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 ☪️

Farewell former RSS Resolution L204

You heard it here first: We hear that the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) could stage an Appreciation Ceremony of sorts for the hulk of the former RSS Resolution (L204), a tank landing ship (LST) that was decommissioned decades ago. The ceremony could be held next Tuesday (22 Oct) at Tuas Naval Base, where the ship is berthed, prior to a date with the scrapyard.

The former Resolution is the last example of a warship from the early days of Singapore's navy.

In November 2021, RSN veterans launched a campaign to preserve the decommissioned LST as a museum exhibit. This was turned down in January 2022.

Bon voyage former Reso. We will miss you dearly.

Updates on the Singapore Armed Forces

 

These are recent updates on my Instagram @davidboeypix and Twitter @SenangDiri that have had the highest engagements. 

Do follow if you'd like to stay tuned with such content. Many thanks for staying in touch!

Update on future of Senang Diri blog

I would like to thank all the folks who came for the Pukul Habis book talk at SAFRA Toa Payoh on 7 September 2024. I appreciate those who stayed behind and waited their turn patiently for the one-to-one conversations.

While the book research may have involved interactions with a number of individuals, the actual writing was, to me a newbie fiction author, a lonely and impersonal journey where you never know whether the words on the screen will be read or appreciated by anyone out there.

So thanks for helping keep the flames alight.

In response to the many requests to stay active and communicative, I have recently restarted updates on my social channels: Instagram (@davidboeypix) and X (@senangdiri) and also Facebook (David Boey Author's page @senangdiriHQ). Do Follow if you would like to see the updates.

X will be my platform of choice for quick updates

IG will mirror the photo-worthy updates on X. Engagement levels far lower than X. But there's a reason I'm on IG.

FB will be for long form discourses, such as my comments on the recent training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024, as I have seen these posts propagated faster and to a more esteemed audience than my blog posts. 

My blog will kept warm as a platform for Singapore-related defence discussions for those special occasions when I feel a need to speak up.

I also want to thank the many, many new Pukul Habis readers who discovered this book. It was a thrill seeing the book displayed at the main entrance of Books Kinokuniya, Singapore's biggest bookstore, again. And seeing the pile eventually whittled away just weeks later.

If you read my revised Author's Note, you will realise the book is written with hidden messages embedded therein. If you're a newly-minted 2LT or fresh recruit, you will need time to pick up some of the tribe's nuances and it may be hard to read about the SAF being shot to pieces in a story like this. 

But there's a reason why the SAF's first CDF endorsed the story. If you need a hint, just think about the capabilities that the super-strong SAF opponent demonstrates in the fictional battles, then ask yourself which side is more likely to actually have them for real and what the author is trying hard to tell you without being invited for a free coffee. Think about it.

The first batch of Pukul Habis readers took awhile to arrive at this deduction but many eventually did.

I hope all you new readers will get it and also find the story meaningful and a worthwhile learning journey.

Comments on Singapore Armed Forces SAF training incident at Exercise Wallaby 2024

 

Some initial thoughts on the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) training incident at Exercise Wallaby in Queensland which injured 12 servicemen:

1. This is the first known incident involving the Singapore-made Hunter armoured fighting vehicle taking part in Exercise Wallaby in Queensland, Australia

2. Hunters have special seats and body restraints designed to minimise injury to passengers in the event of landmine blasts or should the vehicle overturn.

3. Furthermore, Singapore Army standard procedure is thought to call for Hunter passengers to be belted up and for helmets or bump caps to be worn when onboard the vehicle.

4. Unlike the earlier generation of Bionix infantry fighting vehicles or M-113 Ultra armoured personnel carriers, armoured infantry on Hunters typically fight closed hatch. This means the passengers remain inside the vehicle with all hatches closed, and are typically belted up as mentioned above.

5. Closed hatch operations rely on the Hunter's all-round surveillance system, which comprises a suite of cameras placed around the vehicle that can see in daylight or at night.

6. However, the hot and dry conditions in Queensland as Australia approaches summer is known to give rise to brown-out situations when vehicles moving in column kick up large amounts of dust.

7. It will be instructive to know how fast the Hunters were moving, relative to one another prior to and at the point of contact.

8. This incident, presumably in clear weather (i.e. no rain) albeit dusty conditions, with no external combat stress factors such as enemy fire, will produce learning moments for the concept of operations (CONOPS) for closed hatch AFV operations and standard procedures for the embarkation of armoured infantry aboard Hunter AFVs.

The extent to which the build up, if any, of dust or other particulate matter could have affected the effectiveness of the Hunter camera suite or periscopes for crew situational awareness is not to be underestimated. This is a point which the inquiry would uncover.

9. I have full confidence in MINDEF and SAF leadership in handling this matter.

The SAF is a learning organisation. I am confident the right lessons will be gleaned from this incident and wish the injured servicemen a speedy recovery.

10. For full disclosure, I attended Exercise Wallaby as a journalist years ago during the trial of the then-new Bionix 2 IFVs and was embedded with 42 SAR. Great unit.

File photo of a Hunter armoured fighting vehicle. This is NOT the same vehicle involved in the incident mentioned.

For more:

https://www.mindef.gov.sg/news-and-events/latest-releases/24sep24_nr2