Tuesday 4 October 2016

Singapore Military


The Singaporean military is arguably the most technologically advanced in Southeast Asia.[84] It comprises the Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Navy, and Republic of Singapore Air Force. It is seen as the guarantor of the country's independence.[85] The nation's philosophy of defence is one of diplomacy and deterrence.[86] This principle translates into the culture, involving all citizens in the country's defence.[87] The government spends 4.9% of the country's GDP on the military, and one out of every four dollars of government spending is spent on defence.[88]


Singapore Air Force's F-15SG are Strike Eagle variants (24 units). Pilots also train in Australia, France and the United States due to severe airspace constraints.
After its independence, Singapore had two infantry regiments commanded by British officers. This force was considered too small to provide effective security for the new country, so development of its military forces became a priority.[89] Britain pulled its military out of Singapore in October 1971, leaving behind only a small British, Australian and New Zealand force as a token military presence. The last British soldier left Singapore in March 1976. New Zealand troops were the last to leave, in 1989.[90]

A great deal of initial support came from Israel,[89] a country that is not recognised by the neighbouring Muslim-majority nations of Malaysia, Indonesia, or Brunei.[91][92][93] The main fear after independence was an invasion by Malaysia. Israeli Defense Force (IDF) commanders were tasked with creating the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) from scratch, and Israeli instructors were brought in to train Singaporean soldiers. Military courses were conducted according to the IDF's format, and Singapore adopted a system of conscription and reserve service based on the Israeli model.[89] Singapore still maintains strong security ties with Israel and is one of the biggest buyers of Israeli arms and weapons systems.[94] The MATADOR is one example of recent Singaporean–Israeli collaboration.[95]the Commonw

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