This book is a fictional story of war in Malaysia and Singapore, told mainly from the Malaysian perspective. The fighting involves weapons found in the armed forces of both countries at the time of writing with several what-if weapon platforms and systems (not known to be operational) added to make the story more interesting.
The imaginary conflict unfolds in two parts. The Prologue and the first eight chapters cover the Period of Tension (POT) and track activities on the last days of peace. The actual fighting starts from Chapter 9. Make-believe scenarios bring you to battles fought on land, sea, air, from space and in cyberspace. The story attempts to describe missions, tactics, terrain, and the personal experiences of combatants from Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (Malaysian Armed Forces) as they defend Johor from an invasion by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). A high-intensity war of this nature will, naturally, involve a cast of thousands. Combat management systems, operated on fully automated mode that make split-second decisions, are described alongside their human operators because such systems are central to warfighting. The depiction of war from the perspective of combatants from various ATM units will attempt to show you the complex, multi-dimensional aspect of modern warfare fought in Peninsular Malaysia.
When the barest outline of a story began to form in my imagination many years ago, I had intended to start the story as Dr Tim Huxley had described war between Malaysia and Singapore in his seminal study, Defending the Lion City. Dr Huxley supervised my master’s dissertation at the University of Hull from 1995 to 1996. While the wartime scenario made riveting reading, I felt it lacked the human element – how combatants perform under fire, the fog of war and luck (or misfortune) of being in the right (or wrong) place in battle. This book attempts to tell that story. The ATM and the SAF are like two central characters whose story arcs accelerate from POT to war in an alarmingly short span of time, catching everyone by surprise.
Unlike some parts of the world where war between neighbouring states is well understood (and even expected in some localities), the prospect of war between Malaysia and Singapore is an unthinkable scenario that needed some explaining. What started as a nutgraf giving context morphed into a chapter, then several more till the POT filled roughly a third of the book. I hope you find the scene-setters useful in helping you join the dots to see how a bilateral spat and unfortunate series of events could spiral into full-blown conflict.
I am grateful to many individuals from Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere who helped me develop the story and navigate potential sensitive areas – of which there are many when one attempts to write a war story like this. I would like to acknowledge the weapon specialists from many companies whom I met at defence shows who patiently addressed my questions about their products. To all ATM and SAF personnel who hosted me, thank you for sharing more about what you do. Special thanks to Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip from MET Malaysia, and Lieutenant Caitlin M. Fine from the Joint Typhoon Warning Center for the expert guidance on weather matters, and to Kolonel Mohd Zamri bin Abdullah, former operations officer at Divisyen Ketiga Infantri Malaysia (3 Divisyen), for the trust and friendship. And thanks Darren for bearing with me during our trips up north.
Wherever you are reading this, I hope the story helps you imagine the battles and gives you some idea of how military units are deployed. When borders reopen and international travel becomes possible once again, I hope you will get a chance to visit Malaysia and Singapore to see some of the places mentioned in the story and walk the ground yourself.
Finally, I thank my wife, Siok Ling, for her patience when research took me away from the family, and her encouragement as the story evolved. Her regular query “How’s the book?” motivated me to finally get it done. Siok Ling was quietly confident the book would be completed, even when writing progress was slow or when plot lines took time to develop. I have read similar tributes from other authors to their partners, and finally realise why. Heartfelt thanks to the many netizens who wrote to enquire about my well-being during the period of silence on my blog (kementah.blogspot.com) when I concentrated on getting this book past the finish line.
I hope you find this war story plausible
and reasonably realistic, and the storyline engaging enough to keep turning the
pages.
David Boey
Singapore, 6 October 2022
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