Originally posted by Langley:
Heh, you're from NTU rite. Engin there is xiong. Yah true,
no two situations are alike. Another difference is that Scuds are
tactical ballistic missiles and ASTROS are rockets. But I feel the
analogy is still holds in Singapore's case. I quote Derek da Cunha,
S'porean defence analyst:
[b]A simple description of the effect of the different impact of
artillery employed by Malaysia and Singapore against each other is
suffice to make the point of how artillery could skew the dynamic
and provide a possible equaliser in firepower terms for Malaysia. A
battalion of MLRS, such as the Astros II, although an area
saturation system, is essentially a tactical unit. If such a
battalion is deployed by the Singapore Armed Forces to the northern
part of the island facing Malaysia, it remains a tactical unit.
However, if the same MLRS battalion is deployed by the Malaysian
Armed Forces to the southern part of peninsular Malaysia, facing
Singapore, it is likely to instantly transform itself from a
tactical to a strategic unit, because it brings the entire, heavily
builtup and densely populated island of Singapore within range.
Geographical asymmetry thus results in a significant military
asymmetry. Indeed, in conceptual terms, this in fact can be viewed
as a form of asymmetrical warfare.
The argument can be advanced further and put it in more graphic
terms. Once the Malaysian MLRS battalion and other heavy artillery
become operational and are deployed in significant numbers in the
near future, one might then be able to describe
the Malaysian Armed Forces in relation to the Singapore Armed
Forces by drawing an analogy from medieval times. The Singapore
Armed Forces could be described as a rapier; it is manoeuvrable,
slick, and, in the hands of a skilled swordsman, can do all the
fancy moves in attempting to deliver the lethal stab. On the other
hand, the Malaysian Armed Forces is like a broadsword; its not very
manoeuvrable, not slick, and, even in the hands of as skilled
swordsman, is unlikely to do all the fancy moves. Indeed, it is
fairly lumbering and unwieldy. However, in the ultimate analysis, a
single slash of the broadsword could well result in the rapier
snapping in half.
Source: Renewed Military Buildups Post-Asian Crisis: The Effect on
Two Key Southeast Asian Bilateral Military Balances
www.iseas.edu.sg/ipsi32001.pdf[/b]
No lah i'm from Singapore Poly.....anyway i've said this before
once out of johore city it would be hard to conceal the location of
the MRLS.Why? because in a rainforest or even a plantation there is
simply no clearing u can shoot out off.You need a clearing or make
a clearing in order to shoot.With a limited number of clearings
around we can always watch those...while having UAV's patorling to
see if they are setting up to create more clearings....Also simply
firing the MRLS rockets into Singapore will cause 1 problem....it
will likely kill civillians and bring some sort of response from
the other nations in the world.
