| Singapore Army | |
|---|---|
| Tentera Singapura (Malay) 新加坡陆军 (Chinese) சிங்கப்பூர் தரைப்படை (Tamil) | |
| Crest of the Singapore Army | |
| Founded | 12 March 1957 |
| Country | |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Size | 40,000 active personnel [1] 240,000 reserve personnel [1] |
| Part of | Singapore Armed Forces |
| Mottos |
|
| March | Tentera Singapura |
| Equipment | See list |
| Engagements | |
| Website | Official website |
| Commanders | |
| President of Singapore | Tharman Shanmugaratnam |
| Minister for Defence | |
| Chief of Defence Force | |
| Chief of Army | |
| Chief of Staff – General Staff | |
| Sergeant Major of the Army | |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
| Logo | |
The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed in 1957, under British colonial rule. After Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965, the Singapore Army Bill was passed in Parliament on 23 December 1965, and National Service (NS) was subsequently introduced in 1967. [8] Mostly made up of conscripts, the Singapore Army can mobilise all operationally-ready military reservists in the event of war or national exigencies.
The mission of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is to deter armed aggression, and to secure a swift and decisive victory should deterrence fail. The Army is also tasked with conducting peace-time operations to further Singapore's national interests and foreign policy. These range from disaster relief to peacekeeping, hostage rescue and other contingencies. [9]
The Army views technology as a force-multiplier and a means to sustain combat power given Singapore's population constraints. Jointness across four 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 and tsunami.
The Army has a technically proficient, relatively well-educated draftee pool and officer corps (non-commissioned and commissioned) reflective of the population at large, and has sought to leverage this to ease its transition into a more sophisticated, networked fighting force. [10]
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 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 [11] train abroad, their units regularly evaluated for combat readiness. [10] 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. [9]
Following the revolution in military affairs, and in tandem with modernising its weapons systems, the Army is forging a transition to a more network-centric fighting doctrine that better integrates the Air Force and Navy. [12]
The Singapore Army originated with two infantry battalions, the 1st and 2nd Battalions, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR and 2 SIR), which were respectively formed in 1957 and 1962 when Singapore was still a British colony. After a merger with Malaysia which resulted in separation in 1965, Singapore passed the Singapore Army Bill in Parliament on 23 December 1965 and gained complete control of the two battalions from Malaysia in January 1966. [8] [13] At the time, the Singapore Army had only the two infantry battalions and the old Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps. Months later, the Army had a reserve force, the People's Defence Force, which was formed from an old volunteer unit mobilised for service during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. A third battalion, the 10th Battalion, People's Defence Force (10 PDF), was raised as a volunteer infantry reserve battalion.[ citation needed ]
In 1967, Parliament passed the National Service (Amendment) Act, introducing National Service (conscription) for all able-bodied young men aged 18 and above. In June 1967, the Singapore Army introduced its first artillery battalion, the 20th Singapore Artillery Battalion (20 SAB). Two new infantry battalions, the 3rd and 4th Battalions, Singapore Infantry Regiment (3 SIR and 4 SIR) were formed in August 1967. In November 1968, the Singapore Army's first armoured battalion, 41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (41 SAR), was formed. This was followed by the creation of the 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo Bn) in December 1969. [8]
In 1972, Parliament passed the Singapore Armed Forces Act to reorganise and consolidate the Singapore Armed Forces' disparate commands and administrative functions. [14] [15]
The emblem's escutcheon reads "Tentera Singapura" (meaning "Singapore Army" in Malay). The national coat of arms sits in its interior. The motto is "Yang Pertama Dan Utama" ("first and foremost" in Malay). Two stalks of laurel flank the escutcheon. The laurels are green for the Singapore Army and gold for the Singapore Armed Forces.
The Singapore Army has participated in peacekeeping operations overseas. In the aftermath of the Gulf War, Singapore contributed to the United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) formed in 1991. From May 2007 to June 2013, the Singapore Army deployed about 500 personnel to join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in maintaining stability and assist in reconstruction in war-torn Afghanistan. [16] Since 2014, the Singapore Army has provided logistical support to the international coalition in the War against the Islamic State. [17]
| Years in office | Name | Vocation |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Boey Tak Hap | [ citation needed ] |
| 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 [18] |
| 2018–2022 | Goh Si Hou | Artillery [19] [20] |
| 2022–2025 | David Neo | Commandos [21] |
| 2025–present | Cai Dexian | Armour [22] |
| Singapore Army | |||||||||||
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The Army is headed by the Chief of Army, [23] who is assisted by the Chief of Staff – General Staff [24] and the Sergeant Major of the Army. The General Staff consists of six branches from G1 to G6, as well as a National Service Affairs Department handling National Service issues, and an Army Safety Inspectorate. The six branches handle issues relating to personnel (G1), intelligence (G2), operations (G3), logistics (G4), plans (G5) and training (G6). The G1, G2, G3, G5, and G6 branches are each headed by an Assistant Chief of General Staff. Among the General Staff, there is also a Chief Systems Integration Officer and a Head of the Army Information Centre. [7]
The commanders of Training & Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Combat Service Support (CSS), the four main divisions, the two operational reserve divisions, the 15 formations of the Army, and the SAF Volunteer Corps also report to the Chief of Army. [25] [26] [27] [7]
The Army has six divisions, of which three are combined arms divisions, one is in charge of counter-terrorism and homeland security, and two are army operational reserves (AOR). [7]
The three combined arms divisions are the 3rd Division (3 DIV), 6th Division (6 DIV) and 9th Division (9 DIV), [28] [29] each of which has active and reserve units that are operationally ready and capable of being mobilised in the event of war. [11]
3rd Singapore Division (3 Div):
6th Singapore Division/ Headquarters Sense and Strike (6 Div/HQ SS):
9th Singapore Division / Infantry (9 Div/Inf):
2nd People’s Defence Force / Island Defence Task Force (2 PDF/IDTF):
The 2nd People's Defence Force (2 PDF) is in charge of counter-terrorism and homeland security, including the protection of key military and civilian installations around Singapore. It is also responsible for the coordination and secondment of military resources to civilian agencies in the event of a civil emergency. [30]
The two AOR divisions are the 21st Division (21 DIV) [31] and 25th Division (25 DIV). [31] [7]
21st Division (21 DIV)
the 21st Division are rapid deployment force composed primarily of Guards, elite infantry trained in both amphibious and heliborne assault. and commanded by Chief Guards Officer
25th Division (25 DIV).
25th Division is a reserve division commanded by Chief Armour Officer
The Army has 15 formations: Ammunition Command, Armour, [32] Army Intelligence, Army Medical Services, Artillery, [33] Combat Engineers, Commandos, Guards, Infantry, Maintenance and Engineering Support, Military Police Command, Personnel Command, Signals, Supply, and Transport. [7]
The Army has task forces such as the Island Defence Task Force (IDTF), Joint Task Force (JTF), Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) [7] and the Army Deployment Force (ADF). [34]
| Vehicle | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main battle tanks | ||||||
| Leopard 2SG | Main battle tank | Germany | 170+ | Upgraded with AMAP Advanced Modular Armor Protection and AMAP-ADS active defence systems by IBD & ST Kinetics. Excludes 30 Leopard 2A4 as spare tanks, 20 Bergepanzer-3 Büffel armoured recovery vehicles and 10 AEV 3 Kodiak armoured engineering vehicles . SIPRI stated that Singapore received 45 units of the Leopard 2A7 version, which the government denied. | ||
| Infantry fighting vehicles | ||||||
| Hunter AFV | Armoured fighting vehicle | Singapore | 140 | Germany delivered 140 engines for this vehicles, but actual number of AFVs produced is unknown. Production and operational model revealed in June 2019. More on order to replace M113 APC. | ||
| Bionix II | Infantry fighting vehicle | Singapore | 800 | Variants include Bionix 40/50, Bionix 25. | ||
| Armoured personnel carriers | ||||||
| Terrex AV-81 | Armoured combat vehicle | Singapore | 435 | |||
| M113A2 Ultra IFV + M113A2 Ultra OWS | Armoured personnel carrier | United States | 750+ | Originally an M113A1, upgraded to A2 standard. Each armed with 4 Igla anti-aircraft missiles (locally-produced under license from KB Mashinostroyeniya Russia) with another 2 missiles stored as spares. Also used by the Republic of Singapore Air Force as SHORAD system. | ||
| Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier | Amphibious armoured vehicle | Singapore | 400 | |||
| Bandvagn 206 | Armoured all-terrain carrier | Sweden | 300 | Artillery versions mounted with ARTHUR. | ||
| Mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles | ||||||
| International MaxxPro Dash | MRAP | United States | 15 | Deployed in Afghanistan as part of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. | ||
| Belrex | Protected Combat Support Vehicle/MRAP | Singapore | 122 | Local design based on Marauder mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle platform developed by South African firm Paramount Group. A variant mounting 120 mm mortar was commissioned in 2021. | ||
| Peacekeeper PRV | Armoured personnel carrier | Singapore | 110 | Local modified version of the Renault Higuard (MRAP). Replaced Cadillac Gage V-100/150/200. | ||
| Multi-purpose armoured vehicles | ||||||
| URO VAMTAC | Multi-purpose armoured vehicle | Spain | Unknown | |||
| Light mobility vehicles | ||||||
| Light Strike Vehicle | Light strike vehicle | Singapore | 50 | |||
| Trucks | ||||||
| Mobile Adjustable Ramp System | Light utility vehicle | United States | Used as a custom-designed combat ambulance and the Mobile Adjustable Ramp System (MARS) variant by Patriot3 is used by the Special Operations Task Force (SOTF). | |||
| Ford Everest Ops Utility Vehicle (OUV) | Light utility vehicle | United States | ||||
| Rheinmetall MAN TG-MIL Digitised Trunk Communication System | Germany | Used by Signals Formation for high bandwidth Digitised Trunk Communication System | ||||
| Agilis Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) | Light utility vehicle | Singapore | ||||
| Wheeled Recovery Vehicle | United States | |||||
| Artillery | ||||||
| M142 HIMARS | Rocket artillery | United States | 24 | 516 rockets. | ||
| SSPH-1 Primus | Self-propelled artillery | Singapore | 48 | Excluding 2× command post and 4× recovery vehicle.[ citation needed ] | ||
| FH-2000 | 155mm Towed howitzer | Singapore | 17 | |||
| SLWH Pegasus | 155mm Towed howitzer | Singapore | 60 | |||
| Ordnance QF 25-pounder | 87.5mm Gun-howitzer | United Kingdom | 12 | Used in ceremonial/gun salute. | ||
| Soltam M-65 | 120 mm heavy mortar | Israel | ||||
| Engineering vehicles | ||||||
| AEV 3 Kodiak | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | Germany | 14 | AEV based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | ||
| Bergepanzer Büffel | Armoured recovery vehicle | Germany | 20 | Armoured recovery vehicle based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | ||
| Hunter Recovery Vehicle | Armoured recovery vehicle | Singapore | 20 | Armoured recovery vehicle. | ||
| Panzerschnellbrücke Leguan | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | Germany | 10 | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge based on the Leopard 2A4 chassis. | ||
| MAN KAT1 LEGUAN MLC270 | vehicle-launched bridge | Germany | Unknown | |||
| Bionix Trailblazer | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | Singapore | Unknown | |||
| Bionix ARV | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | Singapore | Unknown | |||
| Bionix BLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | Singapore | Unknown | |||
| FV180 Tractor | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | United Kingdom | 36 | |||
| M60 AVLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | United States | 12 | |||
| M728 | Armoured combat engineering vehicle | United States | 8 | Phased out. | ||
| Aardvark JSFU | Demining vehicle | United Kingdom | Unknown | Known locally as the Trailblazer Countermine Vehicle | ||
| SM1 AVLB | Armoured vehicle-launched bridge | France | Unknown | |||
| M3 Amphibious Rig | Amphibious bridging vehicle | Germany | Unknown | |||
| Rescue and medical vehicles | ||||||
| Belrex Batallion Casualty Station Variant | Rescue vehicle | |||||
| Mobile Swab Station | Medical vehicle | United States | F550-based platform | |||
| Unmanned aerial vehicles | ||||||
| ST Aerospace Skyblade III | Man-portable mini-unmanned aerial vehicles | Singapore | 80 | |||
| ST Aerospace Veloce 15 | Man-portable mini-unmanned aerial vehicles | Singapore | Unknown | |||
| Model | Image | Type | Origin | Quantity | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radars | ||||||
| Elta Systems ELM-2311 SAFARI | Counter-battery radar | Israel | Unknown | |||
| AN/TPQ-53 Weapon Locating Radar | Active electronically scanned array counter-battery radar | United States | ||||
| AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder | Mobile radar system | United States | 20 | |||
| AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder | Mobile radar system | United States | 20 | |||
| ARTHUR | Counter-battery radar | Sweden | 20 | |||
| Model | Image | Calibre | Origin | Model | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pistols | ||||||
| SIG Sauer P226 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Germany | SIG Sauer P226 (West German model) | Standard pistol of the Singapore Armed Forces. Being replaced by the P30. | ||
| Heckler & Koch P30 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Germany | Heckler & Koch P30L Variant | Used by Army Deployment Force & Military Police formation to replace their legacy P226. Being phased in to replace the P226 for the rest of the Army. | ||
| FN Five-seven | FN 5.7×28mm | Belgium | Five-seven Tactical | Used by Special Operations Task Force. | ||
| Submachine guns | ||||||
| Heckler & Koch MP5 | 9×19mm Parabellum | Germany | MP5A3 modernised with RIS picatinny rails used by Special Operations Task Force. MP5A3/SD3/K/KN/K-PDW variants used by Naval Diving Unit. | |||
| Heckler & Koch MP7 | HK 4.6x30mm | Germany | MP7A1 | Used by Special Operations Force | ||
| FN P90 | FN 5.7×28mm | Belgium | P90 TR | Used by 1st Commando Battalion and Special Operations Force. | ||
| Assault rifles | ||||||
| SAR 21 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Singapore | Standard rifle of Singapore Armed Forces. | |||
| BR18 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Singapore | Currently undergoing trials. Replacing SAR-21 in the future. | |||
| M4 carbine | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | Colt M4/M16A2E | Early Colt M4 in service with the Naval Diving Unit and Special Operations Task Force. | ||
| M16S1 | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | M16S1 | Produced under licence, a local variant of M16A1. Former standard issue used currently by reservist units. | ||
| Sniper rifles | ||||||
| KAC M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System | 7.62×51mm NATO | United States | Used as a DMR rifle by infantry formations and special forces units. | |||
| Sako TRG-22 | 7.62×51mm NATO | Finland | Used by 1st Commando Battalion and Infantry formations | |||
| PGM Mini-Hecate | .338 Lapua Magnum | France | Used by 1st Commando Battalion. | |||
| Accuracy International AWM (L115A1) | .300 Winchester Magnum .338 Lapua Magnum | United Kingdom | Used by 1st Commando Battalion. | |||
| Brügger & Thomet APR308 | 7.62×51mm NATO .308 Winchester | Switzerland | Used by 1st Commando Battalion. | |||
| Machine guns | ||||||
| Ultimax 100 | 5.56×45mm NATO | Singapore | Section Automatic Weapon formerly used by the Singapore Armed Forces. | |||
| Colt IAR6940 | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | IAR6940E-SG | Current Section Automatic Weapon of the Singapore Armed Forces. | ||
| M4 carbine | 5.56×45mm NATO | United States | Colt M4/M16A2E | Early Colt M4 in service with the Naval Diving Unit and Special Operations Task Force. | ||
| FN MAG | 7.62×51mm NATO | Belgium | Standard general-purpose machine gun of the Singapore Armed Forces. | |||
| STK 50MG | 12.7×99mm NATO | Singapore | Standard heavy machine gun of the Singapore Armed Forces. | |||
| Grenade launchers | ||||||
| M203 | 40mm grenade | United States | Either attached to M4 carbines or SAR21. | |||
| STK 40 AGL | 40mm grenade | Singapore | Mounted on vehicles. | |||
| Man-portable anti-tank systems | ||||||
| Spike | 170mm | Israel | 1,500 Spike-MR/LR purchased in 1999; another 500 Spike purchased in 2006. | Locally produced in Singapore by ST Engineering, under licensed from Rafael Advanced Defence System. | ||
| MATADOR | 90mm | Singapore | Locally produced in Singapore by ST Engineering. | |||
| Hand grenades | ||||||
| SFG 87 | Singapore | Standard anti-infantry grenade produced by ST Kinetics. | ||||
| Current attire | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Pattern name | Pattern | Image | Origin | Notes | |
| Uniform, Pixelised, Camouflage Pattern No. 4 | Singapore | Standard SAF uniform pattern. Digital pattern manufactured by Sritex (PT Sri Rejeki Isman Tbk). | ||||
| Crye Precision G3 Multicam-patterned Combat Uniforms and Crye Precision G4 Multicam-patterned Combat Uniforms | Multicam Multicam Arid Multicam Black Multicam Tropic | United States | Used by the Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) | |||