Masters of the
sea
Combat divers of navy's crack unit show how they train to tackle
the enemy
Straits Times, The
(Singapore)
19 November 2007
IN THE Republic of Singapore Navy's training facility at Sembawang
Camp is a four-storey structure that looks like a mini-oil
rig.
It is not called the HMS Terror for nothing. HMS stands for Hull
Mock-up System.
Combat divers from the elite Naval Diving Unit (NDU) in training
are expected to clamber up it, with full diving gear on, keep their
eyes peeled for the 'enemy' while doing it and, with weapons at the
ready, 'take over' the structure.
The crack divers of the unit can do this in seconds.
They put on a show recently for visiting union leaders and members
of the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence, who were
touring Sembawang Camp for a first-hand look at NDU's capabilities
and hardware.
The visit, hosted by Minister of State for Defence Koo Tsai Kee,
gave the visitors a rare glimpse into how the NDU trains for
assault and takeovers of ships or structures at sea, how it
disposes of underwater mines or scouts enemy-held beaches after
landing undetected by sea.
NDU commander Sean Lee, 42, told The Straits Times that the unit is
now putting several camera-equipped robots through their
paces.
These can assist in, for example, inspecting objects suspected to
be rigged with hidden explosives.
Colonel Lee said technology that allows for experimentation and
simulation enables his men to hone specific skills, and learn and
recover safely from mistakes before they are exposed to real-life
operations.
He added, however, that high-tech robots cannot replace the human
being.
'We can never take the man out of the loop, but having the right
technology helps us to do the work faster, better and safer as
well.'
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Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
