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Pasir Laba Camp | |
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Western Water Catchment in Singapore | |
Coordinates | 1°20′02.25″N103°40′20.43″E / 1.3339583°N 103.6723417°E |
Type | Military base |
Site information | |
Owner | Ministry of Defence (Singapore) |
Operator | Singapore Armed Forces |
Open to the public | no |
Site history | |
Built | 1961 |
Garrison information | |
Garrison |
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Pasir Laba Camp is a military base of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) located in Western Water Catchment, Singapore. It is home to the Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute, where specialists (non-commissioned officers) and warrant officers are trained. There are other SAF training centres and units based in Pasir Laba Camp as well. Along with Sungei Gedong Camp in Lim Chu Kang, Pasir Laba Camp is one of two military bases in Singapore which control access to the SAFTI Live Firing Area in Western Water Catchment.
The Singapore government cleared Pasir Laba Road of squatter settlements in the 1960s so that a military camp, known as the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI), could be constructed for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) to use as a training and live firing ground. It was constructed at Pasir Laba Road since 1961, with preparations to construct the area. Other potential site such as Pulau Tekong were being considered since 1963. The location was being selected as a main junction between PIE/Upper Jurong Road and Pasir Laba Road.
While the camp was under construction, the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI) was temporarily housed at Jurong Town Primary School. On 18 June 1966, the SAFTI was officially opened. [1]
In 1980, the School of Infantry Specialists and School of Infantry Weapons, along with HQ Infantry, were moved to the SAFTI premises. However, only the Officer Cadet School was allowed to use the name "SAFTI" for its location; other units based there had to identify themselves as being in "Pasir Laba Camp". On 31 May 1986, Pasir Laba Camp was renamed SAFTI and all units based there were allowed to use the name "SAFTI". This continued until June 1995 when the Officer Cadet School and other officer schools were moved to a new complex, the SAFTI Military Institute, at Upper Jurong Road. The original SAFTI premises then reverted to its old name as Pasir Laba Camp.
As the Singapore Army expanded, new training centres such as the Basic Combat Training Centre, People's Defence Force Training Centre and Infantry Training Centre, were established at Pasir Laba Camp to meet the Army's training needs. On 1 July 2004, as part of the Army's restructuring, the three centres merged to form the Infantry Training Institute (ITI). The ITI shifted to Jurong Camp II in 2008, which provides better training facilities and easier access to various training areas. The Basic Combat Training Centre was closed in December 2009 and became the Pasir Laba Ammunition Depot.
The Singapore Army's Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is based in Pasir Laba Camp, along with the Specialist Cadet School and SAFWOS Leadership School, where specialists (non-commissioned officers) and warrant officers are trained. Other training schools in Pasir Laba Camp include the School of Military Intelligence [2] and School of Infantry Weapons. The Training Resource Management Centre, which controls and maintains the SAFTI Live Firing Area and other military training areas around Singapore, is located in Pasir Laba Camp. On 4 October 2013, the Multi-Mission Range Complex, an indoor firing range, was opened in Pasir Laba Camp. Its location is also critical in protecting Tuas Checkpoint, Jurong Industrial Estate, Tuas Depot, Tuas Megaport, Woodlands Checkpoint, Tengah Depot, Soon Lee Bus Park, Bulim Bus Depot and Singapore Rail Test Centre. [3]
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The SAFTI Military Institute is a military institute of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) comprising five schools: Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, three SAF Advanced Schools, and the Officer Cadet School. Located on an 88 ha campus in Jurong West, it was originally established in 1966 in Pasir Laba Camp as the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) before it moved to its current location in 1995 and became known as the SAFTI Military Institute.
Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute or SAFTI was where officers of the Singapore Armed Forces were trained in the past. SAFTI per se does not exist anymore. In current use, it may refer to one of two things:
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The Specialist and Warrant Officer Institute is the military training centre for warrant officers, specialists and military experts of the Singapore Armed Forces. Located at Pasir Laba Camp in the Western Water Catchment, it is made up of five schools: the SAFWOS Leadership School (SAFWOS), the Specialist and Warrant Officer Advanced School (SWAS), and three Specialist Cadet Schools.