Introduction
How is the Military in Singapore and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF; aka Singapore Defense Force): Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Navy, Republic of Singapore Air Force (includes air defense), Digital and Intelligence Service
Ministry of Home Affairs: Singapore Police Force (SPF; includes Police Coast Guard and the Gurkha Contingent) (2024).
Ministry of Home Affairs: Singapore Police Force (SPF; includes Police Coast Guard and the Gurkha Contingent) (2024).
In Singapore, the SAF’s primary responsibility is external defense, but it has trained for certain domestic security operations, including joint deterrence patrols with police in instances of heightened terrorism alerts; the Army includes a “people’s defense force,” which is a divisional headquarters responsible for homeland security and counterterrorism
the SAF's roots go back to 1854 when the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps was formed under colonial rule; the first battalion of regular soldiers, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment, was organized in 1957; the modern SAF was established in 1965 and is today widely viewed as the best equipped military in Southeast Asia
Singapore is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; the FPDA commits the members to consult with one another in the event or threat of an armed attack on any of the members and to mutually decide what measures should be taken, jointly or separately; there is no specific obligation to intervene militarily; Singapore also has close security ties with the US, including granting the US military access, basing, and overflight privileges (2024)
the SAF's roots go back to 1854 when the Singapore Volunteer Rifle Corps was formed under colonial rule; the first battalion of regular soldiers, the First Singapore Infantry Regiment, was organized in 1957; the modern SAF was established in 1965 and is today widely viewed as the best equipped military in Southeast Asia
Singapore is a member of the Five Powers Defense Arrangements (FPDA), a series of mutual assistance agreements reached in 1971 embracing Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK; the FPDA commits the members to consult with one another in the event or threat of an armed attack on any of the members and to mutually decide what measures should be taken, jointly or separately; there is no specific obligation to intervene militarily; Singapore also has close security ties with the US, including granting the US military access, basing, and overflight privileges (2024)
Security and military information of Singapore
| Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; approximately 60,000 active-duty troops (45,000 Army; 7,000 Navy; 8,000 Air Force) (2023) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the SAF has a diverse and largely modern mix of domestically produced and imported Western weapons systems; in recent years, France, Germany, and the US have been among the top suppliers of arms; Singapore has the most developed arms industry in Southeast Asia and is also its largest importer of weapons (2024) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-21 years of age for compulsory military service for men; 16.5 years of age for voluntary enlistment (with parental consent); 24-month conscript service obligation, with a reserve obligation to age 40 (enlisted) or age 50 (officers); women are not conscripted, but they are allowed to volunteer for all services and branches, including combat arms (2023). note 1: under the Enlistment Act, all male Singaporean citizens and permanent residents, unless exempted, are required to enter National Service (NS) upon attaining the age of 18; most NS conscripts serve in the Armed Forces, but some go into the Police Force or Civil Defense Force; conscripts comprise over half of the defense establishment note 2: women began serving in the SAF in 1986; as of 2022, women made up about 8% of the regular force note 3: the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) also has a uniformed volunteer auxiliary branch known as the Volunteer Corps (SAFVC); the SAFVC allows citizens and residents not subject to the National Service obligation, including Singaporean women, first generation permanent residents, and naturalized citizens, to contribute towards Singapore's defense; the volunteers must be 18-45 and physically fit note 4: members of the Gurkha Contingent (GC) of the Singapore Police Force are mostly recruited from a small number of hill tribes in Nepal; the GC was formed in 1949 originally from selected ex-British Army Gurkhas |
| Military deployments | maintains permanent training detachments of military personnel in Australia, France, and the US (2023). |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2024 | 3% of GDP (2024 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 3% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 3% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 3% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 3% of GDP (2020 est.) |
Terrorism
In Singapore, the different Terrorist group(s) inlcude:
All Important Facts about Singapore
Want to know more about Singapore? Check all different factbooks for Singapore below.
