Special Operations Task Force

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Special Operations Task Force
Special Operations Task Force logo.svg
Active30 June 2009[1] – present
Country Singapore
BranchSingapore Armed Forces
TypeSpecial forces
RoleCounter-terrorism
Specialised homeland security operations
SizeClassified
Nickname(s)SOTF
Motto(s)When No One Else Can
Commanders
Current
commander		Colonel Kenny Tay [2]
Colonel Chew Kuok Hsin
(Deputy Commander)[3]
Notable
commanders		Colonel Lam Shiu Tong
(Commander)[2]

The Special Operations Task Force (abbreviation: SOTF) is a joint special operations unit of the Singapore Armed Forces, composed of highly-trained operators from the Army's Special Operations Force and the Navy's elite Naval Diving Unit.

The primary role of SOTF is to combat terrorist threats that would harm Singaporean interests at home and overseas.[4][5] According to Colonel Benedict Lim, then Assistant Chief of General Staff (Operations), the SOTF is responsible for conducting counter-terrorist operations at the national level.[6]

History[]

On 30 June 2009, it was officially announced to the media that the Government of Singapore was planning to create the Special Operations Task Force to counter all terrorist threats from land, sea and air.[4] According to Teo Chee Hean, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence at that time, he stated that the unit's establishment was needed because Singapore is not "dealing only with people with guns. They may be dealing with people who have very powerful explosives and various kinds of other substances, chemical, radiological and so on, so you need to develop capabilities to deal with these things. You have to deal with them at sea, at shore, buildings, aeroplanes, ships, coastlines and so on, so you do need to bring together these capabilities, develop them in a much more complete, coherent and integrated way."[5] In addition, Colonel Lam commented on the 2008 Mumbai attacks "where terrorists are getting smarter as well. They are getting more organised - they learnt from what the special and security forces are doing."[2]

The SOTF saw its inaugural monograph Key Perspectives on Special Forces (2009) published in the same year the integrated unit was formed. The monograph was edited and developed by Captain Kwong Weng Yap, a Commando Officer who served as head of its leadership development. The monograph was published by Pointer (journal), the Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces. The publication introduces the first comprehensive monograph involving Singapore’s Special Forces from the Army and Navy; it offers a critical examination of the history, evolution and theory of special forces. Professor Denis Fischbacher-Smith of the University of Glasgow commented that the monograph "provided the reader a stimulating insight into the working and thought processes that underpin the selection, training, and deployment of these elite troops. Moreover, it is rare for such a collection to be made available from serving and recent members of elite forces, and for that reason, the book is an important contribution to the literature."[7]

The SOTF is a military command rather than an actual unit, combining the Commando Formation's Special Operations Force and the Navy's elite Naval Diving Unit - both already well-established units, as an integrated force and operational command. Furthermore, the task force would be able to tackle and adapt to various threats according to the various specialties of Singapore's elite units.[8][5]

The SOTF had recently participated in the Exercise Northstar VII drills, neutralizing several "terrorists" after they have infiltrated Sentosa.[6][9][10]

On 11 March 2011, Colonel Chiang Hock Woon was appointed to serve as Commander of SOTF, replacing then-Colonel, Brigadier-General Lam Shiu Tong, who will be appointed Commander of 2PDF.

On 22 January 2016, COL Nicholas Ang was appointed to serve as Commander of SOTF, replacing COL Simon Lim.[11]

On 4 December 2019, during the Commandos' Golden Jubilee celebrations, Defense Minister Dr. Ng Eng Hen helped commission the new Special Operations Command Centre for the SOTF and the SAF to better execute counter-terrorism operations and it is based at the Commandos' headquarters, Hendon Camp.[12][13]

Every year, the SOTF participate in counter-terrorism exercises led by the Police in order to validate their operational response to any large-scale terrorist attacks or when there is a heightened security threat to Singapore.[14]

Formation[]

The following units are to be placed under command of SOTF:

Headquarters[]

The SOTF formation includes personnel from the Air Force and Navy, who are in charge of mobilizing resources for SOTF missions based on their service-specific knowledge.[3]

Colonel Tan Tai Tiong said in a statement that SOTF operators "are not losing our individual identities as Divers and Commandos, but gaining a valuable partner in each other's skill sets."[3]

Equipment and weapons[]

Pistols
Model Origin Caliber Version Notes
FN Five-Seven  Belgium FN 5.7×28mm Five-Seven USG [15]
SIG Sauer P226  Germany 9×19mm Parabellum P226 E2
Glock  Austria 9×19mm Parabellum Glock 17 Used by Naval Divers attached to the SOTF.
Shotguns
Remington 870  United States 12 gauge 870 MCS
870 MCS Masterkey
KAC Masterkey  United States 12 gauge KAC Masterkey
Submachine guns
H&K MP7  Germany HK 4.6×30mm MP7A1 [15]
H&K MP5  Germany 9×19mm Parabellum MP5A3
MP5SD3
MP5K-N
MP5K-PDW
FN P90  Belgium FN 5.7×28mm P90 TR [15]
Assault rifles
H&K HK416  Germany 5.56×45mm NATO D10RS
D14.5RS 		[15]
M4 Carbine  United States 5.56×45mm NATO Colt M4A1 SOPMOD
CAR-15  United States 5.56×45mm NATO Colt Model 654
M16  United States 5.56×45mm NATO STK M16S1
Colt M16A2
Colt M16A4
Colt AR-15 SP1
LWRC M6  United States 5.56×45mm NATO M6IC
SAR-21  Singapore 5.56×45mm NATO SAR21
SAR21 MMS
Designated marksman rifles
M110 SASS  United States 7.62×51mm NATO Mk 11 Mod 1(SR-25 parts)
H&K HK417  Germany 7.62×51mm NATO Unknown
Sniper rifles
Sako TRG  Finland .338 Lapua Magnum TRG-22
Accuracy International AWM  United Kingdom .338 Lapua Magnum Unknown
PGM Mini-Hecate  France .338 Lapua Magnum Unknown
Brugger & Thomet APR   Switzerland .338 Lapua Magnum APR308
Anti-materiel rifles
Accuracy International AX50  United Kingdom 12.7×99mm NATO AX50
Machine guns
FN Minimi  Belgium 5.56×45mm NATO Minimi 5.56 Mk 3
FN MAG  Belgium 7.62×51mm NATO MAG 60.20
Ultimax 100  Singapore 5.56×45mm NATO Mk 3
Man-portable anti-tank systems
MATADOR  Singapore 90mm
Grenade launchers
Milkor MGL  Belgium South Africa 40 mm grenade M32 MGL
M203  United States 40 mm grenade Knights Armament Company M203A2
M320 GLM  Germany 40 mm grenade HK GLM

Vehicles[]

References[]

  1. ^ Official announcement to create the unit was first reported on this date.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ashwin Lee (22 January 2016). "Chief Commando Officer / Commander SOTF Change of Command Parade". Singapore Army. Archived from the original on 25 September 2017. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "SAF special forces to operate under one command". Singaporean Ministry of Defence. 13 July 2009. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b S. Ramesh (30 June 2009). "SAF to develop integrated task force against terrorist threats". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Special Operations Task Force Web TV Interview". The Straits Times RAZORTV. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b S Ramesh (15 July 2009). "Exercise Northstar tests Singapore's response to terrorist attack". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
  7. ^ [1] Archived 24 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Kwong Weng Yap (Ed.) (2009). "Key Perspectives on Special Forces". 'Pointer (journal). Mindef.gov.sg. Retrieved 15 Oct 2015.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Jermyn Chow (1 July 2009). "Special forces to work under one command". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  9. ^ "When Terror Strikes pamphlet" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 November 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
  10. ^ "SAF special operations group participates in Exercise Northstar VII". Singaporean Ministry of Defence. 15 July 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2020.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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