SAF unit to test urban warfare weapons It is the first time the SAF has dedicated a unit to the art of street fighting and experimenting with weapons and tactics By David Boey
THE Singapore Armed Forces is converting an infantry battalion into an experimental fighting force that will test new weapons and tactics for urban warfare.
Urban warfare experiments will allow the SAF to further develop its Advanced Combatman System, which aims to arm infantryman with sensors that allow him to exchange information with other troops, and see and shoot in the dark.
The 3rd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (3 SIR), based at Bedok Camp, has been chosen for the experiment, which is meant to help army planners decide how to arm and train infantry units to deliver a knockout blow in urban battles.
The army considers its ability to conduct sustained operations in urban settings an important part of its conventional warfare capabilities.
Although all infantry units are trained in urban warfare, having a unit dedicated to the craft and conducting experimental training marks a major change for the SAF.
A big part of 3 SIR's training will involve testing new weapons and technologies designed to transform the SAF's infantry combat arm into a third generation fighting force, in line with the modernisation of the rest of the armed forces.
For example, infantrymen of the future may no longer have to poke their heads round street corners to see where the enemy is. Instead, sensor-equipped battlefield robots could be sent by commanders to find and attack enemy forces first.
New sensors may also be introduced to allow soldiers to fight better in the dark.
And the infantryman of the future could wear wrist-mounted keypads, allowing them to exchange information with other units to obtain a fuller picture of developments on the battlefield.
Several hundred full-time national servicemen and regulars in 3 SIR are now testing new weapons and equipment, assisted by defence engineers from the Defence Science and Technology Agency and defence company Singapore Technologies Engineering.
The weapons and tactics developed by them will help the infantryman of tomorrow 'see better, sense better, shoot better and survive better on urban battlefields', said Colonel Winston Toh, the commander of a newly-created unit, the 9th Singapore Division/Infantry Formation, yesterday.
The unit is the result of a merger between the 9th Singapore Division and Headquarters Infantry, and will bring together operational and staff planners.
This will help the SAF assess what is needed by the army of the future in terms of weapons, battle skills and training.
The formation of the unit was announced at a parade held at Selarang Camp, in Loyang, yesterday morning to mark Infantry Day - the anniversary of the day the first batch of national servicemen was enlisted into the SAF in 1967.
Addressing the parade, the Chief of Army, Major-General Desmond Kuek, also announced the formation of a new Infantry Training Institute.
It will take care of all training needs of infantry soldiers, from basic military training until the end of the NS cycle.
Maj-Gen Kuek said these changes will strengthen the army's ability to meet post Sept 11 challenges and allow it to tap advances in 'new and emerging technologies'.
'The army's mission has extended beyond the preparation for conventional conflict to include the need to be responsive and ready to deal with a whole new range of missions in peace such as counter-terrorism, low-intensity conflict and operations other than war.'
Straits Times 18 August 2004
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