Exercise Northstar tests Singapore response to terrorist
attack
SINGAPORE: Singapore's response to a simulated land and
sea assault by terrorists on the resort hotel of Sentosa was tested
out in the final phase of Exercise Northstar on Wednesday
morning.
This year's exercise attempted to re-create simultaneous terror
attacks similar to the Mumbai incident last November.
Witnessing the hour-long drill at the Rasa Sentosa Hotel and Beach
Resort were Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and several cabinet
ministers.
The exercise involved multi agencies coordinating security
matters.
The simulated sea assault saw terrorists infiltrating Singapore's
territorial waters in a motorised boat.
They were intercepted by the Maritime Security Task Force and later
defeated by the Police Coast Guard.
On land, terrorists attempted to hold several guests hostage.
Special operations command troopers and the Singapore Armed Force's
special operations task force were then deployed to defeat the
terrorists.
Said Prime Minister Lee: "On the one hand it depends on quick
reflexes to an uncertain moving foggy situation. On the other hand
it depends on many years of patient building up of the
capabilities, building up of the units, training the people.
"So when you see something happen today, when helicopters, the
commandos, the police, it's just that they are alert and ready to
go but we have spent a long time doing this. And that is what our
safety and security and peace of mind and stability and prosperity
depends on, and we are very grateful to the Home Team and the SAF
for keeping us safe"
- CNA/yb