it can be a career option, but no, I wont ever want to sign up into the SAF!

:D

Anyone wanna share your NS experiences? I certainly wont mind (but make sure we keep to our oath of secrecy!!)

In a few ways yes, before NS I never imagined myself to even survive through B.M.T. but I did, something which I can be proud for a long time. And myself is a geek who can face the computer for 15 hours a day continously if not out of the house.

But I dislike NS, first of because I dislike the government(controversy brewing..) and also some of the people inside. I've seen good examples of officers, leaders and soldiers those who I'll be glad to salute. But as a common NS man, I've seen more likes of Cpt Sobel than Cpt Winters, those who seen Band Of Brothers will know what I'm talking about. I've seen lots of people only trying to make their way up the ranking ladder if they're regulars instead of trying to be a good example of a soldier. I've seen plently of unfairness and stuff like that.

Haha...I never expected myself to be surviving through NS either. I was a real nerd who hates the outdoors and sports, and dont quite believe I am of the "killing" calibre.

Today, I dont remember anyone calling me a nerd ever since I left NS! :D

Well, I am a common foot soldier too myself, and I too, saw many things that left more to be desired. I wont expect things to get better, frankly, and I feel it is a common thing amongst many organisations, be it the army or otherwise. In a sense, it kinda taught me the realities of the life out there, although I dont quite approve of it.

Still, I would agree..that I do not wish to be part of an organisation which is saddled with too many people who arent worth tax-payers' money. It pains me to think of excellent individuals having to carry their extra weight on their shoulders.

as a normal soldier you got to try to get through day by day without being picked on by those higher up than you. But there are good and bad everywhere lah.

Well...we cant be assuming our experiences will be better the higher up one climbs. Its not as thou all the ocifers and specs are full of praise about NS, are they? :D

Well...we cant be assuming our experiences will be better the higher up one climbs. Its not as thou all the ocifers and specs are full of praise about NS, are they? :D

of course, and everyone's experiences are different, depending on their bosses.

For me I found that I tended to get arrowed quite a lot more when I was a REC and PTE, but the longer I stayed, I get to know my boss pattern and do's and dont's and as you get promoted you get to 'delegate' to those below you. So for me, it was horrible in the beginning but became better towards the end and I still keep in contact with some close frens from camp.:cheers:

Hehe...my life was hell during the most demanding course at "Cambridge University", but even then, it was a mixed experience as I grapped quite a disproportionate amount of praises then I should be getting? Wahahaha!!

lol how come?

Coz I could topo much better then your average guy out there? :D

Navy collision officers fined

Judge says it was an isolated error of judgment rather than recurrent negligence, so they are spared jail terms

By Ben Nadarajan and Wong Sher Maine

THE father of a navy woman who died in the RSS Courageous collision pleaded with the courts yesterday to keep the two officers convicted of causing her death out of jail.

Retiree Seah Sim Beng's letter to the judge, read out by defence lawyer, Senior Counsel Steven Chong, was the last thing a packed courtroom heard before District Judge Tan Boon Gin pronounced that fines were sufficient for the officers' 'isolated error of judgment'.

Chua Chue Teng, a trainee watch officer who had command of the ship, was fined $8,000 and her supervisor Ng Keng Yong was given the maximum $10,000, for carelessly allowing the ship they were navigating to collide with a merchant vessel, ANL Indonesia, on Jan 3 last year.

Both could have gone to jail for up to two years.

The judge did not say if he had been swayed by the plea from the father of dead servicewoman Seah Ai Leng, but he pointed out that although the collision had claimed four lives, it did not automatically elevate the offence to one warranting a jail sentence.

He agreed with Mr Chong that Chua, 24, and Ng, 28, could not be blamed entirely as ANL was also at fault for not making a speedy right turn to avoid the collision off Pedra Branca.

The judge added that the two officers had made 'an isolated error of judgment rather than sustained and recurrent negligence over a period of time'.

Earlier, Mr Chong had highlighted in his mitigation how Chua, who was awarded the best trainee award during her Basic Military Training and Ng, for whom six colleagues wrote glowing character testimonials, were outstanding officers.

Most 'unusual' was Mr Seah's letter, hand-written in Chinese, beseeching the judge to just fine them, instead of sending them to jail.

'It exhibits forgiveness from a person who felt the deepest pain from the collision,' said Mr Chong.

Mr Seah later told reporters that when the judge fined the two, it was 'probably the happiest I have been since the collision', which also killed servicewomen Goh Hui Ling, Heng Sock Ling and Chua Bee Lin.

He said of the two convicted officers: 'I personally lost a daughter so I know what their parents would be going through. It was the least I could do to help them.'

'I nearly had a heart attack in the court while I was waiting for the judge to pass sentence. You don't know how happy I was when he gave just a fine.'

Both Chua and Ng, who remained stony-faced throughout the sentencing, left quickly after paying their fines and declined to speak to the media. Ng's father, however, was seen thanking Mr Seah outside the court.

While the criminal trial may be over, the two officers' fate in the military is still unknown. The Defence Ministry will decide based on the court's findings if the two, who are still in the navy but are not sailing, should continue serving in the navy.

Separately, the ministry may also bring a civil suit against the owners of the ANL Indonesia, P&O Nedlloyd, for damage to the RSS Courageous. On the two officers' next step, Mr Chong said: 'They are grateful that it's a non-custodial sentence, but we will not rule out an appeal. We have 10 days to decide.'

A plea: From father of victim

Your Honour,

I am Seah Sim Beng, father of Seah Ai Leng, one of the victims in the tragedy.

I hereby sincerely plead with Your Honour for the benefit of the two Navy officers, Lieutenant Ng Keng Yong and Lieutenant Chua Chue Teng, and hope Your Honour would accept my plea and impose on them a sentence of a fine instead of imprisonment.

During the past one year plus, I know from my contact with them that they have already gone through and suffered a great deal of emotional and spiritual distress in their lives.

They had been my daughter's good friends and good working partners. They are also the children of their parents. I, as a parent, do not hope to see them imprisoned because of an inadvertence committed by them in the course of discharging their duties in safeguarding our country.

On Nov 17 last year, during my first meeting with them outside of the court, I could feel their sincere sadness, remorse, upset and anguish over the fact that the collision had happened.

I could empathise with their sadness, remorse, upset and anguish that have been obsessing them persistently. I hereby appeal to Your Honour to impose on them a lighter sentence of a fine, instead of imprisonment

Sincerely,
Seah Sim Beng

A rather touching end to a long drawn tragedy...

Grieving dad's selfless plea

Fear that the two convicted navy officers may sink into depression prompted the father of RSS Courageous victim to pen a letter asking the court not to jail them

By Li Xueying

LAST Monday, Mr Seah Sim Beng sat down in the living room of his three-room flat in Bedok North and did what most people would consider to be an unusually gracious deed.

He wrote a letter asking the court not to jail the two people who caused his daughter's death in the Navy's worst accident in 27 years.

In neat Chinese script, he penned: 'I sincerely plead with Your Honour for the benefit of the two Navy officers, Lieutenant Ng Keng Yong and Lieutenant Chua Chue Teng, and hope Your Honour would accept my plea and impose on them a sentence of a fine instead of imprisonment.

'During the past one year plus, I know from my contact with them that they have already... suffered a great deal of emotional and spiritual distress in their lives.

'They had been my daughter's good friends and good working partners. They are also the children of their parents.'

The 56-year-old semi-retired taxi driver took an hour to write the moving letter.

He dismissed any suggestion that his gesture was especially magnanimous.

'It was a moment of negligence that led to the tragedy. It's not what they wanted.'

He was worried that the young officers would sink into depression if they were sent to jail.

On Friday, Chua, a trainee watch officer who had command of the ship, was fined $8,000 and Ng, her supervisor, was fined $10,000, for carelessly allowing the ship they were navigating to collide with a merchant vessel, ANL Indonesia, on Jan 3 last year. They could have gone to jail for up to two years.

Four Navy servicewomen on board the RSS Courageous died in the accident.

For a year after the tragedy, Mr Seah and his wife saw psychiatrists at the Changi General Hospital. He said: 'I'd be walking home from the MRT station and I'd be crying all the way. All day long, I kept thinking about her and missing her.'

Up to just a few months ago, his family continued to lay out Ai Leng's mattress, pillow and blanket on the floor in the bedroom she shared with her second sister.

'We have kept her things as they were,' said Mr Seah.

She was the third of four sisters. The eldest is 30, while the second, a secretary is 28. The youngest sister, a nurse, is 21.

Before writing the letter, Mr Seah consulted his family, and they gave their approval.

'But from the very beginning, we have never been angry with the two of them,' he said.

He said that he's always had a good impression of the two officers from their visits to his home and from conversations with Ai Leng about her friends.

'Keng Yong seemed like a stable and responsible young man, while Chue Teng was friendly and polite,' he said.

Before the trial, he asked to meet the pair, because 'I wanted to console them' but the Navy turned down his request.

It was only when the trial began last November that he managed to tell the frightened defendants, who were avoiding him in court, that he does not blame them and to focus on answering the questions 'properly'.

When they were convicted two weeks ago, he approached them on how he could best plead their cause.

'I wasn't sure whether I should say something in court, or write a letter. Their lawyer told me a letter is fine.'

After penning it on Monday, he met Ng and Chua at a coffee shop to pass it to them.

'It's a terrible burden,' he said. 'My heart goes out to them.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3.jpg
They were my daughter's good friends, said Mr Seah Sim Beng in a handwritten note asking the court to be lenient with the two navy officers who caused his daughter's death. -- LAU FOOK KONG

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3b.jpg
THE DAUGHTER

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3c.jpg
LT NG

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3d.jpg
LT CHUA

Wahahaa! I dont know lah....give me No.3. anytime. I think it looks much neater and smarter then the clumsy green. Just threat it like school uniform loh....its the same material anyway..isnt it? Looks like one too! :D

Maybe they have "espansion plans" for PLAB? Hm......

Green better, look more active. No. 3 is very inflexible, you can't run and jump with it, if not you'll have to iron again. So if do sai-kang or anything anything else roughwork or so, your No. 3 will look very rugged and crappy after that, then have to do those silly stuff you do to make it neat again... Bothersome and cumbersome but at least the shoes easier to wear than the No.4 boots.

Green better, look more active. No. 3 is very inflexible, you can't run and jump with it, if not you'll have to iron again. So if do sai-kang or anything anything else roughwork or so, your No. 3 will look very rugged and crappy after that, then have to do those silly stuff you do to make it neat again... Bothersome and cumbersome but at least the shoes easier to wear than the No.4 boots.
I never see people in no.3 do saikang leh? Seems like a perfect excuse to siam some more....:D

Anyway....its just normal cotton clothing rite? So easy to get crumpled meh...and you mean its not just simple ironing to get it in shape again ah?

I think the biggest reason why I hate green so much is because have to fold the sleeves..haha!

I never see people in no.3 do saikang leh? Seems like a perfect excuse to siam some more....:D

Anyway....its just normal cotton clothing rite? So easy to get crumpled meh...and you mean its not just simple ironing to get it in shape again ah?

I think the biggest reason why I hate green so much is because have to fold the sleeves..haha!

Yah, we need to do saikang and rough work sometimes for operation stuff with no.3. Actually by right, we recommended to wear things like no4 or coverall. But coverall not issued and wearing no4 everytime do work very troublesome, somemore rule say cannot wear no4 everytime because under RSAF liao. Sigh. But we also can wear PT shirt, so kinda like no3 vest slack, which is the better alternative. Not to mention, no3 is white, so you have to be extra careful when handling stuff like say rust, soil or diesel etc etc etc. Normal ironing will get it in shape again, but ironing very troublesome.

I only dislike no4 because of the boots. :)

Yah, we need to do saikang and rough work sometimes for operation stuff with no.3. Actually by right, we recommended to wear things like no4 or coverall. But coverall not issued and wearing no4 everytime do work very troublesome, somemore rule say cannot wear no4 everytime because under RSAF liao. Sigh. But we also can wear PT shirt, so kinda like no3 vest slack, which is the better alternative. Not to mention, no3 is white, so you have to be extra careful when handling stuff like say rust, soil or diesel etc etc etc. Normal ironing will get it in shape again, but ironing very troublesome.

I only dislike no4 because of the boots. :)
Your no.3 is white meh......I tot its light blue? :D

Walao I cant imagine ppl doing mechanic work in number 3 loh!!

SAF men make it through enemy fire

Being shot at in the air and threatened on the ground were part of the dangers the C-130 crew sent to Iraq faced constantly

By Kelvin Wong

FOR the Singapore Armed Forces C-130 detachment that was sent to the Arabian Gulf, there was no escaping danger.

It followed them on every sortie they flew into Iraq, and did not leave even when they were on the ground.

As many as one in four flights they took in the C-130 transport plane to airlift supplies and humanitarian aid came under enemy fire and required immediate evasive action, such as launching flares to ward off missiles.

The airfields they landed in were just as dangerous. Ground attacks were a constant threat, so any work there had to be done pronto.

Back at base camp, it was no picnic either.

Living in the desert meant hot days and chilly nights, not to mention dust and sandstorms.

But for the 31 crew members of the C-130 aircraft - Singapore's contribution to the multinational post-war reconstruction effort in Iraq - it was all in a day's work.

The detachment returned to Singapore yesterday after a two-month-long deployment. It had left on Feb 3.

Despite the conditions, the crew said their training prepared them both physically and mentally for their stint.

Major Francis Ngooi, who led the contingent, said yesterday: 'This was the first time we were operating in a non-benign environment.

'But having identified the risks and the adverse conditions, we were able to adapt very quickly.'

That meant being on their toes all the time, as well as donning protective gear such as bulletproof vests.

But, as Warrant Officer Alcantara Ronnie put it, being in harm's way will have its advantages: 'It is only human to fear... but after this mission, we feel like we will be able to take on any challenges ahead of us.'

For now, however, there is no place like home.

At 6 pm yesterday, cheers went up when the returning crew members touched down at Paya Lebar Air Base. A riotous welcome followed, as family members greeted them with kisses, hugs and tears.

For one couple, at least, the timing of the return was just right: Lieutenant Jason Chee and his wife, Karin, both 28, are expecting their first child within the next few weeks, and there will be a lot of preparations to take care of.

Mrs Chee said she spent much of the past two months worrying about his safety.

'But he constantly reassured me that their training had prepared them well. I'm just glad he's home.'

A second batch of servicemen will return today.

You should have seen those videos when the Iraq war began...Sky news had a camera attached on a F-15E with nightvision and you could see all the anti-air gun flares going up in the skies :) :)

You should have seen those videos when the Iraq war began...Sky news had a camera attached on a F-15E with nightvision and you could see all the anti-air gun flares going up in the skies :) :)
Eeeekkk.....not something I wanna see....haha! :D

Eeeekkk.....not something I wanna see....haha! :D

well it looked pretty cool!...but it aint cool to be in a F-15E with all that anti-air guns going 24h :) ;)

btw..have you seen the gun videos from a AH-64 in Iraq ?:)

http://www.thecia.net/users/stewarte/apachehit.mpg

its in nightvision....a warning though..if you are sensitive :)

well it looked pretty cool!...but it aint cool to be in a F-15E with all that anti-air guns going 24h :) ;)

btw..have you seen the gun videos from a AH-64 in Iraq ?:)

http://www.thecia.net/users/stewarte/apachehit.mpg

its in nightvision....a warning though..if you are sensitive :)
The video caused my IE to collapse! :D

The video caused my IE to collapse! :D

oh:/

well..blame Microsoft :) ;)

LOL from 245m apartment to army uniforms :dizzy:

anyway I agree that the No.4 is the most tedious..got to fold the sleeves and wear the boots and the laces. Good thing is at least can tuck out :D

No.3 is tedious when doing manual work..the shirt gets dirty easily (although some units let you wear the grey PT shirt) and the shoes also will get scratched.

anyway huaiwei here is the uniform expert lol

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3.jpg
They were my daughter's good friends, said Mr Seah Sim Beng in a handwritten note asking the court to be lenient with the two navy officers who caused his daughter's death. -- LAU FOOK KONG

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3b.jpg
THE DAUGHTER

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3c.jpg
LT NG

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-04/news3d.jpg
LT CHUA

I am glad they werent imprisoned as although they made this mistake, it wasnt deliberate despite mistakes being treated seriously in SAF. And yes, the letter was quite touching and impressive.

I think beyond the emotional baggage they have to handle...I shudder to imagine what is to happen to their lifelong careers...

LOL from 245m apartment to army uniforms :dizzy:

anyway I agree that the No.4 is the most tedious..got to fold the sleeves and wear the boots and the laces. Good thing is at least can tuck out :D

No.3 is tedious when doing manual work..the shirt gets dirty easily (although some units let you wear the grey PT shirt) and the shoes also will get scratched.

anyway huaiwei here is the uniform expert lol
Haha...if you want u can shift the convo to the one on the military. :D

So you have to wear both ah? I never got to wear no.3, although we came quite close to doing so when we "demanded" our boss to let us wear it (wasent successful thou) :D Apparently we seriously hate the no.4!

Your no.3 is white meh......I tot its light blue? :D

Walao I cant imagine ppl doing mechanic work in number 3 loh!!

Yah, light blue or white in sunlight, whatever you wish to call it. :D

Not mechanic work, signal stuff which I can't say, we deal with many radios, we drive military vehicles which I also can't say which and deal with diesel and soil and of course everyone's favourite "Sai-kang" which deals with all other crapwork. But of course, now we just wear PT-shirt lor.

Oh yah, No.3 must tuck in, seriously hate it. I hate tucking in and looking formal and all that crap. If only No4 boots not so troublesome would be good liao.

Yah, light blue or white in sunlight, whatever you wish to call it. :D

Not mechanic work, signal stuff which I can't say, we deal with many radios, we drive military vehicles which I also can't say which and deal with diesel and soil and of course everyone's favourite "Sai-kang" which deals with all other crapwork. But of course, now we just wear PT-shirt lor.
Hahaha...no need to keep telling us u got alot of secrets lah....as if we dunno u cant say meh? :D

Sekali I got even more secrets to hide...me from "intelligence" department loh!

Hahaha...no need to keep telling us u got alot of secrets lah....as if we dunno u cant say meh? :D

Sekali I got even more secrets to hide...me from "intelligence" department loh!

Wah, intelligence department. Then we better Shhhhh soon. :D

Oh yah, No.3 must tuck in, seriously hate it. I hate tucking in and looking formal and all that crap. If only No4 boots not so troublesome would be good liao.
Wah...I think I ultra complete opposite of you liao...haha!! Im not saying I want to look "formal," but looking "smart" is something I prefer. :D

Of coz can look smart in tuck out also, if you wear yr no.4 "properly" that is lah. But no.3 shd be each easier to accomplish that...

Anyway, I dont like the new version of the no.3, which have pleats. Looks less smart in my opinion.

Wah, intelligence department. Then we better Shhhhh soon. :D
Hahaa.....S2 dept in a combat unit (30SCE) only lah...aiyoh....:D Our duatao is MSD loh. They are the ones to be "feared."

Wah...I think I ultra complete opposite of you liao...haha!! Im not saying I want to look "formal," but looking "smart" is something I prefer. :D

Of coz can look smart in tuck out also, if you wear yr no.4 "properly" that is lah. But no.3 shd be each easier to accomplish that...

Anyway, I dont like the new version of the no.3, which have pleats. Looks less smart in my opinion.

Hehe, then we're opposites, I like looking sloppy and I like people to think I am a bochup attitude kind of person because I am. :D I always do and act to what I'm comfortable with and I seriously don't bother about what people think of how I look as long as I'm comfortable. :)

Hehe, then we're opposites, I like looking sloppy and I like people to think I am a bochup attitude kind of person because I am. :D I always do and act to what I'm comfortable with and I seriously don't bother about what people think of how I look as long as I'm comfortable. :)
Wierd...I also bochap leh...hahaha! :D

Maybe I am the act-busy plus act-bochap kind lah...just to make sure I get away from trouble, and get rewards as well without doing too much..hehehe

But somehow, I prefer to look smart lah...gives me a sense of pride in what I am and in what I represent I suppose (you have to be aware I am a "patrotic" kind...a wierd and endangered specie here)

Wierd...I also bochap leh...hahaha! :D

Maybe I am the act-busy plus act-bochap kind lah...just to make sure I get away from trouble, and get rewards as well without doing too much..hehehe

But somehow, I prefer to look smart lah...gives me a sense of pride in what I am and in what I represent I suppose (you have to be aware I am a "patrotic" kind...a wierd and endangered specie here)

Patriotic. Hmmm, have to give it some thought on that. Towards family and friends and people you know, Yes. Towards the government and ministers, hahahahaha, you won't see me fighting for them, no way. I dislike the government.

Wierd...I also bochap leh...hahaha! :D

Maybe I am the act-busy plus act-bochap kind lah...just to make sure I get away from trouble, and get rewards as well without doing too much..hehehe



Haha, I also act-busy too though I always feel uncomfortable getting rewards that I haven't worked hard for. So it's easy for me, ignore all the rewards and work. Don't get nothing, how's that for bo-chup attitude. Hehehe. :D Of course when comes to work and getting salary, then LL have to work lor if not eat grass liao.

Patriotic. Hmmm, have to give it some thought on that. Towards family and friends and people you know, Yes. Towards the government and ministers, hahahahaha, you won't see me fighting for them, no way. I dislike the government.
Er....dont worry. There is a big difference between the government and the nation, and I dont give a damn if this place is founded by anybody. My sense of patrotism is strictly attached to the place called Singapore loh. If I have to swear allegience to the govt, I take it as part of my profession/work/etc. :D

Pssst... Strike Eagle just streaked by!

Military enthusiasts update each other on the Net but there is self-policing; also Mindef makes regular visits for feedback

By David Boey

THE Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has yet to unveil a replacement for its Crossbow light anti-tank weapon, but an Internet forum called Military Nuts has been abuzz with talk that the army may soon unveil a tank-busting rocket called Matador.

Days after February's Asian Aerospace air show, aircraft enthusiasts kept some Internet chatrooms busy with reports of having sighted fighter jets like the American F-15 Strike Eagle and French Rafale thundering across Singapore, presumably on trials being conducted by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

Net-based defence forums are popular among military enthusiasts who wish to keep one another posted on new developments. They engage in lively discussions on military topics - from the value of national service to the purchase of new equipment.

And the people who read these comments include big shots from the Ministry of Defence.

The ministry said it welcomes Internet discussions on defence subjects, but cautioned that classified information should not be aired on the Net.

There is a healthy amount of self-policing by most defence forum moderators, to ensure that sensitive information like SAF code words or information on weapons are not flashed on the Net.

One of Military Nuts' moderators, a 28-year-old aeronautical engineer who goes by the screen name Viper52, said those who post messages are urged 'to exercise discretion when discussing issues which might have implications beyond this forum'.

He said: 'This is especially true regarding restricted information on military doctrine and equipment.'

Mindef said that it makes regular visits to such sites, to 'gather feedback'.

Colonel Bernard Toh, a spokesman for the ministry, said: 'National service is a shared experience, so it is natural that our servicemen, both full-time national servicemen and NSmen, take an interest in defence matters and discuss them, including on the Internet.

'Mindef follows public discussions on defence issues and we also gather feedback.'

Col Toh said SAF servicemen are free to take part in Internet discussions, but are reminded 'that they have security obligations when discussing defence matters - in whatever medium'.

He added that most Singaporeans are responsible and careful about what they post on the Net, as they 'understand the need to observe security in defence matters'.

So far, no one has run afoul of the law, but The Straits Times understands that some servicemen have been advised to tone down their postings.

'If there are security breaches, the appropriate action could range from advice to disciplinary action, depending on their seriousness,' said Col Toh.

Hehe, then we're opposites, I like looking sloppy and I like people to think I am a bochup attitude kind of person because I am. :D I always do and act to what I'm comfortable with and I seriously don't bother about what people think of how I look as long as I'm comfortable. :)
BTW hor, I do have my polar opposites one loh. When I go to school, I often get comments from people who say I look like I going to the market downstairs! :D

The new SAF soldier: Tech savvy and resourceful

In the aftermath of the RSS Courageous verdict, Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean discusses morale in the SAF, terrorism and the shape of the army in the future, in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times

By Tracy Quek

THINK of the army and some people think of soldiers who obey orders - sometimes blindly - and who are not comfortable with taking the initiative.

But this stereotypical image is set to disappear once the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is done with training a new breed of soldiers.

These are soldiers armed with the latest technological know-how and equipped with smart weapons. These are uniformed men with initiative, able to make decisions that could turn a battle at a critical moment and secure victory.

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said the Safti Military Institute has been reviewing how it trains its officers and wants to break free of old mindsets.

He elaborated on what he told Parliament last month during the Budget debate about the new type of soldier needed by the 'third-generation SAF' which will use defence technology to deliver a deadly punch.

But first, the SAF must build up a culture of trust and openness so that individual units and soldiers will be confident exercising initiative on the battlefield.

With a mindset change, 'even small units' on the front lines can make a major impact on the outcome of a battle, 'if they act with speed and initiative', he said.

'If they see a situation developing and have the capability to call in resources very rapidly to take advantage of the developing situation, the armed forces will have operational flexibility on the battlefield,' he said.

The way wars are waged is evolving and has become centred on technology. In future, warfare will involve more unmanned systems, long-range weapons, stand-off sensors and stand-off strikes, he said.

Rear-Adm (NS) Teo, once Chief of Navy, gave this example to show how naval warfare has changed. In the past, he said, warships sailed close together for protection and so that they could combine their firepower on an enemy vessel.

These days, they sail 15km to 25km apart. With advanced communication systems, they can coordinate their weapons to strike the enemy without even sighting the target.

Asked if this slant towards technology bodes well for Singapore, he said: 'If warfare today were still fought on the basis of swords and shields and bows and arrows, we would be in deep trouble because we don't have as many arms to carry swords and shields as other people.'

Fortunately, Singapore has a well-educated population that takes to technology readily. 'We have a whole generation of kids who grew up playing multi-player games on the Internet. Their comfort and ease with technology is what we can leverage on,' he said.

In its push to develop defence technology, Mindef is setting aside an additional 1 per cent of its $8.62 billion budget, for the first time, to break new ground and explore the weapons, tactics and capabilities it will need for wars of the future.

This extra $86 million is on top of the 4 to 5 per cent regularly budgeted for research and development, which this time will come to about $430 million.

Of Mindef's 3,000 scientists, engineers and IT specialists, 2,500 are in organisations such as the Defence Science and Technology Agency and the Defence Science Organisation which are involved in research and development, said the minister.

Asked what they will be working on, Rear-Adm Teo said they are the brains entrusted to invent solutions that will give the SAF an edge in battle.

Its Future Systems Directorate, set up last February for example, has some of Mindef's best officers who will be free to think outside of 'current boxes, constraints and parameters, to look at concepts, operations and solutions that go beyond the scope of what we currently have'.

Singapore is the only country in the region which has such an investment in engineering, scientific and technological personnel in defence, he added.

Much of the work is classified, but he disclosed that the scientists are looking into such areas as sensor technology, communications, networking and developing precision weapons.

No matter how vital a part technology will play as the SAF transforms itself into a third-generation fighting force, the human element is still important, said the minister.

He said: 'Warfare is still quintessentially a human enterprise. It's a battle of wills that ultimately determines the outcome of battle.'

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Minister on

Public's perception of SAF

SINGAPOREANS are still supportive despite tough times for the SAF.

The RSS Courageous collision and the death of a 19-year-old soldier on a combat survival course turned an unwanted spotlight on the SAF in the past year. Singaporeans' responses to these incidents have been mature and thoughtful, said Rear-Adm Teo.

'Singaporeans understand why we must have tough training, and why, from time to time when the need arises, the SAF and soldiers have to go into harm's way to do their job.

'I met a mother who has a son in national service. She said to me: 'We understand why he has to be in national service, but of course we are still worried.'

'I think that's a very natural reaction from a mother. But they do expect - and this is a completely justified expectation - that we conduct our training safely and that, where incidents and accidents can be avoided, they must be avoided. I've spoken to the SAF and they intend to live up to the expectation.'

Morale in the armed forces

THE navy and commandos have come out stronger after the two tragic incidents which claimed seven lives, said the minister.

'Morale is affected. It's to be expected when incidents like this occur. But the real strength of the organisation is in how you respond to adversity.

'I have looked at the way the navy has responded, rallied around, buckled down to address the issues and supported each other, including families of those who died. I think the navy has drawn strength from it and come out stronger. The commandos have also gone through introspection, looked carefully at their values and what they do, and I have confidence that the commandos will come out stronger and better for it.'

Resolving terrorism

'TERRORISTS and those who support them, the sympathisers, have to realise that terrorism is not going to make a better world. Their tactics are not going to work and what they're doing will bring more misery to the people they are trying to work for.

'And it's only with that realisation that we will be able to finally overcome. But it will take many years. This current terrorist tide has been on the rise for the last 2 1/2 decades and it's not clear whether the tide has crested. It may take many more years for the ideological struggle to be resolved.'

SAF overseas missions

SINGAPORE has sent some 1,200 personnel to Timor Leste to help with the United Nations peacekeeping mission over the last four years. It also sent a C-130 aircraft and a landing ship tank to Iraq to help in its reconstruction. 'These countries, though far away, still have an effect on Singapore and the SAF will continue to make contributions to such missions,' said the minister.

'We live in an interconnected world now and what happens in other parts of the world, of the region, will impact upon our security. If there's instability in Timor Leste, that can have an impact on the security of the region and will have an impact on us.

'It may not be a direct impact in security terms, but it will be an impact upon how investors perceive the stability and security in our region. What happens in Iraq will have an impact upon stability in the Middle East, the Gulf region, and it has an impact on us too.

'The Jemaah Islamiah members in Singapore were trained in places like Afghanistan. So instability, a lack of security in other parts of the world, even places far away, can eventually cause problems which find their way to our shores and affect us domestically. So we have to take an interest in what happens in other parts of the world.'

SAF retires Fennec helicopter fleet

French-built choppers phased out to make way for more advanced Apache attack helicopters

By David Boey

THE Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has retired its fleet of 20 Fennec light helicopters as it reshapes its fleet to receive more advanced Apache attack choppers.

The Defence Ministry told The Straits Times that the 13-year-old Fennecs have been 'withdrawn from service' and are looking for new owners.

One could be the Royal New Zealand Air Force, which sent a team here in late January to check out the Fennecs with a view to buying several of the French-made choppers.

Captain John Tucker, defence adviser at the New Zealand High Commission in Singapore, said a decision on the Fennecs should come 'within the next few weeks'.

The Eurocopter Fennec helicopters, named after a small fox-like creature found in Africa, were introduced in 1991. The RSAF bought two types and 10 of each type served with two squadrons based at Sembawang Air Base.

One model is the AS.550A2 light observation helicopter, which was used to train new helicopter pilots. During operations, this Fennec can be armed with a 20mm gun and 70mm rockets, and flown as an aerial scout.

The other was the AS.550C2 light attack helicopter. More powerfully armed than the A2 model, this version can carry up to four TOW-2B wire-guided anti-tank missiles.

New Zealand may buy a mix of A2 and C2 Fennecs as replacements for its ageing Bell 47 Sioux helicopters, which it uses for pilot training, said Capt Tucker.

The firepower of the single-engine Fennecs pales in comparison with the arsenal that the twin-engine United States-made Boeing Apaches take into battle, giving the Singapore Armed Forces more punch.

The RSAF has reshaped its helicopter fleet in recent years as more powerful and more capable choppers, such as the Boeing CH-47SD Chinook, enter service.

Dozens of pilots and ground crew selected to train on Apaches have also gone to the US for training.

Modernisation of the RSAF helicopter fleet has left the air force with many surplus helicopters that are still in good condition.

The Fennecs' retirement follows the withdrawal of 20 Bell UH-1H Hueys, which were refurbished by Singapore Technologies Aerospace and sold to the Philippine Air Force for US$12 million (S$20.2 million).

Making robots to tackle dirty, risky side of war

ST Kinetics has developed about half a dozen unmanned vehicles to help build the 'third generation' SAF

By David Boey

A JOYSTICK smaller than a ballpoint pen is all it takes to control the Spider Light Strike Vehicle when it is used as a battlefield robot.

The Spider, which was built by weapons maker Singapore Technologies Kinetics for use by a driver, and modified by its robotics section for remote control, can travel at up to 60kmh when steered by an operator up to 1km away.

With a driver at the wheel, it can move at speeds of up to 120kmh, but the remote control option allows the Spider to be sent into potentially dangerous situations without putting people at risk.

It is one of about half a dozen unmanned vehicles ST Kinetics has developed in the past two years, to prove that robot vehicles actually work.

ST Kinetics aims to start selling unmanned vehicles to military and commercial users in about five years' time.

'We see unmanned vehicles performing a huge part in all areas of future battles,' said executive vice-president in charge of international marketing Patrick Choy.

'Imagine, all those dull, dirty and dangerous missions out there can be performed by robots. It will improve survivability for soldiers and make things more efficient and effective out there,' he said.

Its defence engineers can equip unmanned vehicles, known as drones, with cameras, computers and communication devices more powerful, yet smaller and more rugged than ever before, because technological advancements have helped to miniaturise many electronic parts.

Such ventures dovetail with the Singapore Armed Forces' vision of transforming itself into a 'third generation' fighting force, exploiting technology to add items like battle drones to its arsenal.

Drones have proved their worth on the battlefield in Afghanistan and Iraq.

ST Kinetics is stepping up experiments with drones, said Mr Seng Puay Hong, principal engineer with the company's robotics section.

His team acquired a Spider last August and fitted it with lightweight cameras and datalinks. It was ready for field trials by February this year.

Next, the team will fit it out with satellite navigation aids to help the onboard computer 'remember' points on a route, so that it can find its way back on its own.

More powerful datalinks could allow an operator to control the robot Spider from several kilometres away, said Mr Seng.

It is also experimenting with small tracked robots called intelligent remote attack vehicles that can climb stairs and right themselves if they are flipped over.

The idea would be for soldiers to send in these camera-equipped robots, for instance in street fighting or combat missions in plantation areas, to check if the way ahead is safe.

ST Kinetics can produce them on its own or 'collaborate and do things with other people'.

In February, United States-based defence giant Lockheed Martin Corporation signed an agreement with ST Kinetics for joint cooperation on unmanned ground vehicles.

This is Lockheed's only such deal with another company.

Said ST Kinetics' Mr Choy: 'The application is up to you to dream of.

'To be relevant, you cannot avoid getting into unmanned systems.'

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-04-12/12cyber.jpg
Taking the high-tech approach to war, ST Kinetics' senior engineer Diana Lee with a remote attack vehicle. -- TAN SUAN ANN

gosh..what is that! :eek:

Robots make very good reccee and scouting units. :)

Aye...our uniform discussion end up over here liao. :D

Navy collision officers appeal against conviction

THE two navy officers who were recently found guilty and fined for negligently causing a collision between their navy ship and a merchant vessel are appealing against their conviction.

Led by senior counsel Steven Chong, the lawyers defending Ng Keng Yong, 28, and Chua Chue Teng, 24, yesterday filed a notice of appeal, 10 days after district judge Tan Boon Gin fined Ng the maximum of $10,000 and Chua $8,000.

The Straits Times understands the lawyers are arguing that the Jan 3 collision last year, which killed four female crew members on the RSS Courageous, was caused primarily by the ANL Indonesia merchant ship, which had failed to switch to manual steering and make a speedy right turn, and not through Ng and Chua's negligence.

Chua, a trainee watch officer who had command of the ship when the incident occurred, and Ng, her supervisor, were found guilty on April 2 after a 24-day trial late last year.

In his judgment, the district judge said that though there was 'not much to choose between the culpability of the ANL Indonesia and Ng and Chua', he found the merchant ship's failure to make a speedy right turn 'certainly did not eclipse' the faults of the RSS Courageous.

This included slowing down the navy ship and attempting to cross the path of the larger vessel with only a short distance between them.

He could have sent the two to jail for up to two years each.

I wonder if those 2 will continue in the SAF....

yup I moved the uniform discussion here, as requested and since it really veered off topic and might be incomprehensible to some others.

I wonder if those 2 will continue in the SAF....

yup I moved the uniform discussion here, as requested and since it really veered off topic and might be incomprehensible to some others.

If I were either of them, I'll become so super sian, I'll quit instantly.

Actually hor....I am greatly dissapointed they appealed.

Actually hor....I am greatly dissapointed they appealed.

If I were them, I'll just let the matter go and quit the navy.

If I were them, I'll just let the matter go and quit the navy.
But it will leave a black mark on your resume...

But it will leave a black mark on your resume...

For me I won't bother much. Continue working there might bring unhappy memories everytime you end up on a ship.

For me I won't bother much. Continue working there might bring unhappy memories everytime you end up on a ship.
Yeah lah...just hope that private companies out there would hire you loh...

Singapore Defence chief coming today

New Delhi, April 21. (PTI): In the backdrop of Singapore armed forces seeking space in India to carry out training exercises by its army and air force, the country's Chief of Defence Forces, Maj. Gen. Ng Yat Chung, is scheduled to begin a four-day visit here from today.

Chung will begin his visit with detailed discussions with the three Service Chiefs, Admiral Madhvendera Singh, Air Chief S Krishnaswamy and Gen. N C Vij, and the talks, sources said would center on Singapore request to allow space in Indian firing ranges to carry out live exercises.

Sources said the exercises would be carried out jointly by the armed forces of the two countries, particularly, the army and Air elements.

The Singapore Chief during his stay here would visit some of the firing ranges in Rajasthan as well as visit defence extablishments in Bangalore and Mumbai.

The Navies of the two countries have already been undertaking joint exercises in the Bay of Bengal and also formed part of joint naval armada to protect sea lanes around the Malacca straits in 2002 and 2003 along with elements of the US and Australian Navies.

Singapore, sources said due to its small land mass has been looking for space outside to carry out live training of its armed forces who are equipped with some of the most state of art weaponary including advanced jet fighters.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/002200404210068.htm

India, Singapore plan war games (http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200404220214.htm?headline=India,~Singapore~plan~war~games)

New Delhi, Apr 22. (PTI): Indian and Singaporean armed forces today paved the way for holding of joint military exercises with the visiting Chief of Singapore Defence forces Maj. Gen. Ng Yat Chung working out modalities with his counterparts here.

Due to shortage of landmass, Singapore is finding it difficult to conduct live field trainings for its Army and Air Force and has been keen to explore possibilities of its soldiers undertaking exercises at land warfare and air warfare ranges of the Indian armed forces.

Chung, heading a four-member high powered defence delegations, held discussions with the Chairman Chiefs of Staff committee Admiral Madhvendra Singh and other senior defence officials.

Singapore had mooted the idea during the recent visit of the defence Secretary Ajay Prasad to that country.

India, however, has proposed holding of joint army and air force exercises in the Indian firing ranges.

The Navies of the two countries have already held a number of exercises in the Bay of Bengal and held joint patrolling manouveres in the Mallaca Straits against high sea piracy.

The visiting Singapore Chief also held talks with the Air Chief S Krishnaswamy and Vice-Chief of the Army Staff Lt. Gen. Shantonu Chowdhury.

During his stay he will also visit Agra, Pune and Ahmednagar, a defence spokesperson said.

My sentiments exactly:

Navy officers shouldn't appeal against conviction

I WAS disappointed to read that the two naval officers in the RSS Courageous collision incident have appealed against their conviction.

It was indeed a national tragedy that we lost four of our servicewomen in a peacetime accident and, as a former Navy regular, I felt the senseless loss even more deeply.

Nobody wished for the accident to happen, particularly the two young officers who were convicted and fined. However, the fact remains that it was RSS Courageous, under their command, which initiated the chain of events.

Even though it sounds harsh, any punishment meted out pales in comparison to the loss of four young lives under their charge.

By all means, let the full facts of the accident be made known in court but let the officers also have the integrity to accept what the court has decided as fair punishment for their negligence.

It is most unbecoming of an officer, or even any man or woman who wears the uniform of our armed forces, to be quibbling over the proportion of blame to be ascribed when four of their colleagues died because of their mistake.

The testimony and plea for leniency from the father of one of the dead servicewomen points to the general desire for closure.

And the right and honourable way to do it would be for the two officers to acknowledge that they had been negligent, accept the fine and move on.


YAN WAI KEET

Very few cases of soldiers catching bug

WITH skin abrasions or wounds the most common way for the melioidosis bug to enter the bloodstream, soldiers in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are at high risk of contracting the disease - because of their close contact with soil and water, and the wounds they may get while training.

Still, according to the Defence Ministry, there have been only seven cases of melioidosis in the SAF since 1994, and only two in the last five years.
No soldier has reportedly died of it in the last 10 years.

However, between 1987 and 1994, there were 23 cases and four deaths from melioidosis, according to a study published in 1997 in the Annals Of The Academy Of Medicine.

The SAF said it has measures in place to address the threat of the disease. They include emphasising personal hygiene.

It added that other measures to heighten SAF medical staff's awareness of such cases have been implemented since the early 1990s but did not elaborate.

For those in-camp chit-chat stuff.:D

Huh...I dont think any of us are in camp now....:D

For those in-camp chit-chat stuff.:D

I don't think I remember a lot about it already...ha...

I don't think I remember a lot about it already...ha...
Haha....or is your experience too classified to talk about? :D

Haha....or is your experience too classified to talk about? :D

No lah technician nothing to say what, ha....

No lah technician nothing to say what, ha....
Walao another technician....with which unit?

Not like me....a dispensible military entity...:D

Walao another technician....with which unit?

Not like me....a dispensible military entity...:D

A dispensible military entity?? I interested to know, ha... With GSMB...

A dispensible military entity?? I interested to know, ha... With GSMB...
GSMB? Sounds familiar, then again, not very familiar...hahah

Me is a Combat Engineer Recce Pioneer......figured it out? :D

GSMB? Sounds familiar, then again, not very familiar...hahah

Me is a Combat Engineer Recce Pioneer......figured it out? :D

Then I Armament Small Arms Tech II, ha... So you Combat Engineer ah, heard very siong....

Then I Armament Small Arms Tech II, ha... So you Combat Engineer ah, heard very siong....
Small arms? you play with pistol ah? :D

Combat Engineer.....sssiiiggghhhhhhh.......................

My recce course was the most memorable ever in my entire army life............

Small arms? you play with pistol ah? :D

Combat Engineer.....sssiiiggghhhhhhh.......................

My recce course was the most memorable ever in my entire army life............

Much more than pistol, though I was ask to perform clerical duties towards the end of my army life, ha...

Much more than pistol, though I was ask to perform clerical duties towards the end of my army life, ha...
Haha....oh man.....what I dont understand is why I have to be combat trained, and yet I also have to do admin stuff? :cry:

Haha....oh man.....what I dont understand is why I have to be combat trained, and yet I also have to do admin stuff? :cry:

I presume that is what they call multitasking, ha....

I presume that is what they call multitasking, ha....
Thats a very nice word to use compared to..well..u noe what. :D

I had to kana much more work then my peers who can sleep in the bunk all day unless go outfield. I have to report 8-5 (or later) depending on the fancy of my boss...

AND go outfield when they do!

Thats a very nice word to use compared to..well..u noe what. :D

I had to kana much more work then my peers who can sleep in the bunk all day unless go outfield. I have to report 8-5 (or later) depending on the fancy of my boss...

AND go outfield when they do!

What word?? I can't remember, ha... Kana arrow??

You 8-5 also, I think we can both "tou xiao"(smile secretly) lah....cept I 8-5 almost everyday cept guard duty once a month...

What word?? I can't remember, ha... Kana arrow??

You 8-5 also, I think we can both "tou xiao"(smile secretly) lah....cept I 8-5 almost everyday cept guard duty once a month...
Er...my 8-5 means have to be in the office....beyond 8-5 I am in my bunk upstairs!! (and be ever ready to be called down to the office if needed) :bash:

Arrow loh..wat else? Or cheap labour? :D

Er...my 8-5 means have to be in the office....beyond 8-5 I am in my bunk upstairs!! (and be ever ready to be called down to the office if needed) :bash:

Arrow loh..wat else? Or cheap labour? :D

Cheap labour, haha... I got another one more low, call "zhe kou fei"(fee to cover your mouth)

OIC, so your 8-5 is different from my 8-5...I get to BO almost everyday...