HMS Prince of Wales is first warship to berth at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore

Royal Navy warships visiting Singapore usually berth at Changi Naval Base or Sembawang Wharves. RN flagship, HMS Prince of Wales, became the first warship to berth at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore this morning. The aircraft carrier did so in full view of astonished office workers in Singapore’s central business district.

Am so pleased that my colleagues pushed the boundary, working closely with the British High Commission in Singapore to make this event possible in a year that marks 60 years of UK-Singapore ties.

Looking forward to night shots of Prince of Wales all lighted up at the cruise centre, which some ship spotters will inevitably capture.

Photo credit for aerial pix: British High Commission Singapore

Douglas DC3 N882TP in Singapore for special aerial survey over SAFTI Live Firing Area

One of the world's oldest commercial planes is now in Singapore and its presence at Seletar Airport has gotten some local plane spotters excited.

The 80-year-old Douglas DC-3, registered in the United States as N882TP, landed at Seletar on 14 June'25.

The DC-3 also caught the interest of some military nuts because its flight route has taken it over the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) live-firing areas at Pasir Laba.

Don't let the aircraft's age fool you. This DC-8 is fitted for specialised aerial survey work. It has a demagnetised fuselage, a suite of sensors for land survey and multifunction displays in its interior that would not look out of place in a military surveillance aircraft. See for yourself.

Photo by John Maloney.

Local plane spotters have reported seeing the aircraft with an extended tail boom, similar to a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) on maritime patrol aircraft like the P-3 Orion that is used to hunt submarines. This appears to indicate that the survey includes the use of a Full Tensor Gravity Gradiometry (FTG), which is used for assessing and recording changes in the density of subsurface geology. FTG sensors are known to be employed by mining companies and oil and gas prospectors to survey and map out the subsurface ground profile.

Aerial surveys are a faster, more cost-effective and non-intrusive way of mapping what lies beneath. Data can be measured and presented to the entity that commissioned the survey much faster than retrieving and studying core samples from traditional land survey work. The latter involves drilling rigs which are commonly used before the redevelopment of private landed homes in Singapore, or seismic sensors.

Repeated survey runs over the SAFTI Live-Firing Area in Pasir Laba are interesting as they indicate the area of interest for the landform study.

We have our theories but would rather keep them offline.

Many thanks to the usual suspects for keeping eyes on N882TP's exploits in Singapore.

Enhancing Singapore's National Day Parade NDP "Template"

The Force of Decision: Singapore Army AMX-13 light tanks were shown to the public for the first time at the 1969 National Day Parade. Showcasing tanks alone has a different effect today, in view of their vulnerability to contemporary battlefield threats such as drones.

A visiting general who watched Singapore's National Day Parade (NDP) years ago enjoyed the republic's 9 August birthday celebrations.

It was not the marching contingents, nor the show of military might by war machines in the mobile column, the air force flypast, song and dance routines or fireworks that riveted him.

According to a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) colonel (now retired) who served as the general's officer-in-attendance, the visitor paid keen attention to how the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) coordinated NDP.

With time-critical elements and datum calls marked on time sheets to the second, all interlinked for "live" television broadcast in front of Singapore's leadership and with the nation watching, the pressure placed upon that year's NDP Executive Committee (Exco) which planned, organised and executed the show, must have been immense.

It has always been that way, for all NDP Excos.

Staging an impressive NDP signals to observers, watching at home and from afar, of Singapore's DNA. Tight-knit, professional, capable of standards of performance par excellence.

Pioneer generation Singaporean leaders recognised that NDP could serve as a shop window to a young, vulnerable and small city-state whose greatest resource lay with its people.

Do it well and people may think well, perhaps even highly, of Singapore.

Over time, however, that need to put on a magnificent NDP seems to have become an end in itself.

Yesterday (14 June 2025) marked the first of eight full dress rehearsals, staged at the actual parade venue, for Singapore's 60th birthday. The number of rehearsals is a luxury that early generations of NDP participants did not have. Still, the old timers pulled off memorable parades.

Colonel (Retired) Goh Lye Choon recalled that there was no rehearsal at the Padang venue when the SAF unveiled its first tank, the AMX-13, as the spearhead of the NDP mobile column in 1969. Today's mobile column can count on eight rehearsals at the actual venue, not counting the internal rehearsals in months past.

With such extensive preparations, one would expect the mobile column to roll out smoothly, successfully. 

Achieving that end comes at a price. There is a sense that NDP planning has become rigid, templated, with a sclerotic management style incapable of quick injects and modifications to the run sheet. You do not want professional observers, defence analysts and cognoscenti to see things that way. 

So, the means to an end, that is, staging a great NDP to impress observers, has seemingly become an end in itself.

We practice and push NDP participants hard. And for good reason: Because we want a spectacular show. Which Singaporean doesn't?

As a consequence, there is a tendency to stick to the tried-and-tested. Dust off the template from previous NDPs and execute as before.

There is value in working from a template. It is a ready-made starter kit for time-pressed staff officers to get things moving from a cold start. Ideas would have passed the real world test from past NDPs and SOPs such as route planning for a mobile column, time sheets and logistical arrangements would have been enshrined as part of the Exco's institutional memory. 

All the good points you can think of for an NDP template do not factor in current-day strategic considerations for assets on display. If the vulnerability of AFVs to drone warfare has been a hot topic amongst military minds, the NDP template with its SOPs and timesheets would not have factored that in. And so, a segment of NDP, say for example the mobile column, which is planned and run according to years-old templates risks exposing the limitations and shortcomings of the SAF.

Feedback from shutterbugs who photographed the mobile column at CR1 was that it was largely cut-n-paste.

Swift and decisive decision making to course correct is critical. The onus is on NDP Exco staff officers, however junior, to speak out during the many vettings at upcoming CRs and NE shows. 

Having tanks lead the mobile column in 1969 had a stunning effect on observers because Malaysia had no tanks, whereas our accidental nation operated tracked armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) armed with 75mm guns. Light tanks represented by the AMX-13s were better than no tanks.

Leopard 2 main battle tanks made their NDP debut in 2010. Singapore's enhanced AFV capability, with Leopard 2s boasting a more powerful 120mm gun, better armour, improved mobility and networked capability, telegraphed a strong deterrent message.

Alas, showcasing AFVs today projects not strength, but vulnerability. Who can forget the explosive footage of small explosive-laden drones destroying tanks in war zones from Ukraine to Gaza to Transcaucasia? 

TNI Boleh: Can you spot the drone flying top cover in the first image at the top? These are more clearly seen in the second image above.

Indonesia's TNI appears to have understood this well. The TNI integrated flying drones with their mobile column last year, when it staged a massive show of force to mark the TNI's 79th anniversary.

What about injecting new elements to the NDP 2025 mobile column?

The Bronco-based artillery resupply vehicle has never been seen at NDP. And yet, having this vehicle paired with the Project C Primus 155mm Singapore self-propelled howitzers demonstrates sustained firepower, mobility and lethality.

Boats out of water always draw attention. The Republic of Singapore Navy's recently unveiled semi-submersible would look great representing the navy in the mobile column. Other armed forces that did so with their own special forces craft have enjoyed elevated attention from legions of special forces fans and analysts who look out for such assets.

Want to showcase Total Defence? Think civil resources. How about pairing a LARC V amphibian with a similar vehicle from Duck Tours, configured to carry army stores? Free publicity for the commercial operator worth significant PR value. Past year NDP mobile columns even had SBS buses fitted out as ambulances.

Once upon a time, horse cavalry was the elite manoeuvre force. In September 1939, German panzer units crushed Polish cavalry units, which had centuries of proud heritage as Europe's best cavalry force, and convinced observers that the game had changed.

Are tanks obsolete? Not quite. 

However, showing off AFVs without a concurrent and credible demonstration of one's drone capabilities compromises Singapore's deterrence messaging.

Keep those Leopard 2SG MBTs as the mobile column vanguard. Tweak the show, perhaps with a top cover of FPV drones just to remind observers the SAF also plays in this space. But above all, do not let those tanks roll into show centre with no drone element as it would underscore backward and unthinking show planning. 

   

There are countless ways to make the mobile column more impactful while enhancing commitment to defence, deterrence and defence diplomacy.

Can Singapore's SG60 NDP do the same? Or is this too late, never tried before, no budget, no time to try etc. 

Singaporean anti-drone equipment showcased at NATO Immediate Response 2025 war games

Great to see Singaporean anti-drone equipment showcased at a NATO war game, codenamed LIVEX Immediate Response 2025, in the Xanthi region in northern Greece earlier this week.

We understand that Made in Singapore countermeasures to fibre-optic drones drew keen interest from the Greek Army and NATO armies at the exercise. Fibre-optic drones are more difficult to counter as the signals that control the drone are sent from the drone pilot to the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via thin fibre-optic filaments and cannot be jammed or interfered with, unlike drones controlled by radio signals.

Unlike click-bait headlines that claim fibre-optic drones are "effectively unstoppable", such drones can be stopped that same way any aerial intruder is dealt with by an air defence network: by shooting it down.

Fibre-optic drones fielded in Ukraine have demonstrated the capability to skirt past anti-drone defences designed to counter drones controlled by radio signals.

Hybrid anti-drone solutions developed in Singapore are known to include active and passive components. The active component might include a weapon with a high rate of fire, such as a heavy calibre MG or automatic grenade launcher with airburst munitions, while the passive component could comprise a broadband RF jammer.

Hybrid solutions would typically mount active and passive anti-drone components on the same mounting, usually on a wheeled or tracked vehicle, thus conferring defenders the capability to counter drones whatever their guidance mechanism.

Anti-drone assets are best deployed with overlapping coverage for their range rings, especially around key installations or manoeuvre units.

Such units also need to be deployed in sufficient numbers to defeat drone swarms. As anti-drone assets are likely to be limited in number due to their cost and degree of training required for anti-drone units, proper intelligence preparation of the battlefield is essential to stay one step ahead of the adversary's use of drones.

Note the small unmanned ground vehicle scurrying past the column of MBTs.

Commentary on SGSecure Social Experiments

The road traffic accident along Braddell Road on 27 May'25 [Photo by Nur Zanna] tells us much about the public spiritedness of people on this island, without the distressing and potentially deadly results of foisting a mock terror attack upon unsuspecting citizens.

Two lorries collided, with one spilling cooking gas cylinders around a burning lorry. As rescue services were activated, motorists who saw the crash did not wait.

Acting spontaneously, courageously and with no rehearsal, people like Ms Nur Zanna and her colleague Mr Addy Izwan formed a human chain to move the highly flammable cargo away from the flames. Others tried rescuing a trapped driver, who died later in hospital.

“I remember thinking, ‘If I die, I die doing a good deed and trying to help people’. It was a no-brainer,” Mr Addy told The Straits Times.

In a kill-or-be-killed terror attack scenario, not all will run, hide, and tell authorities what they saw.

Some people, like Mr Addy, will stand their ground.

I pity the unwise who opt to challenge, underestimate or dismiss the resolve of ordinary Singaporeans. Those who disrupt the peace in Singapore may find themselves in a FAFO situation - F*ck Around and Find Out.

Our city-state, the smallest nation in Southeast Asia, has over one million men who have been through National Service. Some served elite units like the Commandos, Guards, Naval Diving Unit, Police Special Operations Command and are highly trained to defend themselves or to cause hurt. There are thousands of retired Singapore Armed Forces and Home Team regulars out there, amongst us.

A not-small number of civilians pay good money to keep fit and get knocked about via contact sports. Kick boxing, Muay Thai, even Krav Maga are not as exotic as they were 41 years ago when Total Defence was launched.

In addition, from 11-year-old Primary Fivers who attend the National Education Show every year and millions more who have heard of Total Defence, we know security should never be taken for granted. To be honest, even after 41 years of TD, you will fight a losing battle trying to find anyone on the street who can name the six elements of TD. It doesn't matter. What we know from COVID, from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami relief ops, from SARS and from assorted household fires and road traffic accidents, like Tuesday's fatal one at Braddell Road, is the fact that Singaporeans can be counted on when the occasion demands.

Do not let the bitchin', complainin' and hard-to-please sense of entitlement fool you.

It is, therefore, somewhat worrying to learn about the "social experiments" planned by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to test the public's response to terror threats.

An MHA press release titled "SGSecure Social Experiments" said: "The Ministry of Home Affairs will be conducting a series of controlled social experiments in our heartlands from early to mid-June 2025 to understand the level of public vigilance and response to terror threats.

"These experiments will involve planned scenarios with actors and realistic props, and will be executed with careful oversight to ensure that they are carried out safely, with minimal inconvenience to members of the public. Authorities will be on standby to safeguard the public during the exercise."

While we are a robust society for reasons outlined above, always remember we are also a fragile nation: An ageing society, a nation with a high suicide rate averaging one a day. Who knows what unseen troubles and social anxiety issues strangers around you struggle with. On top of all that, we are told to expect a no-notice "terror threat" as we are minding our own business in daily life?

If shocked bystanders go into cardiac arrest or have a panic attack, who will take responsibility? If citizens think the attack is real and disable or kill the "terrorists", are they wrong to neutralise the threat?

I sure hope the paid actors or whoever will stage the mock terror threat is adequately insured.

Cross that Red Line with a mock knife attack, active shooter or bomb threat scenario and you may find out the hard way not everyone will run, hide, tell.

Some WILL fight back.

Republic of Singapore Air Force RSAF Unmanned Ground Vehicle carries sharp sting

As the author of a fictional war story, Pukul Habis, I thought I'd use the same creative licence to assess the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) at Exercise Rover on Tuesday 27 May 2025. 

The UGV seen in an image posted RSAF Facebook appears to be fitted with a remote weapon station (RWS) similar to the ST Engineering Adder Lite RWS. What looks like a flash hider just visible in a front profile of the vehicle appears to indicate the muzzle of a 7.62mm GPMG. Interestingly, this front profile image was later replaced by an image showing the UGV from the rear - which means we now have front and back views of the UGV (Thank you!).

The RWS mount carries three payload modules. The box on the right appears to house the UGV operator's observation and weapon sighting system. This could include a thermal imager (centre), day/night camera and possibly a laser range finder. The centre box could be fitted with an LRAD while the leftmost payload, which is the longest object mounted on the RWS, could be the sharp end of the Adder Lite. As speculated earlier, there could be a GPMG under the streamlined shroud that covers the weapon, protecting it from dust and possibly shell fragments.

In an RSAF video, the UGV was seen providing close support to 606 Force Protection Squadron personnel in an anti-intruder scenario at Sembawang Air Base. If the armament and sensor suite is confirmed, the fire support provided by an unmanned weapon platform that could be sent to deal with dull, dirty and dangerous situations would no doubt enhance the operational readiness and effectiveness of RSAF airbase defence troops.

One of the personnel seen attending to the vehicle appears to be from ST Engg Land Systems.

If confirmed, this UGV will not be the first of its kind in Singapore. ST Engg Land Systems is known to have tested a prototype unmanned Hunter armed with a 30mm RWS and this weapon is featured in a fictional scenario in Pukul Habis.

All the above purely fictional. Hope you found the speculation insightful. 

Have a great weekend!

Courtesy call on former Malaysia Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Visited former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, with the family earlier this week. It was our first time in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital.

Am happy to share that my first novel, Pukul Habis (Malay for Total Wipeout), left a deep impression on Dr Mahathir, who was Malaysia's longest-serving PM. The depiction of fictional battle scenarios between the armed forces of Singapore and Malaysia, the description of military technology, and the strategy used in countering the invasion of Johor were some highlights of the story that kept Tun riveted.

Tun, as those of you from defence circles in Singapore and Malaysia may already know, wrote a Foreword for the second edition of Pukul Habis. Tun's remarks appear along with a Foreword by Lieutenant-General (Retired) Winston Choo, the first Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces. Both Foreword authors were in service during the period of tension between Singapore and Malaysia sparked by the real Pukul Habis episode in August 1991.

I thank Tun for his advice, guidance and friendship, and for making time to see us during the March school holidays.

Ramadan Mubarak ☪️