Singapore Armed Forces

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The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), the armed forces have four service branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Digital and Intelligence Service. An integrated force, it is the most capable, robust, technologically sophisticated and powerful military in the Southeast Asia region. The SAF is headed by the chief of defence force, appointed by the president, on the advice of the Cabinet. Since its inception, the SAF has been involved in various operations, both domestically and abroad. These include peacekeeping missions in places such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Timor Leste as well as disaster relief operations in various countries, including the 1970 Bhola cyclone, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, 2008 Sichuan earthquake, April 2015 Nepal earthquake, Hurricane Harvey, among others. In addition, the SAF has assisted the United Nations to oversee and supervise the electoral process in countries such as Cambodia, Ethiopia, Namibia and South Africa. The SAF maintains an active strength of over 51,000 full-time personnel and can mobilise more than 252,500 reservists (also known as Operationally Ready National Servicemen, or NSmen) during a national crisis or full-scale war, bringing its total mobilised strength to over 300,000 troops. This force is sustained by a steady pipeline of conscripts (Full-time National Servicemen, or NSFs), with roughly 50,000 citizens reaching military age annually. In recent years, the SAF has also taken on a more active role in counter-terrorism efforts.