Quisling, forget it. Arguing defence capabilities with people
totally ignorant about strategic issues and the exact military
capability of countries in the region is a total waste of
time.
No offence to the other posts. This is a very common problem. How
many people in S'pore actually have knowledge of S'pore's military
capabilities and the neighbouring countries?
I have, because it's my childhood passion and now my
ricebowl.
Can S'pore win a war? If it's in the region (the ONLY possible
case), it's a no-contest. We'll win. No doubt. Why? Part of it has
to do with what we can do. The more important thing is what THEY
can do.
Let me ask a few questions to the doubters out there. These
questions may NOT have an effect on whether S'pore can win or not,
but it'll show how much about defence in S'pore and the region u
know in the first place.
1) How many soldiers can the SAF put in the field? Inclusive of
regulars, NSFs and NSmen (remember they're ALL part of the SAF. NS
does NOT end after ORD)
2) How many soldiers can our northern neighbour (the ONLY one with
a land link to us) put in the field? Inclusive of their Volunteer
Corps (ignoring their minimal training)
3) Which country in the region has any kind of strategic or
tactical SSM? (Surface-to-surface missiles....the one all of u are
so worried about)
4) How many naval bases do the Malaysians and the Indonesians have
and where are they?
5) What is the operational status of the much-vaunted Malaysian
MIG-29 squadron?
6) How many missile-armed ships do the Malaysians have and what is
the range of the MM-40 Exocet missile compared to the Harpoon used
by S'pore? Likewise for Indonesia.
7) How many tanks do the Malaysians have and what is the size of
their mechanised infantry? Similarly, what about S'pore?
The SAF is the most highly-respected and rated
armed forces in the region by the US and most European nations.
Why?
9) When ths SAF takes part in tactical (NOT training) exercises
with foreign countries (even the US), who wins most of the
time?
The answers to most of these questions are not really classified.
Of course, S'pore's exact capabilites are classified. But lots of
these answers can simply be found in Jane's Defence.
War is not such a simple thing. Besides the hardware, you need the
men, the firepower, the logistical support and the will to
win.
Israel thrashed the Arabs in the 60s because they were good. But
what happened to them now? In 1972 (or was in 1976? one of them..),
their commandoes could execute the daring Entebbe anti-terrorist
raid. Now, MOSSAD can't even handle a simple task like killing a
terrorist leader. 30 over years of peace had softened the Israeli
armed forces. In the 60s, they were full of passion for defending
their young state. Years of peace and the complacency which
followed resulted in the drop in standard. The younger generation
now question the value of national security and defence.
The same thing is happening to S'pore. Undoubtly, training-wise,
support-wise and by sheer force of arms, we are superior to the
others in the region, but what I doubt is the will of S'poreans to
fight and win.
All male citizens above 18 pledged their "allegiance to the
President", "to support and defend the Constitution" and "to
preserve and protect the honour and independence of our country
with our lives". These lines are taken from the SAF Pledge.
How many of you actually understood what you've pledged yourself to
and lived by it?
What does the SAF lack? Pride in the service. War experience.
Larger naval platforms. A main battle tank with a larger main
gun.
Some of these are material and can be obtained, like the new
frigates coming in by 2009. Others can't. War experience is not too
bad as all the countries in the region all lack it. But if we have
no pride in the service, we'll never make it.
Have a bit more faith in the SAF and more pride in it. Some of the
people in it are screwed-up but this is the case in any
organisation. As a whole, the SAF is still good as a defence force
and we CAN win wars.
