Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the service of the Singapore Armed Forces tasked with land operations. It is the largest of the three Services. The Singaporean army is primarily a conscript army that, in the event of national exigencies or war, morphs itself from peacetime to wartime by mobilising almost all of its combined combat power by calling up operationally-ready military reservists.
History
Two infantry regiments formed the nucleus of the Singapore Army. These were established pre-independence, in anticipation of self-rule following British decolonisation. The First Singapore Infantry Regiment was formed in 1957, under British auspices. The Second Singapore Infantry Regiment followed in 1963. After a fraught merger with the Federation of Malaya and subsequent separation in 1965, newly independent Singapore formally established its army by passing the Singapore Army Bill in December 1965.In 1972, Parliament passed further legislation to reorganise and consolidate the armed forces' disparate commands and administrative functions.
The Army celebrated its 60th Anniversary in 2017.
Military Deployments
- 1991 Gulf War - Singapore joined other countries as part of the coalition that expelled the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.
- May 2007 – June 2013, International Security Assistance Force. Deployment of close to 500 personnel including Singapore Army soldiers as part of Singapore's contributions to multinational stabilisation and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.
- 2014–present, Military intervention against ISIL. Logistical support of coalition forces in the ongoing War on Terror.
Mission
The Army views technology as a force-multiplier and a means to sustain combat power given Singapore's population constraints. Jointness across three branches of the SAF is integral to the Army's warfighting doctrine. Joint operations undertaken with the Navy and Air Force include amphibious landings and critical disaster relief operations in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
The Army has a technically proficient, relatively well-educated draftee pool and officer corps reflective of the population at large, and has sought to leverage this to ease its transition into a more sophisticated, networked fighting force.
Combat readiness is a linchpin of Army policy, and military exercises up to divisional level are conducted many times yearly, simulating full-spectrum operations, up to and including full-scale war. Divisional war games are a combined arms, tri-service affair involving the Republic of Singapore Navy and Air Force. Because training space is limited in Singapore—artillery fire would quickly traverse the island—some military exercises are conducted overseas. Reservists periodically train abroad, their units regularly evaluated for combat readiness. The Army also trains bilaterally with some host nations, and military exchanges are frequent. Training is billed as "tough, realistic and safe," with a premium on safety, given the sensitivity of military deaths in a largely conscript army.
Following the Revolution in Military Affairs, and in tandem with modernizing its weapons systems, the Army is forging a transition to a more network-centric fighting doctrine that better integrates the Air Force and Navy.
Structure
The Army is headed by the Chief of Army. In the past, the Army was head by the Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Assisting him are the Chief of Staff, General Staff and Commander, TRADOC. There are six branches of the General Staff, a National Service Affairs Department dealing with National Service issues, and an Inspectorate. The six branches handle manpower, intelligence, operations, logistics, planning and training respectively. Each department is headed by an Assistant Chief of the General Staff. Also advising the Chief of Army are the Senior Specialist Staff Officers of the various formations.Chief of Army
The position of Chief of Army is held by Major-General Goh Si Hou while Melvyn Ong promoted to Chief of Defence Force.Years in office | COA | Vocation |
1990–1990 | Boey Tak Hap | |
1990–1992 | Ng Jui Ping | Artillery |
1992–1995 | Lim Neo Chian | Combat Engineers |
1995–1998 | Han Eng Juan | Armour |
1998–2000 | Lim Chuan Poh | Infantry |
2000–2003 | Ng Yat Chung | Artillery |
2003–2007 | Desmond Kuek | Armour |
2007–2010 | Neo Kian Hong | Guards |
2010–2011 | Chan Chun Sing | Infantry |
2011–2014 | Ravinder Singh | Signals |
2014–2015 | Perry Lim | Guards |
2015–2018 | Melvyn Ong | Guards |
2018–present | Goh Si Hou | Artillery |
Combat Arms
The Army consists of seven Combat Arms, from which are derived Divisional and Non-divisional units:- Armour
- Artillery
- Combat Engineers
- Commandos
- Guards
- Infantry
- Signals
- Army Intelligence
- Army Medical Services
- Army Maintenance and Engineering Support
- Army Supply
- Army Transport
- Singapore Armed Forces Ammunition Command
- Personnel Command
Divisional and non-divisional assets
Combined-Arms Divisions
The Army's main organizational components are its Combined-Arms Divisions, of which there are three active:the 3rd, 6th and 9th Divisions. They include both active and reserve units that are operationally ready, all subject to mobilization orders in the event of war.
3rd Singapore Division consists of the following subordinate units:
- HQ 3rd Singapore Division
- 3rd Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 5th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 24th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 30th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 8th Singapore Armoured Brigade
- 3rd Division Artillery HQ
- 3rd Division Support Command
- 30 Singapore Combat Engineers
- 3rd Division Air Defence Artillery Battalion
- 3rd Signals Battalion
6th Singapore Division consists of the following subordinate units:
- HQ 6th Singapore Division
- 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 9th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 76th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 54th Singapore Armoured Brigade
- 6th Division Artillery HQ
- 6th Division Support Command
- 31 SCE
- 6th Division Air Defence Artillery Battalion
- 6th Signals Battalion
9th Division/Infantry consists of the following subordinate units:
Organisation:
- HQ 9th Singapore Division
- 10th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 12th Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 56th Singapore Armoured Brigade
- 9th Division Artillery HQ
- 9th Division Support Command
- 32 SCE
- 9th Division Air Defence Artillery Battalion
- 9th Signals Battalion
MINDEF Reserve (MR) NS Divisions
2 People's Defence Force
2 People's Defence Force is responsible for homeland security, including that of key civilian installations and infrastructure. 2 PDF is also responsible for the coordination and secondment of military resources to civilian agencies in the event of a civil emergency.Organisation:
- HQ 2 PDF
- HQ 21 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- HQ 22 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- HQ 26 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- HQ 27 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- HQ 29 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- HQ 32 Singapore Infantry Brigade
- 2 PDF SIGS
- 326 SCE
- Island Defence Training Institute
Army Operational Reserve (AOR)
25th Division
Non-Divisional Units, some appended to the General Staff
- HQ Army Intelligence
- * Military Intelligence Battalion
- HQ Signals
- HQ Commandos
- * Commando Battalion
- * Special Operations Task Force – Joint task force consisting of members from the Naval Diving Unit, Commandos and the Special Operations Force
- Army Deployment Force - A high readiness, Regular only unit that provides the Army with specialised capabilities for a full spectrum of Operations. Including but not limited to, Support for Special Operations Task Force, Peace-Time Contingency Operations, Peace Support Operations and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief missions.
- Aggressor Company – subordinate to TRADOC/ATEC, this company-sized detachment organizes itself according to the hypothesized enemy's order of battle and acts as the OPFOR in training evaluations. They are the 'red' opposing force in ATEC evaluations.
- Military Medicine Institute
- Force Medical Protection Command
- * Biodefence Centre – Company-sized Epidemiology Unit
- * Medical Response Force – Battalion-sized counter-chemical and counter-biological warfare unit, staffed by combat medics.
- HQ Armour
- * 4th Singapore Armoured Brigade
- * 48 SAR – MBT Battalion
- HQ Army Combat Engineer Group
- HQ Chemical, Biological, Radiological & Explosives Defence Group
Equipment