Fact Sheet: Next Generation Infantry Battalion (NGIB)

The Singapore Army is transforming its Infantry through the Next Generation Infantry Battalion (NGIB), which will fight smarter, integrate better and be future ready to meet the operational demands of the ever-changing battlefield. 

The NGIB integrates technology, force structures and fighting concepts to achieve greater combat effectiveness. It is built around three ideas:

1. Fight Smarter. Redesigned force structure and new advanced systems and weapons to generate greater lethality and operational flexibility.

2. Integrate Better. Strengthened integration across the wider Army and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), enabling the NGIB to draw more effectively on a broader range of capabilities beyond its own.

3. Future Ready. Continuously adapt force structures, fighting concepts and capabilities to evolving operational needs, while fostering a culture of experimentation to test and integrate new ideas and emerging technologies.

The NGIB transformation enhances combat capabilities and mission success effectiveness, while reducing the risk faced by our soldiers. It also enables servicemen with different skills and roles to contribute more effectively to operations.

Fight Smarter: Greater Lethality and Operational Flexibility

The NGIB will integrate technology, force structures and fighting concepts to achieve greater combat effectiveness.

4. Adaptive Task Organisation. Each NGIB rifle company will comprise five platoons of two six-man sections, providing a total of 10 rifle sections. This gives commanders greater operational flexibility to task organise forces and undertake multiple missions simultaneously. For example, one platoon could secure a building; another, clear a route; and, a third, cover a key junction; while two platoons remain in reserve. These sub-units can be reorganised according to the operational demands as the situation changes.

5. Manned-Unmanned Teaming. Each company will have two dedicated Steel Net Sections to operate unmanned systems, including surveillance and attack drones. These extend the company’s reach, sensing and strike capabilities, while reducing soldiers’ exposure to threats. The Steel Net Section can also be task-organised for different missions, giving commanders greater flexibility in employing unmanned capabilities.

6. Advanced Systems and Weapons. The NGIB will progressively integrate new capabilities as they mature, enhancing its sensing, protection, and lethality. These include the new Light Machine Gun (LMG), new and future unmanned systems, and the Next-Generation Infantry Fighting Vehicle (NG IFV).

Integrate Better: Harness Greater Combat Power

The NGIB is designed to strengthen its integration with the wider Army and the SAF.

1. Integrated Across Domains. The NGIB draws on the collective capabilities across combat, combat support and combat service support functions (such as Armour, Combat Engineers, Intelligence, Fires, etc.) beyond the battalion’s organic means, integrating domains across the wider Army and SAF (such as integration with air support). 

2. Integrated Common Operating Picture. Enhanced Command, Control, Communications and Computer (C4) systems and the Battlefield Management System (BMS) connect soldiers, platforms, sensors and the headquarters, providing a common operating picture that improves situational awareness and coordination across echelons, even when manoeuvre is distributed.

Future Ready: Always Learning and Adapting

The NGIB is not the finished product. It is an adaptive construct that evolves its capabilities, concepts, and structures to meet changing operational requirements.

1. Adopting Emerging Technology. The Army will continuously assess and adopt emerging technologies (such as sensors, weapons, C4 technologies and unmanned systems) that offer operational value. The NGIB already employs unmanned systems for various roles, including surveillance and attack drones.

2. Iterative and Adaptive Approach. The Army fosters a culture of experimentation, testing new technologies and operating concepts to enhance operational effectiveness. We will continually evolve the NGIB’s fighting concepts and force structures to meet the ever-changing operational needs, and deploy servicemen of different profiles in a greater variety of roles to meet the expanded spectrum of operations. We will also continue to work closely with the Defence Technology Community, including the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), and industry partners to rapidly develop, test and scale promising solutions, including swarm drones, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS), and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs).

More Resources

Infographic: Next Generation Infantry Batallion (NGIB)

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