The SAF Always Ready to Respond Swiftly to Threats: Dr Maliki

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman observed Operationally Ready National Servicemen (NSmen) on Army Standby Force duties undergoing an activation exercise at Jurong Camp 2, Infantry Training Institute this afternoon. NSmen from the 755th Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (755 SIR) displayed their ability to rapidly deploy in response to a simulated incursion in Singapore, demonstrating the high state of operational readiness of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). As part of his visit, Dr Maliki observed the execution of activation drills and interacted with the NSmen from 755 SIR.

Speaking after his visit, Dr Maliki underscored the importance of the SAF's role in remaining strong and vigilant against threats to Singapore's peace and security, and commended the operational readiness of NSmen. He said, "It watches over Singapore and guards over Singapore 24/7 so that we can go on with our lives, focus on our work, focus on our families, and have confidence that the SAF is ready and prepared to act swiftly to protect Singapore should there be threats to our security and peace…The fact that we are able to deploy our NSmen to work with their active counterparts shows the level of operational readiness of our NSmen." Dr Maliki added that "The safety and security of Singaporeans is also the responsibility of Singaporeans at large…They have to play their part, and they cannot take their security for granted. The peace and stability that we have is the collective responsibility of everyone."

The Army Standby Force comprises units from across the various vocations including infantry, armour, artillery, engineer and transport units, with capabilities such as the Leopard 2SG Main Battle Tanks and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). It stands ready at all times to respond swiftly to threats to Singapore's security.