Singapore THE ARMED FORCES
Figure 12. Japanese Campaign on Malay Peninsula, 1941-42
Source: Based on information from Jack-Hinton, A Sketch Map
History of Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore, London, 1966,
62; and N.J. Ryan, The Making of Modern Malaysia and
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, 1969, 221.
Japanese officer handing over maps to British and discussing troop
positions, 1945
Courtesy National Archives
Figure 14. Organization of the Armed forces, 1989
Source: Based on information from International Institute for
Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 1988-89, London,
1989, 176; and Singapore, Ministry of Defence, The Singapore
Armed Forces, Singapore, 1985
Jungle warfare military training
Courtesy Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information
Figure 15. Military Rank Insignia, 1989
Urban warfare military training
Courtesy Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information
In 1989 Singapore's armed forces comprised the army,
navy, and
air forces, their reserves, and the People's Defence
Force, which
was the country's national guard. There were 55,000
personnel in
the regular armed services, 182,000 in the reserves, and
30,000 in
the national guard. All males were required to register
for service
at age sixteen and became eligible for conscription when
they
turned eighteen. Most conscripts served in one unit during
their
twenty-four to thirty months of active duty, and they
continued
with the same unit until they completed their duty in the
reserves.
The 1970 Enlistment Act required enlisted men to remain in
the
reserves until they turned forty and officers until the
age of
fifty.
The Constitution was amended in 1972 to prohibit the
armed
forces from being subordinated to any foreign power
without the
approval of the voters in a national referendum. The
amendment,
Article Six of the Constitution, states that defense
treaties and
collective security agreements negotiated by the
government are to
be approved by a two-thirds majority of the electorate.
This
amendment did not preclude Singapore's participation in
the 1971
Five-Powers Defence Agreement (see Glossary), which was
primarily
intended to provide support by Australia, Britain, and New
Zealand
for Malaysia and Singapore should either nation be
attacked. In
1989 the members of the Five-Powers Defence Agreement
maintained an
air defense network for the protection of Singapore and
Malaysia
and organized military exercises to improve the
interoperability of
their armed forces.
The Armed Forces Act of 1972 defined the organization
and
mission of the armed forces. The Armed Forces Council was
chaired
by the minister for defence and included as members the
commanders
of the army, navy, and air force. The Council was the top
military
policymaking body subordinate to the prime minister. In
1989 the
minister for defence was a civilian, as had been his
predecessors
although military officers were not legally prohibited
from holding
a ministerial appointment.
Data as of December 1989
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