Dominion of Singapore Army

Dominion of Singapore Army

On June 6th 1956 after more than 100 years of British colonial rule, Singapore became the Dominion of Singapore and whit it virtually independent from Great Britain, only retaining the British monarch as head of state.

An urgent priority after independence was to build up Singapore’s own defense capability. Singapore then had only four infantry battalions of 100 officers and some 2,000 men. There was no air force ore navy which had to be created virtually from scratch. In August 1965, the Ministry of the Interior and Defense (MID) was established. The key priority then was to build up the Army into a credible force as soon as possible. However, there was no military tradition in Singapore. The bulk of the population had traditionally held military service in low esteem. An intense educational effort was required to overcome such attitudes. Ministers, Members of Parliament, senior civil servants and community leaders volunteered to serve in the Dominion of Singapore Army. In this way, they set an example and drove home the message that it was the responsibility of every citizen to defend their nation. This worked and over time, the government was able to gain the manpower in order to create the Dominion of Singapore Army they envisioned.

Regiments and Brigades of the Dominion of Singapore Army

Royal Singapore Special Air Service Regiment

The Singapore Special Air Service Regiment (DS SAS) was formed on July 16th 1976 and is a Special Forces unit of the Dominion of Singapore Army modeled on the British Special Air Service (SAS). It has four operational squadrons, whit each squadron consisting of approximately 60 men.

Royal Singapore Infantry Regiment

The Singapore Infantry Regiment is the main formation of the Dominion of Singapore army. It consists of nine full-time battalions and four territorial battalions.

Royal Singapore Guards

The Royal Singapore Guards are an elite infantry formation specializing in rapid deployment. It consists of the 1st Guards Battalion and 2nd Guards Battalion.  Royal Singapore Artillery Regiment

The Singapore Artillery was first formed within the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps (SVRC), in 1854. The Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps existed till until 1887, when it was disbanded to facilitate the formation of the Singapore Volunteer Artillery (SVA) in 1888, which is considered to be the formal formation date of the Artillery. Due to the increasingly varied composition of the SVA, the unit was renamed the Singapore Volunteer Corps (SVC), with the artillery as a section. It was re-designated as the Singapore Royal Artillery (Volunteer) in 1923.

In 1963, the unit was again renamed the 10th Singapore Volunteer Artillery (Territorial Army), and upon Singapore's independence two years later became the Royal Singapore Artillery Regiment. In 1964 the 20th Singapore Artillery Battalion (20 SAB) was created and assigned to operate the 120mm mortar, with the delivery of the V200 light armored vehicle in 1969 onwards the second battalion was raised, designated the 21st Singapore Artillery Battalion (21 SAB) it became the first self-propelled battalion in the Dominion of Singapore Army.

The third Singapore Artillery Battalion (22 SAB) was formed in 1973 and the fourth Singapore Artillery Battalion (23 SAB) was formed in 1972. From 1975 onwards the V200 light armored vehicle equipped with mortars where replaced by the British FV432 equipped with infantry guns and mortars.

As of 1982 the Royal Singapore Artillery Regiment consists of the 20th Singapore Artillery Battalion (20 SAB), 21st Singapore Artillery Battalion (21SAB), 22st Singapore Artillery Battalion (22 SAB) and the 23rd Singapore Artillery Battalion (23 SAB).  Royal Singapore Corps of Signals

The Royal Singapore Corps of Signals can trace its beginnings as a volunteer unit under the umbrella of the Singapore Volunteer Corps. The Volunteer Signal unit was reorganized into a squadron which included both volunteers and regulars when the Singapore Military Forces (SMF) was formed in 1954.

On March 1st 1966 the Volunteer Signal unit became the Royal Singapore Corps of Signals and as of 1982 is tasked with providing military communications. It consists of three battalions.

Royal Singapore Engineer Regiment

When the Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute (SAFTI) was set up in 1967 as the first military training institute to train officers and non-commissioned officers, an Engineer Training Wing was incorporated into the plan. As its role became more defined and her responsibilities expanded, the Engineer Wing was renamed to School of Field Engineers and moved from SAFTI (now Pasir Laba Camp) to new premises on Pulau Blakang Mati (now Sentosa) in the same year and subsequently branched out to other camps such as Gillman Camp and Loyang Camp (both now defunct). In April 1970, the Engineer Headquarters (EHQ) was established.

On January 22nd 1977, Royal Singapore Engineer Regiment colors were presented by the Prime minster Benjamin Lee Kuan Yew at Jurong Town Stadium. The presentation of Colours signifies esprit de corps, pride and identity. "The brown base colour represented the harsh terrain that Engineers must always advance through and overcome. The sword, wings and anchor depicted the support given to the land, airborne and amphibious forces while the laurel and words formed a golden circle representing unity."

As of 1982 the Royal Singapore Engineer Regiment consists of two battalions.

Royal Singapore Corps of Military Police

Formed in 1966, the then called Singapore Armed Forces Provost Company initially consisted of one company of military policemen. In the same year, the School of Provost and the first detention cells were became operation. A year later in 1967, the unit grew exponentially in membership. The Singapore Armed Forces Dog Company and Operations Company were established there in 1970.

In February 1971, the three companies were merged officially to form the Royal Singapore Corps of Military Police in July 1971. The Kranji Disciplinary Barrack was built in 1972, before being converted into a proper detention facility in 1977. The British Army Military Correction Centre was handed over to the Dominion of Singapore Armed Forces (DSAF) and renamed as the Tanglin Detention Barracks in 1972. Changi Detention Barracks opened in 1973, and Nee Soon Detention Barracks in 1974.

The Security Company (SC) was added to the Royal Singapore Corps of Military Police, while the Special Investigations Branch (SIB) was formed in July 1973. In 1974, the sixth sub-unit, the 1st Reservist Provost Company, was formed, completing the organizational structure of the unit which has remained so to this day. The Operations Company took on ceremonial functions in 1980, and formed the first prestige guard for the German ambassador to Singapore.

Royal Singapore Air Defense Regiment

In 1968, the British announced that they would hand over most of the air defense responsibility over to the newly created Dominion of Singapore Army. In light of this, the Royal Singapore Air Defense Regiment was created which received the Bloodhound surface-to-air missiles (SAM) operated by the Royal Air Force 65 SQN at Singapore. A newly-formed unit, the 170th air defense battalion (170 ADB) was put in charge of them in 1970. A 35mm twin anti-aircraft gun battalion, designated the 160th air defense battalion (160 ADB), was also formed that year.

By 1975 the 160th air defense battalion and the 170th air defense battalion where joined by the 180th air defense battalion (180 ADB) which operates the Shorts Blowpipe man-portable surface-to-air missile system and the Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft system.

Royal Singapore Armored Regiment When in 1968 the Dominion of Singapore Army (DSA) was founded the decision was made to purchase the refurbished V200 Armored Fighting Vehicles, customized to Singapore operational needs. As a result of the purchase, the Commando Vehicle Unit was formed that year. It was also decided in 1968 to purchase refurbished AMX-13 light tanks from other countries such as France, India and Switzerland to form the first tank battalion in the DSA. In July 1969, the first AMX-13 light tanks arrived in Singapore. A few months later, during the 1969 National Day Parade, the Singapore public got the first glimpse of the SAF's armor capabilities when 18 AMX-13s rolled past City Hall. In 1970 the royal Singapore armored regiment was created and the Commando Vehicle Unit was split into 40th and 41th Singapore Armor Battalions (SAB) to differentiate between the tank and armored infantry components.

Since then, the armor formation has undergone a period of rapid growth and transformation. The School of Armor was set up in December 1971 to train both tank officers and crew. The Reserve Armor Training Centre was formed in May 1977 to train reservists. New armor units were also set up 42th Battalion (42 SAR) in 1971 and 43rd Battalion (43 SAR) in 1976. Capabilities were also upgraded. The FV432 armored personnel carrier started replacing the V200 from 1974 onwards and in 1976 the FV 4201 Chieftain main battle tank became the main battle tank in the inventory of the Dominion of Singapore Army and a year later in 1976 the FV101 Scorpion armored reconnaissance vehicle replaced the AMX-13 light tank in service.

As of 1982 the Royal Singapore Armored Regiment consist of the 40th battalion (40 SAR), 41st battalion (41 SAR), 42nd Battalion (42 SAR) and the 43rd battalion (43 SAR).