wah!!! they really wanna buy su?? sure anot????
By Reme Ahmad
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,191158,00.html?
SINGAPORE is difficult to defend because it is a small island,
Malaysian Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak has said in an interview
with a local newspaper.
Because of this strategic limitation in its defence, the Republic
is vulnerable to external attacks, he added.
'In war doctrine, point defence is very difficult to carry out as
the place is small and limited... So, Singapore...has limitations
from a strategic standpoint as it is an island.'
- On Singapore being tough to defend
'We could not identify or be suspicious of any country as a country
that will threaten us. We must upgrade our defence forces so that
everyone...will at least respect us.'
- On who the real enemies in the region are
'We stand firm on the position that this region should be a zone of
peace, tranquil and neutral and free from the power play of the big
powers.'
- On the possibility of a US base in Singapore
'Singapore is an island and in military concept, the defence of an
island is described as point defence,' he told Berita Minggu, which
published the interview yesterday.
'In war doctrine, point defence is very difficult to carry out as
the place is small and limited and is actually very easy to attack
from outside.
'So, Singapore is a country that has limitations from a strategic
standpoint as it is an island.'
But Datuk Seri Najib acknowledged that Singapore's military
capability might be better than that of Malaysia's because the
Republic sets aside more money for its defence.
'They spend 6 per cent of their gross domestic product for defence
compared to only 2.5 to 3 per cent for Malaysia,' he noted.
Berita Minggu is the Sunday edition of Berita Harian, the most
hawkish newspaper in covering issues involving the Republic.
Its reporters had asked the minister for his views on the
perception that Singapore has pre-emptive defence capability and
that it receives sophisticated equipment and advice from the United
States and Israel.
While acknowledging Singapore's military capability, Datuk Seri
Najib declined to comment on its military purchases but said such
moves were within its rights to modernise its armed forces.
'But we would analyse if the weapons have offensive capabilities,'
he said.
He would also not be drawn to comment on a question on who the real
enemies in this region are.
'We could not identify or be suspicious of any country as a country
that will threaten us. We must upgrade our defence forces so that
everyone will feel that even if they are not fearful of us, they
will at least respect us,' he said.
Asked about views that Singapore wants to be seen as the
replacement to the Philippines in providing a base to US forces, he
said Malaysia would not agree if US forces were to have a permanent
base in any Asean country.
Kuala Lumpur would agree only to joint military training with the
US, an arrangement that Malaysia also has, said the minister.
He said Malaysia was not aware of any plans to turn Singapore into
a permanent base for the US, and added that the Republic was only a
transit point.
'We stand firm on the position that this region should be a zone of
peace - tranquil and neutral and free from the power play of the
big powers,' he said.
Touching on Malaysia's defence, he said that the government has
looked at proposals for an airborne early warning radar
system.
Malaysia's armed forces, with a total strength of 110,000 men,
recently announced plans to buy 18 Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets
for US$900 million (S$1.55 billion) to add to its fleet of 18 MiGs,
eight F-18s and 28 Hawks.
It is also buying 48 main battle tanks from Poland for RM1.4
billion (S$635 million) and will pay 1.035 billion euros (S$2.1
billion) for three French submarines.