Structure & Units of Joint Operations

Joint Operations Introduction

Integration of the 3 services was launched in the late 1980s with the creation of 2 joint staff directorates, operations/planning and intelligence. Logistics and personnel were added before the decade's end, followed by a Joint Combat Intelligence Division, a Joint Communications and Electronics Department, and a Joint Research and Development Unit.

Such developments are reinforced through the SAF Training Institute (SAFTI), opened in August 1995 and described by MINDEF as "the only major military institute in the world to foster tri-service integration at all levels of officer training".

Another essential component is improved C4I. The SAF began a phased C4 revamp with its move in April 1989 to a new headquarters at Bukit Gombak, where a framework was created with the aim of developing C4 centre controlled at the top by a central staff and integrated down to unit level.

Upgrading of C4 capabilities has been a major focus of SAF modernisation in the 1990s. One programme involved the laying of military fibre-optic cables across the whole country. At field level, the SAF has obtained long-range/long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles.

A satellite ground station was opened in 1996 at the National University of Singapore complex. The ground station is attached to the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP), ostensibly a civilian research facility.

The armed forces are thought to be CRISP's major client, with imagery drawn from France's SPOT satellite and at least 2 others (probably US-operated, and including microwave imagery). Singapore is also developing its own reconnaissance satellite capability.

The C4 Systems Organisation (CSO) is integral to further advances in SAF C4 capabilities. Acknowledged publicly only in 1996, CSO is an arm of MINDEF's Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and is staffed by an estimated 350 engineers. Software development is an important part of its mandate, which also includes improving off-the-shelf technology.

Restructuring has not been confined to command elements. The Air Defence Systems Division (ADSD) was formed in 1996 through a merger of army and air force units. The ADSD comprises a division headquarters and 3 brigades: Air Defence Brigade, Air Force Systems Brigade and Divisional Air Defence Artillery Brigade.

Integration of sensors is a major air defence priority as part of the broader C4I development, and the AB PS-70/R Giraffe 40 radars are upgraded. MINDEF also tacitly acknowledges its interest in a theatre missile defence system such as the US-made Patriot or Russian S-300.

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