Singapore Special Operations Force
Encyclopedia
The Special Operations Force (SOF) is a special forces
unit in the Commando Formation
of the Singapore Army
and a component of the joint Special Operations Task Force
. It specialises in operations such as direct action
, counter-terrorism
, hostage rescue and special reconnaissance
, and is one of the few Singapore Armed Forces
units trained in military freefall. It trains with United States
special operational force such as the Special Forces, Delta Force
, SEALs
and DEVGRU
.
.jpg)
had taken off from Sydney
, Australia
bound for Paya Lebar Airport in Singapore with 31 passengers and 11 crew members at 10:30 am, Singapore time. Local authorities were not informed of the situation until four hours later. Following a flurry of conflicting reports, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority
warned Paya Lebar Airport "to be ready for a possible hijacking." Flight 472 landed at Paya Lebar at 6:25 pm and was immediately surrounded by the police before the authorities could confirm that it was a false alarm. Nonetheless, the incident highlighted the lack of forces trained and equipped to deal with a hijack or hostage situation. This led to the creation of the SOF in 1985 as a dedicated unit to tackle such possible future contingencies.
at Singapore Changi Airport
.
The SIA Airbus A310 was hijacked by Pakistani militants on 26 March 1991, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) commandos stormed the Airbus at 6:50 am on 27 March with the operation over in 30 seconds and 123 passengers and crew were freed with no injuries to hostages or SOF commandos. All four hijackers were killed by gunfire.
This was the first time the SOF was revealed to the public.
The operation was unique on two accounts: first, it marked the first time Singapore resolved an aircraft hijacking
with the use of deadly force. Second, it was the first time that an SAF unit had been sent on operations even before its existence had been officially acknowledged. The Ministry of Defence
(MINDEF) and the SAF
did not take the wraps off the SOF even after the black-clad commandos were photographed storming the SIA plane. They would consistently refer to them as commandos. MINDEF only acknowledged the SOF's existence on 20 February 1997. This was 13 years after they were formed and six years after they first went into action.
which deals with situations such as hostage-taking, counter-terrorism and its war-time role of reconnaissance and strategic special operations. As with other such organisations, the identities of its personnel are closely guarded. The most prominent SOF personnel (due to high profile appointments after active service) is Retired Colonel Lo Yong Po, who often bears United States Navy
Seal badges and service medals.
Non-active former SOF personnel can be spotted sometimes with a "SPECIAL FORCES" tab on the right sleeve of a combat uniform, or a smaller semicircular badge on ceremonial uniforms, though most prefer to be discreet and choose not to wear the tabs.
Troopers are trained in jungle-warfare, reconnaissance
and counterterrorism, and are deployable by land, airborne assault
and amphibious assault, specializing in free-falling, diving
and long-range land insertion. They are each cross-trained to operate all types of weapons and equipment, though each trooper is assigned a specialist appointment in his team.
, subject to passing the Joint Special Forces Qualification Training and selection. Upon passing selection and a one year basic training, personnel receive the famed red beret
and become a Special Operations Force trooper or officer, in addition to being part of the Commando formation.
The list is non-exhaustive and other equipment are presumably used for counter-terrorism and hostage rescue operations.
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
unit in the Commando Formation
Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation
The Singapore Armed Forces Commando Formation is an elite branch of the Singapore Armed Forces . An offensive unit, it specialises in pre-emptive operations involving small groups of specially trained soldiers in enemy territory...
of the Singapore Army
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the...
and a component of the joint Special Operations Task Force
Special Operations Task Force
The Special Operations Task Force is a Special Operations Command created by the Singapore Army to better combat terrorists threats that would harm Singaporean interests at home and overseas...
. It specialises in operations such as direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
, counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
, hostage rescue and special reconnaissance
Special reconnaissance
Special reconnaissance is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organisations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detection by the enemy. As a role, SR is distinct from commando operations,...
, and is one of the few Singapore Armed Forces
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
units trained in military freefall. It trains with United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
special operational force such as the Special Forces, Delta Force
Delta Force
1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta is one of the United States' secretive Tier One counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units. Commonly known as Delta Force, Delta, or The Unit, it was formed under the designation 1st SFOD-D, and is officially referred to by the Department of Defense...
, SEALs
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
and DEVGRU
United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group
The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group , commonly known as DEVGRU and informally by its former name SEAL Team Six , is one of the United States' four secretive counter-terrorism and Special Mission Units .The vast majority of information about DEVGRU is highly classified, and...
.
History
Formation
On 27 September 1972, a flight engineer aboard Olympic Airways Flight 472 accidentally activated a hijack alarm. The Boeing 707Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
had taken off from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
bound for Paya Lebar Airport in Singapore with 31 passengers and 11 crew members at 10:30 am, Singapore time. Local authorities were not informed of the situation until four hours later. Following a flurry of conflicting reports, Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is the Australian national aviation authority , the government statutory authority responsible for the regulation of civil aviation.-History:...
warned Paya Lebar Airport "to be ready for a possible hijacking." Flight 472 landed at Paya Lebar at 6:25 pm and was immediately surrounded by the police before the authorities could confirm that it was a false alarm. Nonetheless, the incident highlighted the lack of forces trained and equipped to deal with a hijack or hostage situation. This led to the creation of the SOF in 1985 as a dedicated unit to tackle such possible future contingencies.
Operation Thunderbolt
Known operations include the 1991 rescue of Singapore Airlines Flight 117Singapore Airlines Flight 117
On March 26, 1991, Singapore Airlines Flight 117 was hijacked in flight by four male passengers who claimed to be Pakistanis. The aircraft landed at Singapore...
at Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
.
The SIA Airbus A310 was hijacked by Pakistani militants on 26 March 1991, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) commandos stormed the Airbus at 6:50 am on 27 March with the operation over in 30 seconds and 123 passengers and crew were freed with no injuries to hostages or SOF commandos. All four hijackers were killed by gunfire.
This was the first time the SOF was revealed to the public.
The operation was unique on two accounts: first, it marked the first time Singapore resolved an aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
with the use of deadly force. Second, it was the first time that an SAF unit had been sent on operations even before its existence had been officially acknowledged. The Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Singapore)
The Ministry of Defence is a ministry of the Government of Singapore entrusted with overseeing the national defence needs of the Republic of Singapore. It is the headquarters of the Singapore Armed Forces...
(MINDEF) and the SAF
Singapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
did not take the wraps off the SOF even after the black-clad commandos were photographed storming the SIA plane. They would consistently refer to them as commandos. MINDEF only acknowledged the SOF's existence on 20 February 1997. This was 13 years after they were formed and six years after they first went into action.
Role
The Special Operations Force is made up of an unspecified number. It is an elite Special ForceSpecial Force
Special Force is a first-person shooter military video game, published by Hezbollah, created using the Genesis 3D engine. The game is set in a 3D environment, in which the player takes the role of a Hezbollah combatant fighting the IDF...
which deals with situations such as hostage-taking, counter-terrorism and its war-time role of reconnaissance and strategic special operations. As with other such organisations, the identities of its personnel are closely guarded. The most prominent SOF personnel (due to high profile appointments after active service) is Retired Colonel Lo Yong Po, who often bears United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Seal badges and service medals.
Non-active former SOF personnel can be spotted sometimes with a "SPECIAL FORCES" tab on the right sleeve of a combat uniform, or a smaller semicircular badge on ceremonial uniforms, though most prefer to be discreet and choose not to wear the tabs.
Troopers are trained in jungle-warfare, reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and counterterrorism, and are deployable by land, airborne assault
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
and amphibious assault, specializing in free-falling, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
and long-range land insertion. They are each cross-trained to operate all types of weapons and equipment, though each trooper is assigned a specialist appointment in his team.
Selection and Training
It takes approximately four years to complete SOF training, including training in overseas deployments and free-falls, to qualify as an SOF trooper. Recruitment is open to all enlisted ranks and officers in the Singapore Armed ForcesSingapore Armed Forces
The Singapore Armed Forces is the military arm of the Total Defence of the Republic of Singapore; as well as the military component of the Ministry of Defence. The SAF comprises three branches: the Singapore Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Republic of Singapore Navy...
, subject to passing the Joint Special Forces Qualification Training and selection. Upon passing selection and a one year basic training, personnel receive the famed red beret
Beret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
and become a Special Operations Force trooper or officer, in addition to being part of the Commando formation.
Equipment and Weapons
- SAR-21SAR-21The SAR 21 is a bullpup assault rifle designed and manufactured in Singapore. First revealed and subsequently adopted by the Singapore Armed Forces in 1999, it was designed & developed over a four year period and was intended to replace the locally license-built M16S1 by the Singaporean Ministry...
assault rifleAssault rifleAn assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies... - Astra StG4 Carbine assault rifleAssault rifleAn assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
- MP5Heckler & Koch MP5The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a 9mm submachine gun of German design, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH of Oberndorf am Neckar....
submachine gunSubmachine gunA submachine gun is an automatic carbine, designed to fire pistol cartridges. It combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol. The submachine gun was invented during World War I , but the apex of its use was during World War II when millions of the weapon type were... - M4 carbineM4 carbineThe M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
- FN P-90 submachine gun
- Various shotgunShotgunA shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s - VektorVektorVektor may refer to:*Vektor , from Tempe, Arizona*Vektor Grafix, a United Kingdom-based computer game development company*Radijus Vektor, a Serbian company providing cable television and high-speed Internet...
and SIG-Sauer pistols
The list is non-exhaustive and other equipment are presumably used for counter-terrorism and hostage rescue operations.
See also
- Naval Diving Unit (Singapore)Naval Diving Unit (Singapore)The Naval Diving Unit is a Special Forces unit of the Republic of Singapore Navy, and is regularly tasked in salvage operations, underwater mine demolition and commando-type warfare.-Recruitment:...
- Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore)Special Tactics and Rescue (Singapore)The Special Tactics and Rescue is the elite Special Operations SWAT of the Singapore Police Force. Its official task is to provide the Singapore Police Force with a tactical armed-response capability, and its motto is "Vigilance, Valour, Victory"....
- List of special forces units