Gentlemen, a few points to share.
Firstly. If you want to join other Armed Forces (US Marines, French
FL, etc), you can. But you've to renounce your Singapore
citizenship. For more info, check with MINDEF or MHA.
Secondly. Only Singapore citizens and PRs are recruited into the
SAF. This is laid out in the constitution.
Thirdly. Gurkhas serve in the Singapore Police Force, never in the
SAF. However if the Gurkha is given PR, he can apply to the
SAF.
As to why Singapore do not have "a foreign professional soldiering
branch", the short answer is NO POINT. NO MONEY. And allow me to
share my views with you on the following;
Peacekeeping duties and ops that are politically sensitive in a
domestic context?
If you can't send in the SAF, sending in a force comprising
foreigners armed and backed by Singapore will only make matters
worst.
This could serve as a good posting for our regulars to rotate
through and receive a fair amount of overseas and possibly combat
experience,and make it a thoroughly regular arm of the SAF.
SAF has regular training, coorporation and exercises with other
armed forces. This is common knowledge.
It also offers the option of increasing visibility and power
projection capabilities in the world stage,being seen as able to
protect our own interests overseas and the mutual interests of
those countries we have ties with.
Singapore address this concern through diplomatic ties and
economic coorporation. Eg, ASEAN and FTAs with various countries.
Increased Army size might be interpretted as aggression.
It would also help provide an avenue for gaining citizens,since
the 'big picture' demands that Singapores population grow in
volume,so this opens up another avenue to do so.
True but with people who can fortify our economic front, not our
battle front. It's about MONEY!
It also offers an option to test our weapons and doctrines in
combat situations if they do arise and to help rotate combat
experience back into the ranks,perhaps rotating personnel from this
branch into TRADOC and the Guards/Infantry and Commando formations
training branches.
Hopefully we'll never have to test our weapons and doctrines in
war. But IF the time comes, do we send in the foreigners to die
first and the survivals to come back and tell us how to fight? What
do you think? What will THEY think?
Thank you for the opportunity to share. I do not work for the
government. Kekekekeke......
ORCA
DE OPPRESSO LIBER
