Singapore's Armed Forces - A Prickly Target
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- How capable are the Singapore Armed Forces? What equipment do they have? Where will they operate?
This briefing was suggested by a Subscriber.
Sources:
International Institute for Strategic Studies "The Military Balance 2024"
Singapore Ministry of Defence
Images:
Leopard 2 By Firestorm250, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
Independence class By Seloloving - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
This briefing was suggested by a Subscriber.
Note the figure for the S-70B Seahawk ASW helicopters should be 8, not 40.
Update: I am still "forward deployed", so unlike many other UA-camrs I don't work out of a studio. You'll hear some traffic noise and occasional aircraft in my briefings. Sorry about that.
Great analysis.
Could you do one specifically focused on the G20 navies, and basic differences in role and equipment?
What do you mean forward deployed?
@@duffvader6731 I'm not in Australia. I'm temporarily renting an apartment, internet connectivity is not guaranteed, and my entire setup fits into a backpack. So "forward deployed" 😉
@@Strategy_Analysis Great work. Thank you
@@ogapadoga2 Thank you. Much appreciated.
The number one strategic objective of Singapore is to be friends with everyone and not pick sides, so as to remain an indispensable partner to everyone. The 2nd objective is to be the economic hub of the region where everyone benefits from trading with the country so everyone loses out when a conflict is to happen. The military is the last line of defense. If Singapore has to go to war, then everything has gone wrong.
Australia could learn a lesson from that. It has not been weighed down by illogical and aimless foreign expeditions with a dying ex-superpower
@peteranderson7497 Without colonies, it's a hard thing for a small island nation like the UK to remain a superpower.
Singapore is not neutral as it is amongst the countries who unilaterally sanctioned Russia against international laws. Only UN sanctions is recognized internationally
@@ViolentCabbage-ym7ko Yea, that was a stupid mistake but I'm pretty sure the government got pressured a lot by the US.
Previously the ruling political party criticized an opposition party for not expressing it's view over a matter, accusing the opposition of not wanting to upset anyone. I don't think its impossible that other countries might accuse Singapore of the same due to it not picking sides, & thus other countries might think Singapore is self-serving/hypocritical & thus might lose trust in us. In that case we probably need to be prepared to defend our view
Gosh!!! Singapore has a larger defence capability than Australia!!!
We are too busy working on gender differentiation here.
They’ve got compulsory national service, which is what’s drastically needed here for starters- but it’ll never happen.
Great report.
'straya has more strategic depth, and more dangerous native fauna (and dangerous native climate).
Thanks for the capability review of my country's armed forces
No worries.
@@Strategy_Analysis Interesting note the Formidable Class Frigates are currently undergoing mild life upgrades to its radar/firecontrol systems as well as new BlueSpear ASM replacing the aging Harpoons. Other than that overall solid analysis of the SAF.
@@spartanong1567 Thanks for the update.
The SAF is untested & uncontested in a real conflict. Their laughable contribution is to organize the annual National Day Parade, Army Half Marathon, supporting commercial Air Shows, doing non-combat sidekick support observation roles in multinational coalitions and of course unrealistic training exercises designed to make their overpaid regular commanders look good.
Those who really want to know the true leadership caliber of SAF generals need not look any further than those hand-picked scholar generals who left SAF for politics & government linked companies (GLCs) to see how they have been run.
None distinguished themselves, least of all the ex-PM, BG(Ret'd) Lee Hsien Loong, BG(Ret'd) George Yeo, etc.
On the commercial front, the most spectacular clusterfuck of the walking lard disaster & narcissist LG(Ret'd) Ng Yat Chung who led the mismanagement of AT LEAST 2 known companies - NOL & SPH. Another inept clown is LG(Ret'd) Desmond Kuek under whose watch the SMRT suffered multiple major malfunctions that disrupted critical public transportation infrastructure. All because he couldn't control lazy mere civilians who failed to do the preventive maintenance they were paid to do. If he can't even get his employees to do what they are paid to do, how can he lead men to war?
Such are the calibre of men leading the SAF. The PAP government system of selecting their scholars based off their A Level results (based off Shell's antiquated Currently Estimated Potential), but promoting them in lockstep pattern & never having the courage nor political will to actively review to weed out the duds & underperformers, led to spectacular clusterfuck implosion listed above.
The SPF (police) isn't immune either. One SAC who was Tangling Division Commander was derelict in his duty during the response in the critical hours of the Serangoon Rd riots, leading to it not being nipped in the bud, but getting our of hand. Was he demoted & sacked? No. He got a lateral transfer to head SPH Public Relations Office. Condemned, but a cushy assignment where he continues to draw hefty pay but where he can't do anymore damage than he already had
Even the SCDF isn't immune. Their Commissioner was exposed & found guilty of sleeping around with a vendor.
The most recent case is a Director General of the MFA being found guilty of videoing adolescent boys in public bath houses in Japan, and high MFA officials misusing diplomatic pouches for personal favors.
Not forgetting the ex Speaker of Parliament BG(Ret'd) Tan Chuan Jin who persisted in his extramarital affairs with another sitting PAP MP despite multiple warnings from then PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Then there are the corruption scandals involving a Minister over F1.
ALL these officials were carefully screened, selected & hand-picked under the PAP government's common talent scouting system.
If this is what the system produces, you can already tell the quality of the rest.
It looks good from far, but far from good. The rot is deep & endemic.
Even the vaunted IDF/Mosad was found severely lacking & reactive in Israel's most existential crisis it is facing in a generation. They rested on the laurels of their forefathers & father's for far too long. The successes of the IDF was based on having & acting on good intelligence and being pro-active.
Their abject failure to anticipate & effectively neutralize Hamas devastating breach, attack & kidnapping of their citizens has shown the ineptitude of the IDF. Or perhaps the puppet masters WANTED the debacle to happen.
I enjoyed this briefing, no-nonsense and straightforward with a focus on equipment/capabilities and an appropriate amount of regional context. Singapore appears to be in something of an enviable position amongst it's ASEAN neighbours; that of not immediately requiring a significant deterrence capability from a geopolitical standpoint, but being wealthy enough to maintain a significant deterrence capability regardless. Their military appears to be well designed and organised for what it might be required to do, and the focus on cooperative training exercises is notable.
Interesting video, thanks.
Thank you. Greatly appreciated.
I've heard of the military being criticized before for buying Israeli drones, in light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To which I remember a gov't official shot back: "Don't you know that no other country was willing to help develop our military? (when Singapore became newly independent)"
Good information. They take their defense strategies very seriously compared to many other nations in the region. Everything is planed out well in advance for now and into the future. It took them as a nation less than 50 years to go from a humble small military to having one of the best trained and equipped land, sea and air forces around. As for some who might doubt their abilities for the actual thing. Their troops have been forward deployed to many multi national missions around the world with high accolades from those who have seen them carry out those missions. Glad to have them on our side anytime, anywhere! Best to them!
Love these videos mate, excellent!
Thanks. Much appreciated.
Excellent !!!
Well documented and inventory analysis. Amongst the professional research standard's 👍
Thank you. Appreciated.
Your pronunciation is on point mate, well done
Thanks. Much appreciated. My Malaysian or my Chinese?
@@Strategy_Analysis from a singaporean malay, your malay is quite good man , just the accent tho😂
@@suasponte5562 perhaps because I have an Indonesian influenced pronunciation.
Thanks for taking up the suggestion, though there are a few points id like to contend with:
1: i believe the rsn only has 8 or so s70b airframes rather than 40
2: There are no exocets in service, nor was it trialed
3: all m113s are in storage, there are none actively used
4: there's 19 f16cs now due to an 'unplanned early divestment' that happened earlier in the year for one airframe
5: the leo 2sgs dont have aps
Thanks for the feedback. I'll follow up. Regarding the AM39s, both the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and CSIS state they are in service.
Regarding the APS on the Leopard 2SG, I haven't seen an image with the system fitted, so you might well be right.
Thanks for the F-16C info. I expect they are to be replaced by the 20* F-35s on order.
@@Strategy_Analysis i see, apart from those, i think you did a great job of a brief overview. If you have the time in the future, i suggest covering the indonesians. They have a smogasbord of equipment types to cover!
@@thetigerii9506 I will definitely be covering Indonesia. Hopefully sometime in the next 2 months.
Excellent analysis! Considering it’s a city state, its militaries size and capabilities are quiet stunning. I wonder if they would consider leasing us a brigade or two? ;) cheers and thanks again mate
Cheers. Appreciated.
SIngapore feels inately more vulnerable & thus wanted to invest more in its defence. The declining birth rate might be a future challenge though, while the population might continue increasing due to immigration, so next time there might be less people to defend more people (I think that among a group of 20 students in my school I was the only one called up for conscription). I was meanwhile a bit surprised to hear that some Baltic countries, which are larger than us, find it too expensive to buy their own fighter jets
Hey man love the vids! Could you please consider doing a video surrounding Australia's future 'SCiFire' cruise missile and other procurements of that nature?
I'll look into it.
@@Strategy_Analysis Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile HACM. Obviously not much info on it, but it has a wiki page already. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypersonic_Attack_Cruise_Missile
@@Strategy_Analysis thanks man
@Augh98-nt2zn Could you please provide more details? You may not be aware of the highly favourable reports/comments from various Coalition Force commanders back then in Afghanistan on the professionalism and performance of the Singapore Army's RPV Detachment, Hunter Radar Detachment (in providing critical warning of sudden in-coming mortars rounds) etc.
Would love to see a videos on what other smaller allies such as the uk could provide to this region in a crisis
That sort of topic is on the list.
They can fk off and not stir up trouble here.
Having started, perhaps a series on each FPDA member state?
Noting of course that you have already covered the ADF and NZDF, so perhaps just references to those previous briefings?
Another gem sir, talk about punching above your weight, the deterrent capacity posed by this tiny island of just 5.9 million puts Australia to shame.
The calibre of Singapore's military compared to the ADF reflects the competence of each country's leadership re strategy & logistics, hardware procurement & sustainment, manpower recruitment & retention, industrial capacity & autonomy. While Singapore's taxpayer's are being well served, Australia's national security remains paralysed by government corruption of procurement processes - impotence re industrial autonomy and the ADF's criminal neglect of its people.
Better than ours here in NZ!
Everyone is better than NZ, sorry. You should be taking on the responsibility for defending the south pacific and southern ocean, and being a strong neighbour for the Pacific states @@iwishluckybugger7623
The Singapore government is always prudent in terms of military purchases, thus a lot of thoughts goes into replacing each generation of equipment. It's a matter of value for money. For example our fleet of Super Pumas will eventually be replaced by its successors, the H225Ms.
Thou I doubt we can fully replace all our F-16s with F-35s... too expensive n that that versatile.
Thanks. Much appreciated.
@mickeyjuiced... I've trained with Australian troops during my National Service & once during the Annual Reservists training until my early 40s. Australian Officers & Troopers are a cut above many Nation's Army. When I was in Oslob, Philippines early this 2024, I stayed in a Holiday Hostel and bump into an ex-Australian Platoon Commander, PC. He owns and runs the place with his family. He remembered me and we had long talks and beers for hours during happy hours. He practically saluted me when my family and I were checking out of the Hostel. I saluted back.
Anytime, any day I will carry arms and fight beside our professional neighbor and ally - Australia.
I salute to the Australian Army, Navy & Air Force. ❤❤❤
👍🙏
Good, but only scratching the surface. The most important part missing is our defense industry’s capabilities in producing our own arms and ammunition from small arms to armored vehicles and artillery, and modifying foreign bought equipment to much more advanced standards including tanks and combat aircraft. And also our ability in building and upgrading naval assets. In war, losses will be heavy and this ability to be self sufficient is critical.
Singapore does have a very robust and sophisticated defence industry.
6:36 we do not use the mistral anymore
Thanks for the update. I was working on the IISS's Military Balance 2024.
Very, very contrast...before watching this video about the Singapore armed forces, first see a video about the Indonesian navy with the title "INDONESIA MARINARS THROUGH THE ENEMY" with the Soviet Union's relic alutista...😅
an island no food and water ?
hi can you please do a malaysia armed forces please
Chicken
This is an extremely well done video, thanks for covering it, i love watching videos about my country
Thank you. Greatly appreciated.
Honestly, their Army could probably take ours, whilst their Air Force and Navy is only marginally behind ours.
I don't think so. Their Army is trained almost exclusively to defend Singapore. They would do that fairly well, however, if they were tasked with a different role, they might struggle. I have trained closely with the Singaporean Army, and remember, it's mostly a conscript Army.
@@topendgold9284 If Singapore falls to an unfriendly country you will be in trouble either way.
Well, you don't want to piss them off do you! For a small country they too punch above their weight division!
Give someone more than a bloody nose.
I wonder, is this a defensive or offensive force?
Obviously defensive
@@raymondloke
IDK.
Tanks appear to be open country weapons.
Offensive is the best form of defensive don’t you think so ?
@@CrossbredmiMiyang
You mean like 1967?
Been said, due to the lack of strategic depth, you have to create your own depth
Surprise, our war machines actually work. But we do need actual combat experience, so any volunteers willing to come forward and get hammered by our armaments? Thank you.
Great report.
Again, thanks.
We are too busy working out gender differentiation, land rights, political ineptitude and corruption here.
They’ve compulsory national service, which for starters is much needed here - but it’ll never happen.
Dont be too confident!pride comes before a fall!history also proved that a smaller army can defeat a bigger one
we do not have 40 S-70 and some of the other figures is wrong as well
I would love to see Australia publicly try to beef up the FPDA in public consciousness. We hear a lot about ANZUS, the Quad and AUKUS, but the FPDA is one of the only major defence agreements that Australia is party to that is (relatively) Trump proof.
For what it's worth (not mich), I dont personally think Trump is getting elected this November, but it wouldn't hurt to have a very public "backup plan" for regional deterrence and defence in case everything goes tits up. A major exercise involving all 5 countries, a 5 nation security summit or multi-party upgrades to RMAF Butterworth would all be good initiatives IMO.
What's wrong with Trump? Which version you are referring to, MSM regime media?
@@simroysten7963 He's an unpredictable fascist, bad for America, bad for Australia. But I don't get a vote, so what does my opinion matter.
The importance of Singapore might drop if the Thai canal is built.
Stale
That "thai canal" is blown out of proportions. Even if it was built, the Singapore strait would still be business as usual.
I will explain in simple terms:
Beyond the concerns raised by Singapore, there are other factors that could hinder the feasibility of the Thailand land bridge project. **Significant environmental impact** is a major concern. The Kra Isthmus, the area the land bridge would cross, is known for its rainforests and rich ecosystems. Building a major infrastructure project through this area could lead to deforestation, habitat loss, and disruption of water sources. **The project's high cost** is another hurdle. Estimates suggest construction could cost upwards of 30 billion US dollars. This is a massive investment with no guarantee of sufficient returns. **Economic viability** is also uncertain. While the project aims to reduce shipping times, it might not be enough to entice companies to switch routes, especially considering the added cost of "double-handling" cargo. Finally, the project's **geopolitical implications** are complex. Thailand would need to carefully navigate relations with regional powers, particularly China, if it seeks foreign investment for the project.
@@juzloopz24 No, the Thai canal is definitely a threat to Singapore's geographical advantage. If you are using environmental arguments to say that the project will not go through given the importance of the East-West trade, you have already lost your argument. The environment has never stop anyone tapping into a multi-trillion market, that is 1/3 of the entire world's trade. As for economic viability, I am pretty sure Thailand if they do invest in this and probably with China's help will MAKE it economically viable.
What Singapore need is still better port handling facilities. That point I can concede is that shippers will look for the most efficient, most cost effective method and this is where Singapore can still compete. Singapore needs to work closer with China to implement the most cutting edge port technologies and lock Chinese shippers in with them. Then on a strategic side, Singapore need more diversification of its economy to ensure it increase the size of its economic pie and to rely less percentage wise on its ports.
@@gelinrefira The Suez canal handles up to 150 vessels a day, the Panama less than 100. The Singapore Strait handles more than 1000 vessels per day so do the math n go do something else
Its software. Not hardware.
Assisting Malaysia? You seriously sure? First time I heard of this! FYI, We are to protect ourselves with threats around us! I dun have to say more.... Its rather obvious if you dig deep into the history around us.
Not really assisting. With vital shipping lanes, do you trust another country to safeguard it? Or will MY demand something in return for protection? It hurts SG more than MY if the lanes are affected
Native Malays not allowed in the airforce or navy...
Source?
@@Panda-0183
How long u have been a Singaporean?r u that naive?
@@tahaalihusin5919 odd of you to assume I’m singaporean
It's not a right judgement to say it.
LMAO. Ignoramus is as ignoramus does.
Your misinformation shows you've been hiding under a rock all this while.
Your information mostly incorrect
An interesting video would be your opinion on the NZ army.
Please check out my briefing on the NZ Army.
@@Strategy_Analysis I will.
thank you for the feature of my country sir 🫡
Thank you. Happy to.
Could you do a briefing on Canada please? Cheers@Strategy_Analysis
I saw the Singapore army in action while serving overseas and I wasn't impressed. They come across as another saudi arabia. Loads of money for fancy equipment but less interested in training.
It's possible what u saw were our conscripted reservist soldiers n u might be right as there is only so much training we can conduct without impacting on their civilian livelihoods. 😅
Probably saw the reservists.
You are right. We dont have a fighting culture. Probably another generation or 2 away
Guess what ? We are still better then the Taiwanese😅😂
Wow,if you think you are the BEST. Then ,go fight the RUSSIANS, if you 'dare'.
Do not just talk, prove to me, ok.
Meanwhile, i will be waiting for your selfie, do send me one, thanks.
All the BEST, stay safe too.