ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu (02/13/91)
From: ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu I am looking for data on Singapore's military (size, equipment, etc.) and Viet Nam's. (for those of you who think this is an odd question, Singapore is deathly afraid of Viet Nam 'coming over the wall') Please send your responses directly to me (artabar@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu) Thanx in advance Andy
c188-br%volga.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Calvin Cheng) (02/14/91)
From: c188-br%volga.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Calvin Cheng) In article <1991Feb13.032228.27177@cbnews.att.com> ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu writes: > > >From: ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu >I am looking for data on Singapore's military (size, equipment, etc.) and >Viet Nam's. (for those of you who think this is an odd question, Singapore >is deathly afraid of Viet Nam 'coming over the wall') >Please send your responses directly to me (artabar@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu) >Thanx in advance >Andy The Singapore Armed Forces was formed with the help of Israeli advisors. It has the same integrated command structure as the IDF and shares many Israeli doctrine (but adapted for local needs). The government considers a strong defence to be extremely important. This is shown by devoting as much as 6% of the GNP which is way higher than neighboring nations (particularly in the aftermath of the Kuwaiti invasion since Singapore is a tiny country [smaller than greater LA, pop. 2.7 million], surrounded by big Muslim neighbors and of course Vietnam). Every Singapore male aged 18 and above has to serve 24 to 30 months of national service. Due to the lowered birth rates, it is now harder for people to get downgraded for lighter work and they may even consider extending the enlistment period (which is already long by any standards). By the way, there's no such thing as obtaining conscientious status (you serve in the jail for that matter). The SAF was intended originally to be a small professional corps supported by a large citizen's army a la Switzerland. However, they are maintaining a fairly large standing army based on Israeli experiences (the lack of time in activating a citizen's army due to the tiny land area). I have personally served in an ADA battalion manning Oerlikon 35mm AA guns. The basic force structure includes: Army.................... about 45 000 to 50 000 (400 tanks, 1000+ APCs) Air Force............... about 6 000 to 7 000 (180 aircraft) Navy.................... about 3 000 to 4 000 (30+ small vessels) Civil Defence........... not sure mostly reservist (also included firemen) There are also includes about 200 000 reservists (13-year training cycle but liability upto 45 for enlisted men and 50 for officers and NCOs). Mobilisation exercises are carried out regularly to achieve the objective of deploying all men within 72 hours. The reservist elements are considered an integral part of the armed forces far more than most armed forces. The Army consists of 5 infantry divisions (1 active, 2 reservist and 2 People's Defence Force). The 3 main divisions are equipped much like American infantry divisions. Weapons include the M16S1, Ultimax 100 SAW, FN MG, Carl Gustav 84mm RR, 106mm RR, Milan (II?), 81mm/120mm (old) motar, 155mm FH88 howitzer, TPQ36 etc. There are also 2 independent armored brigades (more like mechanized infantry), 2 commando (airborne) battalions and various independent signals, engineer support units. THe People's Defence Force elements are essentially a collection of pure infantry battalions (each of the 3 brigades has 8 infantry battalions) traditionally allocated with surplus men. But plans are underway to upgrade them to the equivalent of the other infantry divisions. The Air Force also include the ADA elements and all helicopters. There are about 60 to 80 Skyhawks (upgraded with F404 engines), 30+ F5E/Fs, 8 F16s (perhaps eventually 20+), 30+ SIAI-Marchetti S211s, 7 Hawker Hunters FR74 (recon), 4 E2C Hawkeyes, 8 C130/KC130 Hercules, 6 Short Skyvans. Weapons include the Sidewinder, Maverick etc. Helicopter force includes about 30 to 50 Super Pumas, about 40 to 50 UH1H (to be retired), 6 to 12 Ecureils (??) and about 20 Dauphins (anti-armor) on order. ADA weapons include the I-Hawk, Rapier, Oerlikon 20mm and 35mm, RBS70 and perhaps the Roland. The Navy consists of 12 missile gun boats/corvettes, another about 12 to 24 FACs, 4 LSTs (vintage WWII stuff) etc and other support elements including the elite naval divers (airborne). The current wood minesweepers are being replaced. Due to the lack of land area, the SAF maintain permanent training bases in many countries (notably Brunei and Thailand). Since we need to import even water from neighboring Malaysia, it is important to maintain good relations (especially with trade being our lifeline). Therefore Singapore has been particularly keen on working for regional security. Combined military exercises are held with many foreign nations including the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand. It's also important to look at the other potential threat. It seems in some circles, Indonesia is described as a nation with territorial ambitions (the Confrontation), Malaysia has being potentially hostile should the Muslim extremists take power and a powerful China (even Japan). This is particularly important for a tiny nation like Singapore.
vomitpuke@pro-odyssey.cts.com (Jeff Neilson) (02/18/91)
From: vomitpuke@pro-odyssey.cts.com (Jeff Neilson) In-Reply-To: message from ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu I saw a report comparing Singapore to Kuwait. it mentioned that Kuwait had almost nothing military, while Singapore(the only Non-3rd World country in its area), has a HUGE military force for its size...mostly due to Singapore Reservists...i dont know ANY specifics, but Singapore, while they cant totally defend themselves independently, they can, at least, try. ---- ProLine: vomitpuke@pro-odyssey Internet: vomitpuke@pro-odyssey.cts.com UUCP: crash!pro-odyssey!vomitpuke ARPA: crash!pro-odyssey!vomitpuke@nosc.mil
rz02+@andrew.cmu.edu (Rudolph R. Zung) (02/21/91)
From: "Rudolph R. Zung" <rz02+@andrew.cmu.edu> >From: ARTABAR@MTUS5.cts.mtu.edu >I am looking for data on Singapore's military (size, equipment, etc.) and >Viet Nam's. (for those of you who think this is an odd question, Singapore >is deathly afraid of Viet Nam 'coming over the wall') >Please send your responses directly to me (artabar@mtus5.cts.mtu.edu) >Thanx in advance >Andy This is the information on Singapore's military as I know it. Much of the structure is similar to the US Army/Marines structure. This information is biased towards small infantry units and may have gaps and holes in it. This is because when I was in the Army there, I was an Infantry Combat Officer serving in OCS as an instructor. And as you know, structure in schools are differents from operational units. Unless otherwise noted, personal weapon is M16S1. 1 group (Closest US Marine equivalent: 1 fire team): 2 individuals (weapons vary by groups) 1 section (7 men) (Closest US Marine equivalent: 1 Squad): 3 groups 1 section commander (CPL. Usually attached with first/point section) (Weapons: 2 LAW 2 SAW 2 M203 1 SSS (M16 with optical sights) 1 GPMG team (2, 3 men): Gun commander (SGT) (FN MAG) Number 2 man (ammo bearer) Number 3 man (ammo bearer, tripod bearer)* 1 Pl HQ (4 men): 1 Medic 1 Signaller (Coy Command Net) 1 Pl Sergeant (SGT) 1 Pl Comd (2LT or LTA) 1 Pl (28 men): 3 sections 1 GPMG team 1 Pl HQ Coy HQ: 1 OC (1LT or CPT) 1 2IC (1LT) 1 CSM (SSG) 2 Signaller (Bn Command Net, Bn Admin Net) 1 Runner (Coy Command Net) 1 CQ 1, 2 Storeman 1 Coy: 3 Pl 1 Coy HQ Bn HQ: 1 CO (MAJ, LTC) 1 Bn 2IC 1 S1 (Manpower) (The order here could be wrong, 1 S2 (Intelligence) I find it hard to remember those 1 S3 (Planning) numbers) 1 S4 (Logistics) Many service support (clerks, cooks, drivers, etc) Possibly other Bn support elements (RR, Armor, etc) 1 Bn: 1 Bn HQ 3 rifle companies Support Company/companies 1 Bde: 1 Bde HQ 3 Bn 1 Div: 3 Bde Ranks: Other ranks (Closest US equivalent: Enlisted ranks) REC Recruit PVT Private PFC Private First Class LCP Lance Corporal Other ranks, NCO: CPL Corporal CFC Corporal First Class Other ranks, SNCO: SGT Sergeant SSM Staff Sergeant WO2 Warrant Officer Class 2 WO1 Warrant Officer Class 1 SWO Senior Warrant Officer Officers 2LT 2nd Lieutenant LTA Full Lieutenant CPT Captain MAJ Major LTC Lieutenant Colonel COL Colonel BG Brigadier General MG Major General LG Lieutenant General Abbreviations: 2IC Second in Command/Charge. Unless otherwise noted, usually refers to a company 2IC. (Closest US equivalent: Executive Officer) Bde Bridage Bn Battalion CIS Chartered Industries of Singapore CO Commanding Officer; Battalion Commander Coy Company CQ Comapany Quartermaster CSM Company Sergeant Major Div Division GPMG General Purpose Machine Gun HQ HeadQuarters LAW Light Antitank Weapon NCO Non-Commissioned Officer OC Officer Commanding (Closest US equivalent: Company Commander) Pl Platoon RR Recoilless Rifle SAW Section Automatic Weapon SNCO Senior Non-Commissioned Officer SSS Section SharpShooter Weapons: FN MAG Fabrique Nationale Mitrailleuse Automatique Generale. French (maybe Belgian) 7.62mm caliber, belt fed. LAW German ArmBrust. M16S1 A standard US Colt M16A1 manufactured in Singapore by CIS under license from Colt. M203 M203 grenade launcher mounted on M16. SAW CIS made Ultimax 100. 5.56mm caliber; 100 round drum magazine or standard M16 magazine. Note Bene: Ca approximately 1990, due to shortage of manpower and success of govermental population control campaigns in 70s, there was some reorganization of structure. Prior to that, each group was 3 men instead of the current 2. The GPMG team may have been cut from 3 men to 2 men. In the Singapore context, there is no differentiation between Battalion and Regiment. Part of this reason is that the Singapore Army is insufficiently large to field Regiments, but in order to preserve historically the British names of units, Singapore retains Regimental names. Thus, the unit 5SIR (5th Singapore Infantry Regiment) is actually a battalion sized unit. There are currently 3 Divisions, and possibly plans for a fourth. I believe that there are 50,000 personnel on active service with a full potential of 200,000 if all reserves are recalled for duty. (Numbers could be wrong) The Air Force flies: C130, SkyVan, F5s, F16s, E2s, among others. -- ...Ru Names and places have been identified to protect the anonymous. mcmxcI Make the world a better place. One love, one song; one heart, that's strong. InterNet: rz02+@andrew.cmu.edu BITnet : rz02+@andrew UUCP : ...!{ucbvax, harvard}!andrew.cmu.edu!rz02+ R Zung \ (412) 682-0532 \ CMU Box 231 \ Pittsburgh PA 15213