When thinking of countries that have the strongest militaries in
the world, giants like the US, Russia, China, and the UK come to
mind. In Asia – and Southeast Asia in particular – China,
Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand are usually mentioned.
But the country that boasts the best air force and navy in the
region, and a military that is considered one of the most powerful
in the world, is a tiny island city-state with a population of only
5 million – Singapore.
The concept of a strong military has been ingrained in Singapore
since it gained independence from Malaysia in 1965.
“Historically, Singapore had rather tumultuous relations with its
immediate neighbors, namely Indonesia and Malaysia,” Collin Koh Sw
ee Lean, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies Maritime Security Programme, told Business
Insider. “This was quite the case back in the early decades of
Singapore’s independence.”
As a result, Singapore needed to invest in its security forces.
“There was a sense in Singapore that they were extremely vulnerable
to coercion being so small,” Scott Harold, the associate director
of the RAND Corporation’s Center for Asia Pacific Policy, told
Business Insider.
But with a small population and hardly any territory to train on
let alone fight, it became clear that the only way they could
secure their country was by out-competing their potential rivals
through high-end technology.
Singapore’s air force boasts 60 US made F-16C/D and 40 F-15SG that
were designed specifically for the the Singapore Air Force. They
also operate 20 AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters, one of the best
gunships currently in service.
Singapore’s navy has six Formidable-class stealth frigates,
licensed Singaporean-made versions of France’s La Fayette-class
frigate, a number of high-end submarines both in service and in
development, and five Endurance-class landing platform docks than
can carry 18 tanks and hundreds of troops.
The army is small compared to some of its regional rivals, with
only 72,000 active personnel. But it has some of the best equipment
in service, and much of it was either entirely produced or improved
on by domestic companies.
This includes the Leopard 2SG, Bionix Infantry Fighting Vehicle,
and the Terrex Infantry Carrier Vehicle. The country also has
compulsory military service, and can quickly mobilize its army for
war at a moments notice.
All of this high-end equipment is, unsurprisingly expensive. But
despite its small size, Singapore has managed to become a global
economic and military powerhouse.
Last year, Global Finance magazine ranked Singapore as the 4th richest country in
the world in terms of GDP, and it has been able to stay high
on that list for decades.
The city-state has historically had a high defense budget, usually hovering around three
to four percent of its GDP, though it has gone as high as 5% in the
past. This year’s military budget, $14.76 billion, makes up 18% of
Singapore’s annual budget.
But what really sets Singapore apart from its neighbors in the
realm of technology and equipment, is the fact that it is all
integrated into a single cohesive fighting force.
“Not only do they have high-end equipment, they know how to operate
it in a very high level of capability. It’s integrated as opposed
to all the other country in Southeast Asia,” Brian Harding, the
deputy director the Center for Strategic & International
Studies’ Southeast Asia Program, told Business Insider.
“They focus on making sure their systems work together, they have
interoperability between the services. They are highly professional
military,” Harding said. “A poisonous shrimp is the analogy that is
made.”
But Singapore’s military does have a a big problem – geography.
There simply isn’t enough room on the island to train its fighting
forces.
“If you’re in a fighter jet that is taking off at three or four
hundred miles an hour, you very quickly leave Singaporean
airspace,” Harold said.
As a result, Singapore has sent some of its soldiers and much of
its equipment overseas. Its military has personnel and air
squadrons in the US, Australia, Brunei, New Zealand, and Taiwan to
name a few.
While the main purpose for these deployments in for training, it
does offer another advantage – the ability to stage an effective
counter-strike.
“The idea of distributing manpower and assets abroad … also provide
a recessed type of backup reinforcements, a form of insurance, in
case forces deployed within Singapore got wiped out in an enemy
onslaught,” Koh said.
“These assets could therefore be mobilized as a follow-on force,
possibly reinforced by friendly partners,” he added.
Singapore’s relations with its immediate neighbors have actually
improved remarkably. In Koh’s words, they “have never been as good
as now.”
Singapore has also contributed to international operations like
Afghanistan and disaster relief missions to affected nations.
But Singapore is still cautious. Chinese actions in the South China
Sea have not been encouraging, and its continued support of a US
military presence in the region is not popular with some.
“Singaporeans are the ultimate realists and understand that things
can change quickly,” Harding said. “They know that they need to be
prepared for the future and not just hope for the best.”
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