Wargame at Pulau Sudong

IAF SG

MINISTER FOR DEFENCE OBSERVES INTEGRATED SAF EXERCISE

The new Minister for Defence, Rear-Admiral (RADM) (NS) Teo Chee Hean, observed a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) exercise on Pulau Sudong today. He was accompanied by Minister of State for Defence, Mr Cedric Foo, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Defence, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee, Permanent Secretary for Defence, Mr Peter Ho, and the Chief of Defence Force, Major-General Ng Yat Chung.

Codenamed Vigilance, the exercise featured the recapture of an offshore island which had been taken by an enemy force. The Minister for Defence first watched two commando platoons rappelling from RSAF UH-1H and Super Puma helicopters and landing on Pulau Sudong using Zodiac boats. This was followed by infantry troops, M113 armoured vehicles and Light Strike Vehicles disembarking from waves of RSN fast craft to secure the beachhead. The Army forces then advanced inland to recapture the airstrip from the enemy. At the airstrip, RADM (NS) Teo saw a Chinook helicopter airlifting light artillery to support the operation. Two Super Puma helicopters also delivered additional logistics supplies to the SAF task force while the Chinook evacuated simulated casualties.

Exercise Vigilance involved regulars, Full-Time National Servicemen and Operationally-Ready NSmen, and demonstrated the SAFs operational readiness and proficiency in conducting integrated operations.

NeonTetra SG

Are you sure such info can be released to the public??? what is the security classification for this piece of info??

NeonTetra SG

Are you sure such info can be released to the public??? what is the security classification for this piece of info??

IAF SG

Hmmm..i always thought the job of securing the beachhead is left to 'tripwires' or naval commando version of pathfinders?

Now with the SAF's new submarine capability, i think the method of insertion has become more interesting.

Btw, the mindef website has a short video clip of the exercise, which involves an armoured amphibious assault on the island. You'll need a windows media player to view

http://www.mindef.gov.sg/display.asp?number=1870

IAF SG

No worries mate...this news is splashed on mindef site and CNA. Classification: unrestricted Cool

cavsg SG

this is the 1st time I come across an official statement about the ‘airstrip’

wuming78 SG

its really nothing big. jus a landing/taking off spot for helicopters. if u haf heli-ops u have airstrip.

|-|05| SG

Frm the pictures it looks like a 800m runway and fully functional contorl tower....Anyway frm the miw website it says the commandos went in 1st then infantry

NeonTetra SG

That's good.

bcoy SG

Its a routine exercise – except this time, there was a new defense minister visiting and the press covering it.

IAF SG

As we all know, the RSAF frequently bomb up some of these places and have personnel on the ground to 'verify' hits and misses...so i guess one of the reasons (other than heli-ops) the islands have airstrips is to ferry these personnel in and out via helicopter

Pulau Sodong, Pawai, Senang....all sound like exotic unspoilt tropical beaches. Anyway, these being military playgrounds, i won't be surprise if 'illegal immigrants' from foreign neighbours have 'stumbled' onto them

i also recall there was a time on sunday nites when the tv news would show video clips - a weekly routine announcing military activities on these islands and warn the public to keep clear...but not nowzadaz Rolling Eyes

Viper52 SG

cavsg is right that this is the first time theres been official mention of an airstrip in Sudong. However a few years ago CRISP published a satellite photo of Singapore which was reprinted in the Straits Times, and in the bottom corner of the photo, a runway can clearly be seen in Sudong. East-West orientation, relatively short.

IIRC all the other runways in Singapore were also not edited out from the photo, as was the usual practice.

35MM Gunner SG

those who were or r in da RSAF shld know tat theres an air strip in sudong

its no secret 2 them

Cool

zichuan SG

pulua sudong by right got airstrip one mah... during the ex-carat.. been there taken their super pumas from their airstrip.. cool.. Laughing

wuming78 SG

commandos will always go in first to open the back door. Wink

gary1910 SG

The airstrip was there years ago, then the airstrip was not operational, my troops & I have actually walk across it during the battlelion live firing in Sudong.

I think the best beach in SG is in Sudong , practically the whole island is one big sand beach, coconut trees everywhere.If we turn it into resort island, it is even better than Sentosa & some other island in the region.

laser51088 SG

Remembered something while reading the article. RADM Teo as Mindef boss? i tot last time the policy is have some guy with civilian background to be Minister. . . not a former chief of navy. . .

wuming78 SG

if we turn sudong into a resort it will jus become as developed as sentosa - and become another sentosa! singaporeans tend to like to overkill. Wink

cavsg SG

the ‘airstrip’ is the place where every year the NDP flag is raised and flown to national stadium. its more of a runway then ‘airstrip’. i’ve come across emergency procedures for fighters to land there and i was told years ago that an a-4 did made an emergency landing there. the place have arrestor wires if my memory is correct. i dun know the status of it now if its still operational as an emergency runway. its suppose to be classified i guess, so till today then i share with everyone my knowledge of it. i knew it existed back in 96/97 when it was just builded from a pilot who was preparing a briefing on it. in 97 i saw it from the air when the c-130 i was in flew past it.

IAF SG

For the sake of the discussion of tactics among deskstop 'generals'....in this day and age, would you as a military commander still mount an amphibious attack on an island to dislodge the enemy. Don't you find the use of relatively slow and vulnerable assault boats (sorry i forgot the correct term for those vessels) to ferry the troops no different from how it was done during WWII? Something is not right. Surely there's a better way of doing it. I feel such an approach is potentially costly in terms of casualties.

Again for the sake of pure discussion, perhaps a more economical and efficient way would be to invest in fast-moving hovercrafts, that not only carry more troops at once and overcome obstacles like mines, but also provide the needed 'shock' effect Shocked by virtue of its awesome speed and size?