Modern Singapore

Why did Singapore need to build an army in double time in 1965?

Fear that Malaysia will take over Singapore

Vulnerability of Singapore as a small nation

What were the factors of national service being used as Singapore’s Defence Force?

Geographical factors

Political Factors

Economic Factors

Geographical factors elaborate

-Need for lots of manpower to protect both land and sea (protect sea lanes and coastal waters: life blood of Singapore)

Political Factors elaborate

-Separation from Malaysia

-The “Confrontation” policy with Indonesia

-Escalation of the Vietnam War

Elaborate economic factors

British Withdrawal (less troops)

Financial Cost of a Full-Time Army (too expensive)

What were the aims and effects from national service?

Formed Racial Bonds (mixed)

Opened New Industries

Rite of Passage into Manhood

Created a Common Identity

Enforced Peace

Introduce the start of NS and some reasons

The NS (amendment) act was passed on 15 March 1967, and some reasons for NS included Racial Harmony and a need for an army.

What were the racial differences of the first batch of NS men?

-From a variety of races and backgrounds

-adhered to different religions

-spoke different languages

-had different cultures

Elaborate on Formed racial bonds

Forced men to train, live and cooperate with different people of different races and religions to better understand others different from religions and this fostered a sense of tolerance and acceptance.

Opened new industries, give examples

Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS)

Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering (SSE)

Singapore Food Industries (SFI)

SAF Enterprises (SAFE)

Elaborate on CIS

The Chartered Industries of Singapore was established in 1967 and was what would later become Singapore Technologies (STSE). It was the very first defence-related company to support the military

At that time, the CIS mainly manufactured 5.56-mm ammunition rounds for the M16 rifles that the SAF were using. It eventually developed Singapore’s first locally designed artillery weapon, the Field Howitzer 88 (FH-88). CIS also created the FH-2000 and Singapore Self-Propelled Howitzer 1 (SSPH 1) Primus and contributed heavily to the SAF

Elaborate SSE

Another early defence-related company is the Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering (SSE), started in May 1968

It used to be a relatively small private venue with the government and constructed vessels for the Republic of Singapore Navy and commercial operators. Now, it is known as ST Engineering Marine and provides turnkey shipbuilding, ship conversion and ship-repair services for military and commercial use

NS helped provide the demand necessary for SSE to start back in 1968 and grow to what it is now.

elaborate SFI and SAFE

SFI and SAFE were started in 1973 and sold basic food items to the SAF in order to feed its growing population of hungry NS men and full-time soldiers.

The SAF was not able to provide food for all its soldiers in 1973. The soldiers who were lucky enough to have food did not have good-quality food, as the food quality was not a priority at the time. Hence, the SAF saw the need to cater food from a reliable and specialised external vendor. The SFI and SAFE were hence a great success.

Elaborate on the Rite of Passage into Manhood

Through the rigorous and strenuous training exercises in NS, soldiers will become stronger, more independent and more responsible.

Soldiers left the safety of their comfort zone (parents’ home)

They became independent and made important decisions for themselves

e.g.

Independent: washing/ironing their own uniforms, doing area cleaning

Important decisions: Command and control the actions and look after the safety of their fellow soldiers.

Elaborate created a common identity

NS strives to achieve having all its service men and women to have a common identity

• No segregation

• No privileges, all are equal there

• Even if your family backgrounds are different, you start the same again in NS

• The reason for speaking the same ‘army’ language, wearing the same clothes, sleeping in the same dorms is to forge a brotherhood that will last through wars.

Elaborate enforced peace

Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)

• External Securities of Singapore

Singapore Police Force (SPF)

• Internal Security of Singapore

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

• Societal well-being and disaster relief

SAF, 1 significant event

26th March 1991: SQ 117 Hijack

4 Pakistani militants, wielding knives and explosives, took over a plane (flight 117) en route to Singapore from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Capital. It landed at around 22:00, and the militants issued threats to kill passengers if a deadline for their demands was not met.

At 0645, a squad of commandos from the SAF Commando formation stormed the plane in what was called Operation Thunderbolt, taking down all 4 militants in a short time span of 30 seconds, with no civilians harmed.

SPF, 1 significant event

8th December, 2013: Little India Riot

After a coach at the junction of Race Course Road and Hampshire Road knocked down and killed an Indian national, Sakthivel Kumaravelu, a crowd of about a hundred had gathered and begun rioting

The crowd size eventually swelled up to about 400 people, who even attacked the Police and the SCDF that had arrived to control the crowd. 37 Police Officers, 5 Auxiliary Police Officers and 12 SCDF Officers sustained cuts and injuries during the riot. Several vehicles, including ones owned by the police and SCDF, were also damaged

It was only after the Special Operations Command (SOC) arrived and helped to disperse the crowd that the rioters were brought under control. The Singapore Police Force helped to control the crowd until the SOC came, preventing more injuries from happening.

SCDF, 1 significant event

29 April 2004: Collapse at Fusionpolis

On this fateful day, the Alexandra Fire Station was activated to respond to a construction worksite accident at Ayer Rajah Avenue, where the basement construction for Fusionopolis, a high tech township, was undergoing. Thousands of steel reinforcement bars and scaffolding had collapsed and buried many workers alive in a 50 × 50m wide area, 30m underground.

This rescue operation of cavernous proportions was no easy task for the Special Rescue Battalion. Yet these members of the SCDF successfully saved 29 casualties and extracted 2 fatalities after forming a complex tactical rescue plan on the spot. It was an ominous scene that served as a reminder to the SCDF and all others that we should never let our guard down. The Life Saving Force should always be ready for any situation.