Land warfare or ground warfare is the process of military operations eventuating in combat that takes place predominantly on the battlespace land surface of the planet .
29-781: The Singapore Army is the land service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). The largest of the four branches of the SAF, the Singapore Army traces its origins to the 1st Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR), which was formed in 1957, when Singapore was still under British colonial rule. After Singapore's independence on 9 August 1965, the Singapore Army Bill was passed in Parliament on 23 December 1965, and National Service (NS)
58-500: A force-multiplier and a means to sustain combat power given Singapore's population constraints. Jointness across four branches of the SAF is integral to the Army's warfighting doctrine. Joint operations undertaken with the Navy and Air Force include amphibious landings and critical disaster relief operations in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami . The Army has
87-521: A combined arms, tri-service affair involving the Navy and Air Force. Because training space is limited in Singapore—artillery fire would quickly traverse the island—some military exercises are conducted overseas. Reservists periodically train abroad, their units regularly evaluated for combat readiness. The Army also trains bilaterally with some host nations, and military exchanges are frequent. Training
116-490: A technically proficient, relatively well-educated draftee pool and officer corps (non-commissioned and commissioned) reflective of the population at large, and has sought to leverage this to ease its transition into a more sophisticated, networked fighting force. Combat readiness is a linchpin of Army policy, and military exercises up to divisional level are conducted many times yearly, simulating full-spectrum operations, up to and including full-scale war. Divisional war games are
145-470: A variety of strategic, operational and tactical doctrines. Although land combat in the past was conducted by the combat arms of the armed forces , since World War II it has largely involved three distinct types of combat units: infantry , armour , and artillery . These arms, since the Age of Sail , have used amphibious warfare concepts and methods to project power from the seas and oceans , and since
174-630: Is " Yang Pertama Dan Utama " ("first and foremost" in Malay). Two stalks of laurel flank the escutcheon. The laurels are green for the Singapore Army and gold for the Singapore Armed Forces . The Singapore Army has participated in peacekeeping operations overseas. In the aftermath of the Gulf War , Singapore contributed to the United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) formed in 1991. From May 2007 to June 2013,
203-566: Is a formation of the Singapore Army , comprising four active battalions—the 20th, 21st, 23rd and 24th Battalions—and an undisclosed number of reservist battalions. The primary role of the Artillery formation is to deliver timely, accurate and effective fire in support of the manoeuvre force to accomplish missions. As an indirect fire support system, the gunners rely on the forward observer and target acquisition elements to provide
232-482: Is billed as "tough, realistic and safe," with a premium on safety, given the sensitivity of military deaths in a largely conscript army. Following the revolution in military affairs , and in tandem with modernising its weapons systems, the Army is forging a transition to a more network-centric fighting doctrine that better integrates the Air Force and Navy. The Singapore Army originated with two infantry battalions,
261-464: Is in charge of counter-terrorism and homeland security , and two are army operational reserves (AOR). The three combined arms divisions are the 3rd Division (3 DIV), 6th Division (6 DIV) and 9th Division (9 DIV), each of which has active and reserve units that are operationally ready and capable of being mobilised in the event of war. The 2nd People's Defence Force (2 PDF) is in charge of counter-terrorism and homeland security , including
290-462: The 1st and 2nd Battalions, Singapore Infantry Regiment (1 SIR and 2 SIR), which were respectively formed in 1957 and 1962 when Singapore was still a British colony. After a merger with Malaysia which resulted in separation in 1965, Singapore passed the Singapore Army Bill in Parliament on 23 December 1965 and gained complete control of the two battalions from Malaysia in January 1966. At the time,
319-577: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). On 1 June 1967, the 20th People's Defence Force (Artillery) was redesignated as the 20th Singapore Artillery Battalion (20 SAB) and assigned to operate the 120mm Light Tampella Mortar , which Artillery units were subsequently equipped with in the 1970s. In 1978, the Artillery Training Centre (ARTC) was created to replace the Artillery Reserve Administrative to meet
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#1732772593948348-705: The General Staff, there is also a Chief Systems Integration Officer and a Head of the Army Information Centre. The commanders of Training & Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Combat Service Support (CSS), the four main divisions , the two operational reserve divisions, the 15 formations of the Army, and the SAF Volunteer Corps also report to the Chief of Army. The Army has six divisions, of which three are combined arms divisions, one
377-658: The Island Defence Task Force (IDTF), Joint Task Force (JTF), Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) and the Army Deployment Force (ADF). Ground warfare Land warfare is categorized by the use of large numbers of combat personnel employing a diverse set of combat skills, methods and a wide variety of weapon systems and equipment, conducted in diverse terrains and weather environments. Land warfare, by virtue of being conducted in defence of urban and rural population areas, dominates
406-531: The National Service (Amendment) Act, introducing National Service ( conscription ) for all able-bodied young men aged 18 and above. In June 1967, the Singapore Army introduced its first artillery battalion, the 20th Singapore Artillery Battalion (20 SAB). Two new infantry battalions, the 3rd and 4th Battalions, Singapore Infantry Regiment (3 SIR and 4 SIR) were formed in August 1967. In November 1968,
435-512: The Sergeant Major of the Army. The General Staff consists of six branches from G1 to G6, as well as a National Service Affairs Department handling National Service issues, and an Army Safety Inspectorate. The six branches handle issues relating to personnel (G1), intelligence (G2), operations (G3), logistics (G4), plans (G5) and training (G6). The G1, G2, G3, G5, and G6 branches are each headed by an Assistant Chief of General Staff. Among
464-633: The Singapore Army deployed about 500 personnel to join the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in maintaining stability and assist in reconstruction in war-torn Afghanistan . Since 2014, the Singapore Army has provided logistical support to the international coalition in the War against the Islamic State . The Army is headed by the Chief of Army, who is assisted by the Chief of Staff – General Staff and
493-562: The Singapore Army had only the two infantry battalions and the old Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps . Months later, the Army had a reserve force , the People's Defence Force , which was formed from an old volunteer unit mobilised for service during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation . A third battalion, the 10th Battalion, People's Defence Force (10 PDF), was raised as a volunteer infantry reserve battalion. In 1967, Parliament passed
522-663: The Singapore Army's first armoured battalion, 41st Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment (41 SAR), was formed. This was followed by the creation of the 1st Commando Battalion (1 Cdo Bn) in December 1969. In 1972, Parliament passed the Singapore Armed Forces Act to reorganise and consolidate the Singapore Armed Forces ' disparate commands and administrative functions. The emblem's escutcheon reads " Tentera Singapura " (meaning "Singapore Army" in Malay). The national coat of arms sits in its interior. The motto
551-547: The Singapore Artillery contributed to United Nations peacekeeping operations by deploying 492 personnel and radar-locating weapons to Afghanistan. The Singapore Artillery celebrated its Centennial in 1988. Gunners in the Artillery formation have different specialisations. Gunners using the M142 HIMARS , SSPH Primus , SLWH Pegasus and Field Howitzer 2000 batteries are trained to maintain and operate
580-403: The advent of powered flight at the start of the 20th century, artillery also included ground-based anti-aircraft batteries. Combined arms is an approach to warfare which seeks to integrate different arms of a military to achieve mutually complementary effects, such as, self-propelled artillery , mechanized infantry , aircraft and so forth. Singapore Artillery The Artillery
609-573: The battlefield by ships , automobiles , skis , cargo planes, or other means. Combat vehicles provide the means to mobilize heavy firepower to engage opposing forces including other combat vehicles. Combat vehicles are usually equipped to drive in rugged terrain . They are usually protected against other common threats with armor and other countermeasures . Examples of combat vehicles include main battle tanks , infantry fighting vehicles , and self-propelled artillery . Historically, artillery (from French artillerie) refers to any engine used for
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#1732772593948638-522: The discharge of projectiles during the war. The term also describes ground-based troops, who primarily manned such weapons. The word is derived from the Old French verb attilier, meaning "to equip". This term includes coastal artillery which traditionally defended coastal areas against seaborne attack and controlled the passage of ships using their ability to deny access through the threat of coastal fire. It also includes land-based field artillery. With
667-631: The protection of key military and civilian installations around Singapore. It is also responsible for the coordination and secondment of military resources to civilian agencies in the event of a civil emergency. The two AOR divisions are the 21st Division (21 DIV) and 25th Division (25 DIV). The Army has 15 formations: Ammunition Command , Armour , Army Intelligence , Army Medical Services , Artillery , Combat Engineers , Commandos , Guards , Infantry , Maintenance and Engineering Support , Military Police Command , Personnel Command , Signals , Supply , and Transport . The Army has task forces such as
696-468: The study of war , and is a focus for most national defence policy planning and financial considerations. Land warfare in history has undergone several distinct transitions in conduct from a large concentration of largely untrained and irregularly armed populace used in frontal assaults to current employment of combined arms concepts with highly trained regular troops using a wide variety of organisational, weapon and information systems, and employing
725-749: The target's location, which is then passed to the command post to direct the gunners to fire. The unofficial motto of the Artillery formation is "Once a Gunner, Always a Gunner!" The Artillery formation traces its origins to 22 February 1888, when it was created as the Singapore Volunteer Artillery Corps by the British Armed Forces . After Singapore gained its independence in 1965, Minister for Defence Goh Keng Swee tasked Captain Mancharan Singh Gill with building up an artillery battalion for
754-543: The training requirements of reservists . Since 1988, the Artillery formation has undergone rapid modernisation in training, operations and weapons development when the Singapore Armed Forces partnered with ST Kinetics and Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) to acquire and/or develop new equipment such as the Field Howitzer 88 and SAFARI Weapon Locating Radar . From 2007 to 2013,
783-571: The weapon systems to deliver precision fire. Gunners in the STrike ObserveR Mission (STORM) batteries are in charge of coordinating air strikes and artillery fire to deliver maximum damage to enemies in a target area. Gunners in the Field Artillery Target Acquisition batteries maintain and operate radars designed to locate enemy artillery and provide early warnings or opportunities to counter-fire on
812-485: The wide introduction of military transport aircraft and helicopters have used airborne forces and vertical envelopment to the variety of doctrines used to prosecute warfare on land. Land forces include personnel , weapons platforms , vehicles , and support elements operating on land to accomplish assigned missions and tasks. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units . However, they may be transported to
841-582: Was subsequently introduced in 1967. Mostly made up of conscripts, the Singapore Army can mobilise all operationally-ready military reservists in the event of war or national exigencies. The mission of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is to deter armed aggression, and to secure a swift and decisive victory should deterrence fail. The Army is also tasked with conducting peace-time operations to further Singapore's national interests and foreign policy. These range from disaster relief to peacekeeping, hostage rescue and other contingencies. The Army views technology as
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