SAF elite that's fighting the clean fight
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Not obsolete per se.Originally posted by wuming78:without them, they cannot save themselves, nor the immediate victims of such incidents. there is no guarantee tt the victims can be saved, but the chances are higher wif such capabilities in place.
so u r saying tt singapore's capabilities are obsolete?
But the known extant agents such as Sarin, are already so lethal that you die before you can reach aid.
We are unable to purchase even a mask for protection, so we cannot even be protected against inhalants. What about those agents that work through skin contact?
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depending on the LD50 of the toxin that you are exposed to and the concentration that you are exposed to... your death could come way under 5 minutes... should be enough for you to gasp out your final prayer...
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hm. not sure if u r refering to us as civilians, or the soldiers? my earlier comment was made on the military.Originally posted by Johnston:Not obsolete per se.
But the known extant agents such as Sarin, are already so lethal that you die before you can reach aid.
We are unable to purchase even a mask for protection, so we cannot even be protected against inhalants. What about those agents that work through skin contact? -
I actually work in chemical and biological defense. I will try to allay your fears about battlefield CB warfare without revealing too much.
First of all, it is unlikely you will be surprised by CB agents on the battlefield. We possess recce assets with CB detectors who will find contaminated areas and communicate them to G3. Before you enter an area, you will already be briefed about the threat and will go prepared.
Secondly, CB agents are not as deadly on the battlefield as you might think. You will be issued protective anti-nerve agent drugs and vaccinations if we face an adversary with CB warfare capability, which will greatly reduce the lethality of CB agents. If you blunder into a contaminated area without protection, you will usually notice the effect of CB agents while still in the warm zone before you get a lethal dose. This allows you to administer antidotes, don IPE, and perform casevac.
Thirdly, CB agents are not very persistent or hardy. Most chemical and biological agents are destroyed instantly by bleach and are rendered ineffective within hours in the environment. This is also the reason why CB warfare capability is difficult to maintain -- while it is easy to manufacture agents, it is difficult to keep them viable. CB weapons have "expiry dates". This also means that it is hard to hide a CB warfare capability, since you need to keep replacing "expired" weapons. Again, you will not be surprised on the battlefield.
A CB terrorist attack is a different story. That really is a nightmare scenario. However, SCDF Hazmat units and 39SCE are well equipped to save as many lives as possible in such an incident. You don't die instantly from CB agents, and prompt treatment can save many lives. The Tokyo sarin attack only claimed a handful of lives and only a few hundred were seriously injured (though thousands of uninjured rushed to the hospitals in panic). Aum Shinrikyo would have done more harm with simple explosives.
You don't have to worry about poisons in the water from Malaysia. We do not drink the water directly from the pipes. Remember, it is untreated. During the storage and treatment process, it is tested for safety and quality, same as any other water. While the water is stored in a reservoir, most CB agents will be destroyed by the environment in any case. A drop of water coming down the pipes from Malaysia will probably take a few weeks to come out of a tap in Singapore, during which time it will be confirmed to be safe.
There are indeed some very deadly biological agents around. For example, Ebola is nearly 100% fatal if you get infected with it, and Marburg fever will cause infection if just a single virus enters your body. Smallpox is extremely contagious. However, the problem is that of manufacture, storage and delivery. How do you manufacture viruses quickly, keep them alive in a weapon, then deliver them effectively over a large area? That is the hard part, which is why anthrax is still used -- it is easy to manufacture, store and deliver. -
Double post
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SINGAPORE'S ELITE FORCES
Attack Apaches
Ordering the Apache helicopters was easy. Learning to fly them in combat was the hard part. The RSAF sent its men to Arizona to master the art. GOH CHIN LIAN finds out how they're coming along
THE Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) Apache detachment in the United States has just passed a major milestone.
It has just been pronounced ready to operate eight of the world's most sophisticated and lethal combat helicopters.
The US Army certified the detachment as Apache-ready after it completed the five months of training that every US Apache unit must undergo to turn operational.
Called Peace Vanguard, the RSAF unit was formed only in October 2001. In the US, it is based at the Silver Bell Army Heliport in Marana, Arizona.
Its commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Augustine Teo, 43, told The Straits Times in a telephone interview from Fort Hood, Texas: 'It's been a steep learning curve for our pilots and technicians because the Apache is a new and sophisticated aircraft.'
He described most of his 25 pilots as very experienced. Some have more than 20 years of flying the UH-1H, Super Puma or Fennec helicopters.
The detachment's 79 technicians are also experienced crewmen who had previously worked on helicopters and fighter planes.
The Apache Longbow that his men have learnt to operate has many unique features:
Its cockpit is fully digital, and all the tools it uses for flying and fighting appear on computer screens, instead of clock faces found in more conventional helicopters.
This means that the pilot can do a lot more, but also that he must master more functions.
Instead of the two-man crew sitting side by side, the pilot actually sits behind the gunner. 'If you're driving and your wife sits beside you, she would know what gear you're using, at what speed you're driving, but not if she's sitting behind,' said Lt-Col Teo.
That means there's a lot of communication going on in the cockpit so that each man knows what the other is doing.
The helmet that each man wears enables him to direct the night vision sensors on the helicopter's nose simply by moving his head. The view is projected on a monocle over his right eye.
Lt-Col Teo said: 'Imagine that you are sitting in a car with all the windows blacked out. Then imagine driving the car by looking at a TV picture transmitted from a video camera on the front bumper.'
The commander said that their US Army counterparts and training facilities have been a tremendous help to them. During their advanced training in Fort Hood, Texas, simulation systems were used in the field to make training more realistic, such as battles pitting ground troops against the Apaches. A computer decided who 'killed' who.
The Americans also passed on their first-hand knowledge of operating an earlier version of the Apache in real combat.
While at Fort Hood, the Singaporeans drew on their US counterparts' operational experience, especially what they had learnt during the Iraq war last year.
Although the RSAF men completed their certification training in Fort Hood in November, the detachment will stay on to train in the US. It hopes to take part in exercises with other US Army Apache units.
The live-firing area in Fort Hood is as big as Singapore, and the area for their manoeuvres is several times bigger, said Lt-Col Teo.
All the RSAF personnel in Marana are committed to stints of about two years, so many have their families with them. 'The families have to be well taken care of, so that the servicemen do not have to worry and can put their heart and soul into their work,' said Lt-Col Teo.
The more than 100 RSAF personnel have a total of 141 family members there, including 66 children. The kids go to public schools there.
They live in apartments in the city of Tucson, which is 'as big as Singapore but has only four shopping centres', said Captain Andy Ang, the detachment's manpower officer.
They've all had to adapt to living in a desert climate, where temperatures can hit 44 deg C in summer and drop to zero in winter.
They also learnt to recognise - and avoid - desert creatures such as rattlesnakes, coyotes and venomous lizards called gila monsters. Snakes and scorpions are occasional surprise house guests, especially in the summer when the creatures come out of hibernation.
This Singaporean satellite colony has grown. The past two years have brought seven babies and 18 of the 75 wives there are pregnant.
One happy father is Capt Ang, whose first son was born in the US in January 2002. His wife is expecting their second son in March.
Some of the detachment, having completed their stint, returned to Singapore last month. More are due to go to the US for similar training. The RSAF now has eight Apaches and another 12 on order.
'We want to continue operating in Marana for at least a few more years, to build a broader base of experienced Apache pilots and technical crew,' said Lt-Col Teo. 'It's been a really challenging two years. We have achieved a lot, but there is still a lot to learn.'
ON MONDAY: A behind-the-scenes look at the Red Berets, the hard men of the SAF
-Quote From ST- -
Shots flew over me... and I saw how deadly the crack troops are
By Goh Chin Lian
I WAS sitting in the living room of an HDB flat in total darkness, when men in black stormed in with guns blazing.
I couldn't make them out, or even tell how many there were, as rapid volleys thundered around me and several spent cartridges bounced off my hand. Live rounds.
My only protection was the bullet-proof vest I wore, and strict compliance with instructions: 'Please stay within your seat in the red box. Don't stand up. And no camera shots. The men are trained to fire at flashes.'
Seconds later, the firing stopped and all was silent again. Of the shootout, only the pungent smell of gunpowder remained.
The lights came on and the dozen of us in the red box were shown the cutout figures of the terrorists and civilians that had been placed side by side behind us.
All the shots had been to the cardboard terrorists' foreheads. Instant death - if those cutouts had been real people.
'They are trained to recognise the terrorist and go for the brain stem kill,' said an officer with the Special Operations Forces, who are the cream of the Commandos.
This was the same unit that stormed the hijacked Singapore Airlines Airbus SQ 117 in 1991, gunning down all four hijackers and rescuing all 123 hostages unharmed.
Recently, I visited the secret training ground of the SOF.
High fences surround this four-storey building tucked away in a corner of the home of the Commandos at Hendon Camp in Changi. Few people other than the SOF men have ever been inside what is called the Close Quarter Battle building, off limits even to most Commandos.
Built in 1991 and upgraded in 1999, its facilities point to the crisis scenarios they are trained for, and the skills they strive to perfect.
Every other day, they practise in the firing range in their 'main battle hall' to sharpen their shooting.
They also blow up replaceable doors on one side of the hall for demolition practice.
Above the hall is a mock-up of an A310 Airbus plane fitted out with plywood figures of passengers on foam seats, and along the corridor, two panels open up to reveal a mock-up lift.
A maze of rooms in the multi-purpose building can be configured for any crisis scene, even one as mundane as an HDB apartment, complete with sofa set and coffee table.
They weren't prepared to show them all to reporters.
Secrecy is the watchword.
Even from family members. Warrant Officer Chan, 48, a 20-year veteran with the SOF before he took on a different assignment last year, said: 'My family knew I was in the Commandos, but they didn't really know what I was doing. My wife was very supportive whenever I couldn't be home or had to go overseas.'
Like many in the SOF, he is a father. He has a 17-year-old daughter and a 14-year-old son.
They were always in his mind when he went on a mission.
'But my priority is the mission, other people's safety and my safety.' -
Is that the last of the series?
cant find any in today papers. -
yup. its the last of the series. cant feature everyone in saf since its supposed to feature only the elite.Originally posted by clarencebk:Is that the last of the series?
cant find any in today papers.
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Well..
there's still the Guards n of cos our Pilots.
Are they not elites?
and maybe even our latest Primus! -
they mus draw the line somewhere, based on the number of days they haf to do this series mah.Originally posted by clarencebk:Well..
there's still the Guards n of cos our Pilots.
Are they not elites?
and maybe even our latest Primus!