Though Singapore only gained her current version of armed forces
in 1967, the history of her defence started long before then. Under
colonial rule that started in 1819, Singapore
relied on British forces to protect her from all threats. A turning
point occurred in 1854 with the creation of the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps (SVRC), a
volunteer organisation to maintain internal security.
In 1888, the SVRC became the Singapore Volunteer Artillery (SVA), and its
success prompted formation of other volunteer corps. In 1901,
these were all consolidated into the Singapore Volunteer Corps
(SVC). In 1922, the SVC was renamed the Straits Settlements
Volunteer Force (SSVF) to include volunteer forces from Malacca and
Penang.
In December 1941, the Japanese campaign into South East Asia had
begun. The British commanders had thought that Singapore was an
"impregnable fortress", but troops stationed here were
inexperienced compared to the Japanese forces.. On 10 Dec 1941,
disaster struck when two British battleships, Repulse and Prince of Wales, were sunk by
Japanese planes. On 8 February, the Japanese
crossed the narrow Straits of Johore into Kranji and Sarimbun,
beginning their invasion of Singapore. For the next seven days, the
British put up stiff resistance but were no match for the Japanese.
Volunteer forces also fought alongside regular forces in the
Battles of Bukit Timah and Pasir Panjang to fend
off the Japanese. Despite all their efforts, on 15th February 1942,
Singapore was surrendered.
During the Japanese occupation, the Straits Settlements
Volunteer Force (SSVF) and local forces were indispensable to the
war effort. SSVF corpswoman Elizabeth Choy was detained and interrogated by
the Kempeitai alongside other locals following the Double Tenth Massacre. Men and women such as
Lim Bo Seng joined special operations forces,
gathered intelligence and fought where they could. The Chinese in
Singapore's volunteer armies were targeted during the Sook Ching
Massacre, or sent with other prisoners of war to build the Death
Railway.
In May 1945, the war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender. Soon after, the bombing of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August 1945 respectively
signalled the end of Japan's war efforts. On 15 August 1945, the
Japanese invaders in Singapore laid down their arms and the Japanese occupation
was over.
The perceived failure of the British to defend Singapore against
the Japanese during WWII caused Singaporeans to desire greater
autonomy from the British and precipitated the formation of the
Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The Straits Settlements Volunteer
Force (SSVF), which had been dissolved, was reinstated in 1949 as
the SVC to keep peace domestically.
The year 1957 saw the establishment of the first battalion of
regular soldiers, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR).
2 SIR joined 1 SIR in 1962. Their first real
test came in 1963 in the form of Konfrantasi. 1 SIR, 2 SIR, the Singapore
Volunteer Corps (SVC) and the Vigilante Corps (VC) were all
deployed to protect strategically important sites. The VC found
incredible support from citizens, with 91.4% of eligible men
volunteering.
On 9 August 1965, after more than 100 years of British colonial
rule and two tumultuous years under the Malaysian Federation,
Singapore was declared a sovereign and independent nation. It was a
time of great uncertainty as the leaders were faced with the
enormous task of charting the path of our national destiny.
Nevertheless, Singapore was determined to not only survive on its
own but to succeed.
An urgent priority after independence was to build up
Singapore's own defence capability. Singapore then had only two
infantry battalions of 50 officers and some 1,000 men and two
ships. There was no airforce. Singapore's armed forces had to be
created virtually from scratch.
In August 1965, the Ministry of the Interior and Defence (MID) was
established with Dr. Goh Keng Swee as its first Minister. The key
priority then was to build up the Army into a credible force as
soon as possible. With its small population and the need to channel
resources to economic development, it was decided that Singapore's
defence would be based on citizen armed forces. 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 People's Defence
Force. In this way, they set an example and drove home the message
that it was the responsibility of every citizen to defend their
nation.
National Service started two years later in
1967. The NS (Amendment) Bill, 1967 was first read in Parliament on
27 Feb 1967. After a spirited debate in Parliament, the Act was
finally passed on 14 Mar 1967.
The passing of the NS (Amendment) Act in mid-Mar 1967 was a
turning point in the lives of Singaporean males. Between 28 Mar and
18 Apr 1967, registration began in earnest at the Central Manpower
Base (CMPB) and its district offices in Katong, Serangoon and Bukit
Panjang. Pink reminder cards were sent by post to the first batch
of citizens who were born between 1 Jan 1949 and 30 Jun 1949 - some
9,000 of them. This marked the beginning of the citizen army and
also the start of NS as a way of life for the male citizens of
Singapore.
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) began as the
Singapore Naval Volunteer Force (SNVF) in 1966
with just three ships, RSS Panglima, RSS Bedok and RSS Singapura.
RSS Singapura, moored at Telok Ayer Basin, served as the SNVF's
first headquarters. Thus, the newly formed naval force had only two
seaworthy ships to form its sea defences.
What the SNVF lacked in resources was made up for in
determination and hard work. Though a small force to begin with,
the SNVF underwent a period of rapid growth and development. It had
started off with former members of the Royal Malaysian Navy, who
were mobilised to form the nucleus of the fledgling force. The
following year saw the SNVF boost its numbers to 89 mobilised
personnel and 278 volunteer officers and men. Some were women from
the Singapore Women's Auxiliary Naval Service (or SWANS), which had
been formed in 1957. On 5 May 1967, the Singapore Naval White
Ensign was hoisted with pride, signalling that Singapore finally
had a navy to call its own. There was no looking back from then on,
as it embarked on a gradual upgrading of its equipment, personnel
and facilities. From the two ships in 1966, it subsequently grew
into a modern force, and officially was renamed the “Republic of
Singapore Navy” in April 1975.
The Republic of Singapore Air Force also has very
modest beginnings. In 1968, the Singapore Air Defence Command
(SADC) was formed. It started with eight Cessna 172-H aircraft to train its pilots, and
by 1970 Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft had been added to
the fleet. When the British forces were withdrawn in 1971, Tengah,
Seletar, Sembawang and Changi airbases were entrusted to the SADC.
SADC became the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in 1975.
The Ministry of the Interior and Defence (MID) initially oversaw
both internal and external defence, but as the defence structure
grew and the work became more defined, it separated into two
specialised ministries. Thus, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and
the Ministry of Home
Affairs (MHA) were formed in 1970.
When the SAF first started in the 1960s, the most urgent focus
for what we now call the 1st Generation SAF was to provide for
Singapore's basic defence. The 2nd Generation SAF, from the early
80s to late 90s, saw the upgrading and modernising of our Army,
Navy and Air Force. Post-9/11, there was a shift in the security
landscape, which widened to include non-conventional threats such
as terrorism and piracy.
Resource constraints and the emergence of advanced warfighting
technologies also drove the SAF to rethink our development
trajectory. To meet new security challenges effectively, the SAF
embarked on a 3rd Generation transformation journey in 2004 and
continues today to upgrade its capabilities into an advanced
networked force.