Singapore Armed Forces

Singapore Armed Forces
  • Angkatan Bersenjata Singapura (Malay)
  • 新加坡武装部队 (Chinese)
  • சிங்கப்பூர் ஆயுதப் படை (Tamil)
Crest of the Singapore Armed Forces
Flag of the Singapore Armed Forces
Motto
  • Yang Pertama dan Utama
    The First and Foremost (English)
Founded9 August 1965; 59 years ago (1965-08-09)[1]
Current form15 June 1972; 52 years ago (1972-06-15)[2]
Service branches
HeadquartersSingapore
Leadership
President of SingaporeTharman Shanmugaratnam
Minister for DefenceNg Eng Hen
Chief of Defence ForceVADM Aaron Beng
SAF Sergeant MajorCWO Chua Hock Guan
Personnel
Military age17 with parental consent, 18 without and to serve in combat
Conscription22–24 months[3]
Available for
military service		>1,255,902 males, age 18–49
Fit for
military service		>2,105,973 males, age 18–49
Reaching military
age annually		>52,466 males
Active personnel51,000[3]
Reserve personnel252,500[3]
Expenditure
BudgetS$17,980,000,000 (FY2023)[4]
Industry
Domestic suppliers
Foreign suppliers
Related articles
HistoryMilitary history of Singapore
RanksSingapore Armed Forces ranks

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the armed forces have four service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Digital and Intelligence Service. An integrated force, it is one of the most capable, robust, technologically sophisticated and powerful militaries in the Southeast Asia region.[5] The SAF is headed by the chief of defence force, appointed by the President, on the advice of the Cabinet.

Since its inception, the SAF has been involved in various operations, both domestically and abroad. These include peacekeeping missions in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nepal and Timor Leste as well as disaster relief operations in various countries, including the 1970 Bhola cyclone, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Hurricane Harvey, among others.[6][7] In addition, the SAF has assisted the United Nations to oversee and supervise the electoral process in countries such as Cambodia, Ethiopia, Namibia and South Africa.[8]

It has an approximate active strength of over 51,000 full-time personnel and is capable of mobilising over 252,500 reservists (also known as National Servicemen, or NSmen) in the event of national exigencies or a full-scale war. It also has a large pool of conscripts (also known as Full-time National Servicemen, or NSFs) in the active and reserve forces, with about 50,000 reaching military age annually.

In recent years, the SAF has also taken on a more active role in counter-terrorism efforts.[9]

  1. ^ "History". MINDEF Singapore. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Singapore Armed Forces Act". Singapore Statutes Online. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. pp. 286–287. ISBN 9781032508955.
  4. ^ Grevatt, Jon; Macdonald, Andrew (27 February 2023). "Singapore boosts 2023 defence budget by nearly 6%". Jane's. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  5. ^ Tan, Andrew T. H. (1999). "Singapore's Defence: Capabilities, Trends, and Implications". Contemporary Southeast Asia. 21 (3): 451–474. doi:10.1355/CS21-3G. JSTOR 25798469. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  6. ^ "Overseas Operations". www.mindef.gov.sg. Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  7. ^ Kamil, Asyraf (30 August 2017). "Flashback: 12 years after Hurricane Katrina, RSAF to lend US a helping hand again in disaster relief". TODAY. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  8. ^ "International Peacekeeping". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  9. ^ "Mindef History".